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Resident Josh Tibbetts feels he would be a stronger Roseburg mayor than Larry Rich. So he’s challenging Rich for the seat in the November election as the incumbent seeks a sixth two-year term.
In general, Tibbetts thinks the city needs to switch to a “strong mayor” form of government, in which the mayor would have a vote on the City Council. Now the mayor only votes to break a council tie. Tibbetts said voters would have to approve such a change.
But even without the change, he feels he would be a stronger mayor than Rich. He describes himself as an in-your-face, get-things-done type of person and says being involved in political campaigns for many years qualifies him to be mayor.
Tibbetts also questions several things that have happened during Rich’s 10-year tenure as mayor. He notes how new airport hangars were not leased for more than a year due to construction problems.
Rich responded the city investigated the problem, city staff “did an excellent job” of bringing all the parties together to find a solution and the hangars are now almost finished.
Tibbetts also criticizes the fact Dell Computers was enticed to the city with tax incentives in 2002 but then left by 2007.
Rich said Dell’s sudden closure surprised everyone. And when a company leaves, there’s not much anyone can do about it. He said the city, county and Umpqua Community College all worked to bring Dell here and will probably all be more cautious about such situations in the future.
Tibbetts also criticizes Rich for being on the council when it enacted new water hook-up fees, called system development charges, which have significantly upped the cost to develop commercial property.
Rich responded that a staff report suggested the charges as a way to raise money to fix roads. He said the council heard business people’s concerns about the fees and is forming a committee to take another look.
Asked to respond to Tibbetts’ opinion that the mayor has not accomplished much, Rich said, “I feel like I’ve done the best I could to help the city move forward.”
Asked to list accomplishments during his tenure, Rich noted the development of Sunshine Park, the building of Home Depot and Lowe’s stores and the construction of the new Public Safety Center. He stressed none of those things were solely his doing.
“It was the council and city staff working together to get it done,” Rich said.
In recent interviews, the candidates shared their views on issues ranging from how to shore up the local economy to how to improve city parks.
Rich says the city faces several pressing issues: the proposed Urban Growth Boundary expansion, how to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard and the upcoming $5 million bond measure to improve parks that is also on the ballot.
In a positive vein, he notes the new Public Safety Center is set to be done next summer. He thinks it will be an asset, particularly having the police and fire departments under one roof.
Asked how the council could improve the local economy, Rich said the council should work to attract new businesses, partly by supporting the work of the Umpqua Economic Development Partnership. He thinks the council should support existing businesses too.
A study is being done on how to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard. Rich said he doesn’t like the idea of turning Diamond Lake and Odell Avenue into one-way streets.
He would like to see a new bridge over the South Umpqua River, but knows that is expensive. He hopes an environmental assessment now being done will offer a new solution that is “as good as the bridge.”
The Planning Commission is considering a proposal to expand the Urban Growth Boundary. Rich supports the proposal. Without it, people who live within the city end up paying to provide services to those who live just outside the city, he said.
He also supports asking voters to decide whether they want to invest $5 million in city parks. He believes many residents support having quality parks.
Asked what qualifies him to be mayor, Rich said, “I’ve worked as hard as I can to do a good job. Hopefully, that’s what the citizens agree with.”
He noted his 10 years of experience as mayor. “I’ve got the time and the energy and am willing to serve,” he added.
Tibbetts is making his second bid to be on the Roseburg City Council. He ran for a Ward 4 seat in 2000 and lost to Stacey Crowe by 72 votes.
If elected mayor, Tibbetts said his top priorities would be improving the economy, improving city staff’s interaction with the public and making the mayor’s position stronger.
He particularly wants to improve law enforcement’s relations with the public. “When (police) pull someone over for a traffic stop, (they) don’t have to be a jerk,” he said.
To bolster the local economy, Tibbetts thinks the city should work to bring new businesses to town, including offering tax incentives or building needed infrastructure.
Asked how best to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard, he said the city should build a bridge over the South Umpqua River. He thinks the bridge should stop at Elk Island, which could become a place to recreate.
As for expanding the Urban Growth Boundary, Tibbetts thinks the city should not only expand its boundary by 1,258 acres, but also annex that land. That would increase the city’s tax base, possibly lower taxes for those now inside the city and make the new residents eligible for all city services.
As for the parks bond measure, he said it’s “absolutely not” needed. Instead, he thinks the city should seek corporate dollars to improve city parks.
