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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 12, 2004 Write-in Skevington becomes Rogue River mayor By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Results for Rogue River’s write-in mayoral and council candidates are finally in. Dick Skevington will take the town’s gavel. And Renee Petersen will join incumbents George Jorgensen and Dick Handbury on the council. Skevington handily defeated fellow write-in candidate Tom Lazette with 304 to 94 votes. "I feel pretty good it’s over and we can get down to the business of running the city," says Skevington. "We have a good working body." Dick Handbury retained his council seat with 203 votes and also received 24 write-in votes as mayor. Advertisement Handbury says maintaining the city’s financial stability is the council’s key challenge. "It’s a tough pull. Our funds are pretty scarce," Handbury says. "I’m kind of glad to remain on the council, especially if I can still be of value." Rogue River’s city charter limits candidates to serving two terms as mayor and two terms as council members. The position of mayor and three of the city’s five council seats were up for grabs, but only Jorgensen filed his election papers by the Aug. 4 deadline. The scramble to fill the seats resulted in a plethora of write-in signs all over town. Skevington, currently serving his second term on the council, opted to run for mayor after fellow Councilwoman Jo Anne Mead decided to withdraw her mayoral candidacy. Handbury had originally declined to run, stating two terms as mayor and one term as council member seemed plenty. But when no one else stepped forward, he was asked to run as a write-in council candidate by fellow council members. Jorgensen garnered 588 votes, more than any of the write-in candidates. "I expected to be elected," says Jorgensen, "since I was the only one who registered. But I’m really pleased with the outcome (of the entire election). It will keep a close- knit council together." The City Council will be Petersen’s first political office. A longtime resident in the Rogue River area, Petersen says a recent move within city limits gave her the opportunity to run for the council. "I decided it was time to do more," she says. "I want to work on the beautification of our wonderful town." The town’s two other official write-in candidates, former Mayor Phil Peeters and former Councilman Earl Shamblin, garnered 98 and 54 write-in votes respectively. Ballot verification ends today Jackson County elections officials are still working to verify ballots from the Nov. 2 general election. The 10-day delay in counting write-in votes occurred because about 4,000 ballots had to be hand-processed before the team could count them. "We still have ballots out," says Jackson County Elections Deputy Donna Connor. Double ballots, signature verification and machine coding or sorting errors are still being resolved, says Connor. "It all takes time," she says. Voters whose ballots did not match their registration cards were notified by election officials via letter or phone call last week. "Everyone who had a challenged ballot has been notified," says Connor. The 10-day challenge period ends today. Voters with signature challenges must verify their ballots by coming into the Jackson County Elections Center by 5 p.m. and re-signing or updating their signature card. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities