Document text
Letters, Nov. 7 By Gary Nelson By Mail Tribune readers Nov 07, 2022 12:00 AM A A Endorsing Joy Fate As a 20-year Ashland resident and small-business owner, I am endorsing Joy Fate for Ashland City Council. Joy has a long history of advocating for the working people and gives her heart and soul to our most marginalized community members. When I look at Tonya Graham’s voting history, which I encourage everyone to do, I cannot again vote for Tonya, who represents the status quo, and not the working people, young people and young families in Ashland. Joy represents progressive change. She dedicates her life energy to feeding and giving shelter to those in need, instead of criminalizing them like the status quo does. Joy advocates for small businesses, and the status quo does nothing to support us, even though we are the backbone of Ashland. Joy works on behalf of us. She has my vote 100%. Leslie Caplan Ashland We need Denise Krause Denise Krause is experienced and ready to work for all of us. Denise has a Ph.D. in preventative medicine and is retired from a 25-year career in health care. She was a professor of epidemiology, a published researcher and a high-level administrator who managed a large organization with a multi-million dollar budget. She has a track record of bringing people together to work on complex projects. She has outstanding leadership and mentoring abilities. She is currently a public health consultant and runs a small farm. Krause is a people person who has the skills and expertise we need. She is a unifier who will put party aside to work for all Jackson County residents. She will bring new energy and ideas to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. We need Denise Krause for county commissioner. Scott Jordan Ashland Raise the bar Raise the bar for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners! Vote for Denise Krause! Many people have no idea who our commissioners are, what their jobs entail, nor what they have done for residents over the past eight years. They failed to manage county lands for fire prevention, most notably in the Bear Creek Greenway. They botched the Almeda Fire response and failed to provide leadership in the fire’s aftermath. They denied assistance, such as rejecting $1 million from the state to address homelessness this year. We have three commissioners. Their positions could be very important. Currently our commissioners follow rubber-stamp procedures. They toe a party line and get little accomplished. Two of the current commissioners have had eight years to show us results, but there is little to show. We need strong, new leadership that puts political affiliations aside to work on local issues for all of us. Leonardo Newmark Medford Why I’m voting for Joy Fate I’ve seen Joy Fate in action, working behind the scenes to make Ashland the kind of place that we want it to be: caring, kind, effective, inclusive. She is focused on getting it done instead of talking about what ought to be done. When Joy saw the need, she opened a low-barrier winter shelter and just made it happen. I brought food a couple of times and she was always there, keeping it open, keeping people warm and nourished and calm. She understands the need to address the challenges of climate change, create affordable housing, and work with the whole community. Although she’s lived here a couple of decades and done so much good for our community, she’s shied away from publicity and put all her energy into creating real solutions. More info at joyfate.org. Please join me in choosing Joy. Pauline Black Ashland