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--> --> Ashland's Thompson fails in bid for Gold Beach council post By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland anti-sprawl advocate Brent Thompson - who also owns a home in Gold Beach - was recently rejected as a city council candidate by the Gold Beach mayor, who thought Thompson too liberal. "My first reaction was confusion," Thompson said. "The interviews with the (Gold Beach) city council went really well and I didn't say anything that branded me a liberal or conservative," "He basically convicted me by geography," Thompson said. Gold Beach Mayor Karl Popoff was at least partially concerned about Thompson hailing from Ashland. "The biggest reason is that he spends a lot of time in Ashland," Popoff said in a telephone interview. "Ashland has a really liberal reputation, and Gold Beach is a pretty darned conservative place." But he said Thompson's lack of time in Gold Beach was the main issue. "If you're going to be in a city council in an area, it's not such a bad idea to spend most of your time there." Popoff denied Thompson's application for a seat left vacant by a recent resignation, even though the majority of the remaining Gold Beach council supported Thompson. Thompson has been registered to vote in Gold Beach for longer than a year, qualifying him for a seat on the council. However, he has been forced to spend much of his time in Ashland administering the trust for his mother Sylvia Thompson, who owns the former Cantwell's Market building. "I think he's right about that (living in the area) and I think all communities have that issue," Thompson said. "It's a valid concern." Thompson has more than 10 years of experience in planning and Oregon land-use laws, having served on the Ashland City Council, the Ashland Planning Commission and the 1991 Governor's Task Force on Growth Management and Transportation. While his credentials impressed most of the council members, it didn't wash with the mayor. "I would hope even Ashland would think twice about letting someone waltz in and say, `Hey, I want to be on the city council,'" Popoff said. The Gold Beach mayor said he invites Thompson to join a local commission which operates at a lower level than the council, but makes recommendations on planning directions for the city. "I honestly would like him to be on it, and the invitation stands," Popoff said. "He hasn't said anything to me, but I think I'd take a planning commission job," Thompson said. Thompson has been a strong voice for building higher rather than sprawling outward in Ashland, and has opposed city projects to expand the Hillah Temple and the city's fire station No. 1. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing