The terms for Mayor and three of the six Councilor positions on the Madras City Council will end December 31, 2022. Current Mayor, Richard Ladeby, has announced he will not run for a third term. “It’s been a pleasure serving my community in various capacities over the last 14 years, and while I will no longer be serving in official capacity, I’ll still be involved with my community,” he stated. Mayor Ladeby began serving on one of the many City committees as a citizen before serving on the Council. “The City provides lots of opportunities for citizens to get involved on various committees. Some of which only meet a couple of times per year. It’s a great way to start out.”
Two of the three Councilor positions opening up are currently occupied by newly appointed Councilors Mike Seibold and Lamar Yoder who were appointed to the positions in April after the seats were vacated early by Bartt Brick and Royce Embanks, Jr. The third Councilor position is occupied by Rosalind Canga who has been serving on the Council since 2017. Both Mr. Seibold and Mr. Yoder have stated they will be submitting their applications for the ballot in November. Ms. Canga has announced she will not run for another term.
“In the City of Madras, candidates for the Mayor and Council are required to be residents within the city of Madras for at least a year and be registered voters in Jefferson County,” stated City Elections Officer Lysa Vattimo. “All the forms and information needed to apply are listed on our website and I’m available to answer questions.” According to the Election Information page on the City’s website (www.ci.madras.or.us), if applicants meet the requirements, they submit a couple of forms and once their information is verified, they obtain 20 qualifying signatures to be placed on the ballot. The City does not charge a fee to file. Applicants may submit their initial interest forms beginning June 1, 2022.
“When I first thought about serving on the Council, I attended their meetings to understand how they operated, what the Council actually did, and to determine if serving was something I actually wanted to volunteer for,” stated Gabriel Soliz who has been serving since July 2021. The Madras City Council positions are all volunteer and require between six and eight hours per month for meetings. Members not only serve on the Council, but also serve on the Madras Redevelopment Commission which meets regularly and on the Budget Committee which meets a couple of times per year. In addition to those commitments, Council members volunteer to represent the City on local and regional committees. “It’s important that we stay connected to what is happening not only in our community, but in the communities around us. Collaboration helps us understand the needs of our community and keeps us relevant,” stated Councilor Jennifer Holcomb.
If you’re interested in volunteer service to your community as Mayor or a Councilor, visit the City of Madras website and check out the Election Information page.
