The Keizer City Council will vote to fill the vacancy for Position #2 at their next meeting on Monday, Dec. 20.
After councilor Ross Day tendered his resignation from Council Position #2 on Nov. 3, a number of individuals familiar to Keizer residents threw their names in the ring for the vacant position.
Michele Roland-Schwartz:
Roland-Schwartz, has been the executive director for the Oregon Attorney General’s Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force since 2013. The Keizer-based task force, a private, non-profit, fosters collaboration to between numerous agencies and research disciplines to create a culture more attentive to the needs of sexual assault victims. She ran for Council Position #3 in November 2020 but was beaten out by Kyle Juran.
Hersch Sangster:
A former Keizer first citizen, Sangster is a member of Salem Bicycle Club, as well as co-founder of the Monster Cookie, which is now the oldest group bike ride in Oregon. Additionally, he has served on a number of committees and boards that advise and make recommendations to the Keizer City Council. He also has been a member and chair of the Keizer Planning Commission, Keizer’s voice on the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study and a member of the Oregon Traffic Safety Commission.
Shaney Starr:
Starr has been the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Marion County for the last five years. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years and currently serves as President of the Oregon CASA Network, Chair of the Marion County Commission on Children and Families, President of the Board for Joys of Living Assistance Dogs and as a member of both the Corner Peace and Community Resource Trust Board of Directors.
Rich Rodriguez:
Rodriguez is a public finance officer at the Oregon Business Development Department — he has underwritten more than $50 million in loans and grants, and presented over $31 million to the Infrastructure Finance Authority Board for approval. Rodriguez is also a board member and treasurer for Belize Arch, a growing non-profit whose vision is a world in which children know how to grow vegetables from local organic seeds, plant and create healthy meals, and share their knowledge with their communities.
Anthony J. Rosilez:
Rosilez has served as the executive director for The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission for nearly four years. He describes himself as “a passionate leader for social justice striving for equitable access to educational opportunities and resources to sustain the growth and success of traditionally marginalized populations.”
Julianne Jackson:
Jackson is a community activist who founded the Black Joy Tour in Salem, which has traveled to dozens of cities across Oregon to bridge the urban-rural divide and support fellow BIPOC Oregonians. The social justice group on outreach for donations to help houseless communities across the state.
Don’ll McBride:
A former member of the military who now is the director of business development at SMI Property Management. McBride is also a member of Keizer Rotary.
LaTonya Gibbs, who was a public commenter at multiple Keizer City Council meetings during conversations about former city manager Chris Eppley, also applied for the vacancy.
The candidates will be invited to give a brief presentation and discuss their interests and qualifications with the city council in a special session on Monday, Dec. 20. In addition, the Council will be asking questions of the candidates.
Following the presentations, the City Council will vote to fill the vacancy, and the successful candidate will be sworn in during the regular council meeting.
Matt Rawlings: [email protected]
