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Homemaker throws hat in ring Medford woman to challenge Berryman for mayor�s office By Jessica Smith A Medford woman says she will challenge Mayor Lindsay Berryman�s bid for re-election in November. Susan Hand, 46, is the sole opponent to Berryman, who was elected the city�s first woman mayor in 1998. "I�m running for mayor (against Berryman) because nobody else would," said Hand, who has filed her petition for candidacy with the city recorder. "I think the mayor is too important a position to go uncontested." Berryman also has filed for the fall race. Hand, a homemaker and former administrative assistant, moved to Medford last year from California. After getting to know the city and the Rogue Valley, Hand said she decided to run for mayor to promote Medford�s leadership role in the region. Hand, who served in the Air Force in the late 1970s, is a voting member of the Citizen Planning Advisory Committee. She also belongs to Citizens for Preservation of Established Neighborhoods, a local coalition, and she regularly attends meetings of the United Medford Citizens group. Whoever wins the seat will be the first mayor in the city�s history to serve a four-year term. In 1998, voters approved a city charter amendment lengthening the mayor�s term in office from two years to four. This November, voters also will elect representatives to four City Council seats. Councilman John Michaels, who represents Ward 3, has filed for re-election, as has Ward 4 Councilman Bill Moore. Dennis Nielsen � a Medford planning commissioner who was nearly booted out of office earlier this year by the council � has filed as a challenger to Moore. Neither Council President Sal Esquivel, Ward 2, or Ward 1 representative Curt Bennett, have filed for re-election. Esquivel, however, has said he plans to run. Mayoral and council candidates have until 5 p.m. Aug. 25 to file for the election. They must gather 25 signatures to get their names on the ballot. Applicants must be registered voters who have lived in Medford for at least six months. Council candidates also must be a resident of the ward they want to represent. For an application or more information, stop by the city recorder�s office at Room 320, City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St., or call 774-2017. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA