The starting gun in the races for Keizer city positions has sounded, and local residents can file to run for mayor or one of three seats on the Keizer City Council.
The first day to file for the unpaid positions was Wednesday, June 3, and candidates have until August to get in line. The vote will be part of the general election on Nov. 3.
Cathy Clark said she intends to run again for mayor. She has held the office since 2015 after serving as a city councilor for seven years.
Clark won her current two-year term in 2024 in a race against Lore Christopher, a former mayor.
Christopher, who was mayor from 2000 to 2014, subsequently was appointed to the city council in 2024 after another councilor resigned. Her term is up in 2027.
“No decision has been made” about running for reelection, she said.
Dan Kohler, unopposed when he ran for the council in 2022, said he hasn’t decided his political future yet.
He said the “jury is still out” on running for another term. “It will depend on who steps up and expresses a desire to serve. My desire is to leave the city in capable trained hands when I retire from public service,” Kohler said.
The third seat up in the fall is held by Soraida Cross, who won a contested election in 2022. Cross said Monday she will not run for reelection. She said she is now working as a legislative assistant to state Sen. James Manning, a Eugene Democrat.
The four seats are nonpartisan and are open only to those who have lived in Keizer for at least one year leading up to election day, meaning only those residing in the city by Nov. 3, 2025, qualify.
To run, candidates have to complete city forms and then qualify for the race by getting signatures of 120 registered Keizer voters. Even incumbents have to follow that process and their deadline to file is Aug. 18. Other candidates then have one more week, until Aug. 25, to file.
The forms can be found on the city’s website under “city council elections.” City Recorder Melissa Bisset serves as the city’s election officer and can provide information. She can be reached at 503-856-3412 or [email protected].
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