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June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 15, 2004 Two people show up at session for prospective candidates By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings In most cities, when people decide to run for office, they just go pick up the packet and hope they understand all the forms included. In Ashland, City Recorder Barbara Christensen holds an informational session for potential candidates. Thursday's session brought only two possibilities, Russ Silbiger and Tracey Bungay, to the meeting. Neither is decided on whether they will run. Christensen said the process can be overwhelming to some, and that is the reason for the informational meetings. "I am trying to make the process less intimidating," she said. "It is really a very simple process and I always try to walk the candidates through the process." The first date for filing is June 2, and filing closes Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. The seats up for election this year are mayor, council seats 1, 3 and 5 and two parks commission seats. Anyone who is a resident of Oregon and lives within the Ashland city limits is eligible to run for office. Christensen said deciding to run and filling out the forms is the easy part. Campaigning is the truly hard part. She said one of the most confusing areas is filling out campaign finance forms. "One of the most important forms is the Statement of Organization," she said. "This form is for a candidate who expects to spend or receive over $300 for their campaign. The form must be submitted within three days of receiving a contribution or making expenditures. It also must be filed by the Aug. 6 deadline." Another major form is the Voluntary Certificate of Limited Expenditure form. This form notes that the candidate pledges to not spend over $2,980 on the campaign. The names of such candidates are published in the newspaper. After deciding to file, candidates must pick up a prospective petition at the recorder's office. "Once I approve the petition, a candidate must then get no fewer that 25 names on the Preferred Petition supporting their candidacy. I do suggest to them they get more as they have to be verified by the Supervisor of Elections office." And Christensen reminds candidates that a person can only sign one petition for a particular office. Registered voters who sign more than one petition for the same office will have their signatures rejected. Christensen said there are also limits on sizes and times for lawn signs. For a candidate packet with information on running for office, call Christensen at 552-2084. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams