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Six enter Ashland mayor race By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � Voters will have a six-pack of candidates to choose from in the November mayoral election. In the last week, three candidates � John Freedom, Marty Paola and Betty Austin Hutto � have signed up for a shot to replace longtime Mayor Cathy Shaw, who doesn�t plan to run for reelection this fall. The newly filed candidates join City Councilwoman Carole Wheeldon, Ashland school board member Alan DeBoer and Albertson�s checker Gary Smith, who each announced bids for the mayor�s post last spring. There�s also new competition for Wheeldon�s council seat. Budget Committee member Mike Gibbs on Monday filed to run against Traffic Safety Commissioner John Morrison, who placed his bid last month. Retired army Maj. John Freedom threw his hat into the race Monday. Freedom, who served last year on the city�s Economic Development Committee, said he wants to use his communication and strategic planning skills to help Ashland citizens plan a vision for the city�s future. "Whoever we elect to be the mayor of Ashland in this election is either going to preserve the city�s character forever or lose it for good," Freedom said. "We must be able to have a leader who can rise above the fray and look into the future." Marty Paola, who joined the race for the mayor�s seat Wednesday, is a journeyman clerk and shop steward at the north Medford Fred Meyer store. In his filing papers, Paola describes himself as "a blue-collar worker" with experience in customer relations and mediation. He says he volunteers as a food distributor for Women, Infants and Children, a federal nutrition program, and Community Works and has no prior government experience. Betty Austin Hutto filed for the mayor�s seat on Friday. According to her application, Hutto is self-employed as director of Athena Associates. She has never held an elected office but was twice appointed to serve on the Navigation Safety Advisory Council, a federal body that advises the Coast Guard on navigation matters. Hutto is a registered nurse and previously owned and operated a school for commercial vessel personnel in Memphis. She has participated in Citizens Academy at the Ashland Police Department and the Ashland fire department�s CERT Program. Paola and Hutto could not be reached for comment Monday. Also on the November ballot, Cate Hartzell and Chris Hearn are competing for City Council Position No. 3, currently held by Steve Hauck. Don Laws, who holds council seat No. 1, is seeking reelection; as of Monday, that race was unopposed. Potential candidates have until Aug. 10 to file for office with the city recorder. 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