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Talent council member who lives in Ashland clarifies plans By Tony Boom Updated: Oct 10, 2022 04:08 PM A A Talent City Hall [Mail Tribune/file photo] Eleanor Ponomareff [City of Talent photo] A Talent city councilor who lives in Ashland but is running for reelection in November, based on city rules that allow residents displaced by the Almeda Fire to hold office, has clarified her status after the city received a letter questioning her candidacy. Councilor Eleanor Ponomareff, who lost her home in Talent to the fire, is seeking reelection to Seat 5, which she has held since January 2019. She told the council at its Oct. 5 meeting she is working to rebuild and said she had not been public about her situation. Former City Councilor John Harrison submitted a letter to the council asking whether there was a violation of the charter with regard to Ponomareff’s candidacy. Councilors approved an exemption in January 2021 for candidates who had been displaced by the Almeda Fire, with a Nov. 1, 2022, expiration date. At the June 1 council session this year, the council approved extending the exemption time to Sept. 8, 2024. City Attorney Lori Cooper, in a memo to the city prior to the June action, wrote that the exemption “makes sense and is a reasonable action to take.” The city charter requires officers to be residents, but it is up to the council to decide what constitutes that status, said Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood at the Oct. 5 session. “If challenged, I think a displaced person could still make the case for the city residency so long as their current housing situation is temporary and they are making effort to move back to the city and maintain voter registration in the city,” Cooper wrote. Other factors that could be cited include: being employed in the city and rebuilding a house. “But the longer time goes on, this argument will be harder to justify, as more dwelling units are rebuilt and there are more opportunities for displaced people to move back to the city,” Cooper added “I wanted to address some of the things that were said by Mr. Harrison about me in that letter,” Ponomareff told the council. “He has made some remarks that I have not been public about things.” “As far as the rebuilding in Talent, it took me a while, but I did engage an excellent builder in February, and as of very recently the designs are completed, and I should be applying for ... a permit in the very near future. I don’t know how quickly the house can be built,” said Ponomareff. “I’m definitely missing Talent and doing my best to get back and spending a lot of my days here. That’s where that is at, and I think this council certainly deserves an update.” Harrison’s letter stated, “Eleanor Ponomareff owns and lives in a home in Ashland that county records show she took ownership of on Oct. 20, 2021. After more than two years, and after most Talent residents have rebuilt or are in the process of rebuilding, Eleanor Ponomareff has not requested a building permit to rebuild her home ... or publicly spoken about why she has not requested a building permit or informed the public about her intentions.” Ponomareff told the council she lives in Ashland. She inherited a condominium there from her mother, who died in March 2021. Any discussion of residency concerns should be left to individuals qualified to interpret the rules and not be taken up for interpretation by the council, said Ayers-Flood. Potential challengers could contact agencies such as the county election department or the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. “I’m not sure, at least myself and the council in general, to handle some of these questions,” said Councilor David Pastizzo. “I would definitely prefer to have people who are qualified and deal with these things and to have some voice of authority chiming in so we are not just taking stabs at stuff.” Councilor Ponomareff recused herself from the discussion and voting on the time extension at the June meeting. The approved motion simply changed the time of the original motion, although Cooper had suggested the council might want to add criteria or perhaps require a form on intentions. At the Jan. 20, 2021, meeting, a little over four months after the fire, councilors expressed support for applicants displaced by the fire who wished to serve. A report by Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who was then the city’s interim city manager, said the city attorney had confirmed a reasonable interpretation of the charter would allow those displaced by the fire to meet the “qualified elector” criteria. Ponomareff made the motion to adopt a temporary rule to expire Nov. 1, 2022, which stated “a qualified elector in the context of the council, commission or committee membership include those who were at the time of the Almeda Fire residents of the city of Talent and who were displaced by the fire and who are registered to vote in Talent and who affirm the intentions to reside in the city of Talent when circumstances permit.” Councilors passed the motion 4-0. At the time, the council had two vacancies created by resignations linked to the fire. Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at [email protected].