In general, Tibbetts thinks the city needs to switch to a “strong mayor” form of government, in which the mayor would have a vote on the City Council. Now the mayor only votes to break a council tie. Tibbetts said voters would have to approve such a change.
But even without the change, he feels he would be a stronger mayor than Rich. He describes himself as an in-your-face, get-things-done type of person and says being involved in political campaigns for many years qualifies him to be mayor.
Tibbetts also questions several things that have happened during Rich’s 10-year tenure as mayor. He notes how new airport hangars were not leased for more than a year due to construction problems.
Rich responded the city investigated the problem, city staff “did an excellent job” of bringing all the parties together to find a solution and the hangars are now almost finished.
Tibbetts also criticizes the fact Dell Computers was enticed to the city with tax incentives in 2002 but then left by 2007.
Rich said Dell’s sudden closure surprised everyone. And when a company leaves, there’s not much anyone can do about it. He said the city, county and Umpqua Community College all worked to bring Dell here and will probably all be more cautious about such situations in the future.
Tibbetts also criticizes Rich for being on the council when it enacted new water hook-up fees, called system development charges, which have significantly upped the cost to develop commercial property.
Rich responded that a staff report suggested the charges as a way to raise money to fix roads. He said the council heard business people’s concerns about the fees and is forming a committee to take another look.
Asked to respond to Tibbetts’ opinion that the mayor has not accomplished much, Rich said, “I feel like I’ve done the best I could to help the city move forward.”
Asked to list accomplishments during his tenure, Rich noted the development of Sunshine Park, the building of Home Depot and Lowe’s stores and the construction of the new Public Safety Center. He stressed none of those things were solely his doing.
“It was the council and city staff working together to get it done,” Rich said.
In recent interviews, the candidates shared their views on issues ranging from how to shore up the local economy to how to improve city parks.
Rich says the city faces several pressing issues: the proposed Urban Growth Boundary expansion, how to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard and the upcoming $5 million bond measure to improve parks that is also on the ballot.
In a positive vein, he notes the new Public Safety Center is set to be done next summer. He thinks it will be an asset, particularly having the police and fire departments under one roof.
Asked how the council could improve the local economy, Rich said the council should work to attract new businesses, partly by supporting the work of the Umpqua Economic Development Partnership. He thinks the council should support existing businesses too.
A study is being done on how to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard. Rich said he doesn’t like the idea of turning Diamond Lake and Odell Avenue into one-way streets.
He would like to see a new bridge over the South Umpqua River, but knows that is expensive. He hopes an environmental assessment now being done will offer a new solution that is “as good as the bridge.”
The Planning Commission is considering a proposal to expand the Urban Growth Boundary. Rich supports the proposal. Without it, people who live within the city end up paying to provide services to those who live just outside the city, he said.
He also supports asking voters to decide whether they want to invest $5 million in city parks. He believes many residents support having quality parks.
Asked what qualifies him to be mayor, Rich said, “I’ve worked as hard as I can to do a good job. Hopefully, that’s what the citizens agree with.”
He noted his 10 years of experience as mayor. “I’ve got the time and the energy and am willing to serve,” he added.
Tibbetts is making his second bid to be on the Roseburg City Council. He ran for a Ward 4 seat in 2000 and lost to Stacey Crowe by 72 votes.
If elected mayor, Tibbetts said his top priorities would be improving the economy, improving city staff’s interaction with the public and making the mayor’s position stronger.
He particularly wants to improve law enforcement’s relations with the public. “When (police) pull someone over for a traffic stop, (they) don’t have to be a jerk,” he said.
To bolster the local economy, Tibbetts thinks the city should work to bring new businesses to town, including offering tax incentives or building needed infrastructure.
Asked how best to get traffic from Interstate 5 to Diamond Lake Boulevard, he said the city should build a bridge over the South Umpqua River. He thinks the bridge should stop at Elk Island, which could become a place to recreate.
As for expanding the Urban Growth Boundary, Tibbetts thinks the city should not only expand its boundary by 1,258 acres, but also annex that land. That would increase the city’s tax base, possibly lower taxes for those now inside the city and make the new residents eligible for all city services.
As for the parks bond measure, he said it’s “absolutely not” needed. Instead, he thinks the city should seek corporate dollars to improve city parks.
• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@nrtoday.com.
