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By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune October 20. 2014 12:01AM Central Point candidates have similar goals Opponents in the only contested race for the Central Point City Council bring different types of experience but have a similar stance on important community issues. Kay Harrison, a past council woman with experience on various transportation and economic development commissions, and Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Thueson, an advocate for children in the community, both say they want to encourage new business in the city and carefully regulate medical and, if approved by voters, recreational marijuana. Incumbent Councilor Ellie George is not seeking re-election in Ward 3. A longtime former council member, Harrison has served in various capacities around the valley, including on the Rogue Valley Transportation District board. Passionate about urban renewal, water resources, transportation and careful spending, Harrison was first elected in 2000, but two years ago was unseated. A Harry and David employee, the 61-year-old said she wants to provide some gender balance and encourage more businesses to come to her hometown. Thueson, a resident since 2010, is a community volunteer and coach and serves on various boards that work with community justice and court-related agencies. If elected, Thueson said, his focus would be to contribute to “an already very well-run community” and to work for the safety and betterment of children. “The main reason I’m running is that I want to contribute to this great community I live in,” he said. "My wife and I have made a pretty big investment buying a house and raising our kids here and I want to be able to contribute and not stand by while things are happening." On marijuana, Harrison and Thueson both were opposed to legalization of recreational pot but said they would respect a voter decision to legalize it. If elected, Thueson said, he would encourage the city’s police department to regulate marijuana-related issues with existing laws. “As a prosecutor in Jackson County, I have seen up close and personal the effects of marijuana. I personally am opposed to marijuana uses outside those few valid medical purposes, but having said that, I will absolutely respect people’s vote,” he said. “If the people vote that it should be legal to possess it and use it on a broader basis, there’s nothing we can do about that except encourage local law enforcement to enforce the laws that are already there.” Harrison said her focus would be to work with city staff “to understand the state's goals with the legalizing of recreational marijuana in a way that will least impact the city and to advocate for cities to hold some authority on the issue.” “The state is looking to tax it for another source of revenue but the cities will be handling the consequences,” she said. “My whole thing is that, while I’m not in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, if the voters vote for it and it comes through this time, the city needs a good plan for how to deal with whatever consequences that will mean.” Harrison and Thueson both said they hope to see more business come to the city through the creation of enterprise zones. “The city is working with the county to be part of the enterprise zones that would offer reduced taxes in order to attract businesses in the city,” Thueson said. "There are a lot of ins and outs to navigate but joining in the program would put the city in a much better position to attract new business. “We need to attract businesses that will offer good wages to help support families and improve the community.” Harrison said she would like to see green technologies drawn to the city and to enable existing successful businesses to expand. “It will be up to the council to see how these zones will work with our existing urban growth strategies and to make sure things are done in a way that works well with existing businesses and in-home businesses,” Harrison said. “If people need or want the opportunity to grow, I want to make sure they have those opportunities. I think the priority should be to make sure every community in the Rogue Valley has an identity of its own and a business face.”  Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected]   Kay HarrisonAge: 62Town: Central PointEducation: Two years of college and ongoing education for business-related classesExperience: Current member of the Central Point Planning Commission, Rogue Valley Sewer Services Board, Rogue Valley Council of Governments board, Jackson County Roads Committee and the Metropolitan Planning Organization public advisory committee. Past member of the Central Point City Council and city budget committee. Brandon ThuesonAge: 33Town: Central PointEducation: Undergraduate study at Brigham Young University (Idaho), with a minor in political science, major in psychology. Legal degree from Willamette University. Deputy district attorney with the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.Experience: Community coach for Table Rock Soccer, church volunteer, assistant coach for Crater High School mock trial team. Served in various capacities on the following: Jackson County Multidisciplinary Team, Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and the Jackson County Casey Family Foundation. Treasurer for the juvenile law section of the Oregon State Bar. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141020/NEWS/141029991 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->