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Ashland group drops parks ballot measure By Morgan Rothborne Updated: Jul 11, 2022 05:51 PM A A Ashland Friends of Parks and Open Spaces has suspended its drive for a citizen’s initiative ballot measure that had been aimed at parks funding. The group sent a letter announcing its decision Sunday to Ashland City Council and Mayor Julie Akins. “We’re not going away — we just need to formulate our strategy going forward,” said Michael Gardiner, a former Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission member, who was on the steering committee for the proposed initiative. In the letter, the group asked City Council to suspend the measure, stating concern over voter confusion. The initiative would have given Ashland voters three local ballot measures to ponder. The letter was signed by steering committee members Mark Knox, Mike Gardiner, Jim Bachman, Anne Bellegia and Rebecca Kay. The council is considering two ballot measures proposed by City Manager Joe Lessard. One of the proposed measures would amend the food and beverage tax to direct the roughly $3 million revenue toward unusual or sudden expenses such as a bad fire season or another emergency shelter. The other proposed measure would amend the city charter, placing employees of Ashland Parks and Recreation under the authority of the city manager and City Council, rather than the parks commissioners. The Friends of Ashland Parks and Open Space group formed to draft a ballot measure directing 97% of the food and beverage tax to Ashland parks. Members of the group included past and present parks commissioners and citizens of Ashland. At a City Council meeting July 5, councilors split over how to solve the dueling ballot measures problem. Councilors Shaun Moran, Gina DuQuenne and Akins supported allowing the citizen’s initiative to gain a place on the ballot and let voters chose between the two proposed uses for the food and beverage tax money. Councilors Paula Hyatt, Stefani Seffinger, Tonya Graham and Stephen Jensen voiced concern that confused voters might vote no and doom both measures. Seffinger proposed directing city staff to draft an either\or ballot measure, asking voters to choose between Lessard’s proposal and the citizen’s initiative. Gardiner said that meeting pushed the group to reconsider its measure. Two measures would be confusing and not beneficial to anyone, and an either/or measure wouldn’t work, he said. The two proposals could not be combined in any productive way, he said. The group also acknowledged that time was against them. “The clock was ticking, and it didn’t look like we were going to cross the finish line with the signatures,” Gardiner said. The initiative petition needed 3,000 signatures to make it to the ballot. The deadline was Aug. 10. Ashland Parks and Recreation Commissioner Rick Landt said the proposed citizens’ initiative initially enjoyed the support of all the commissioners, but he agreed with the move to withdraw it. “What we’re saying is we don’t agree with these ballot measures, but we’ll let the voters decide in a clear and concise way,” Landt said. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected] or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.