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City of Grants Pass Councilor Ward 2

The members of a City Council supervise the city departments, either directly or through a city manager or administrator. City Councilors pass laws, set policy, decide which services will be provided, and develop budgets; they negotiate work contracts and make hiring and firing decisions. A city officer must be a qualified elector under the state constitution who has resided in the city before being elected for a period of time that is specified in the city charter.Grants Pass City Councilors are elected by districts known as wards. They serve for a 4-year term (unless they are filling out a partial term) and are elected on a nonpartisan basis. In most cities, the City Councilors are unpaid.

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  • Candidate picture

    Victoria Marshall
    (N)

  • Candidate picture

    Jay Meredith
    (N)

Biographical Information

What are the city’s most urgent needs, and how would you address them?

What aspects of the duties of a City Councilor most interest you, and why?

What are the infrastructure needs of the city, and how would you finance the most critical ones?

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Web Site (leave blank if not applicable) http://votejaycpa.com
Town Where You Live Grants Pass
Your Experience/Qualifications Licensed CPA since 2001, Finance Director for the City of Grants Pass from 2010 to 2020, and active Public Safety advocate for 16 years.
The most visible challenges that need to be addressed such as homeless issues that the public wants to solve has drug use and addictions as the most common root cause. I'm calling for a community-wide effort, a local war on hard drugs. https://www.grantspasstribune.com/the-local-war-on-hard-drugs-begins/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFhEm9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHdxM7fUL8xBD5QUW3Ox-YAQvttQZvGl2_trDAopRm4gJNFbiaR2BNF8ZuA_aem_zC7cg2AXd3hg4FE6v2C2nw
As the previous Finance Director for the City of Grants Pass from 2010-2020, I have significant experience and interest in recommending budget strategies to accomplish our shared goals.

Since 2012 I have also volunteered countless hours with organizations dedicated to advocacy for Grants Pass and Josephine County Law Enforcement and Public Safety operations. Both City Council members and Josephine County elected officials hear from me regularly with recommendations on public safety budget improvements. Law enforcement programs need more of our support to help address our most significant local challenges.

While every major department of the city plays an important role in Public Safety, local Police and Fire need our support.
The most significant water and wastewater infrastructure project needs have already been funded through a combination of utility rate adjustments and infrastructure finance loans and grants. I also have experience advising on utility project bond offerings if that is a requirement in the future.

Outside of city utilities, the City's Hillcrest Public Safety station, largely used as a Fire station, needs significant upgrades. Reallocation of available capital funds combined with an internal loan may be sufficient to cover this need.