Arnold, Morgan will run for mayor

Voters will cast their votes Nov. 2 in general election

By Evan Jensen

The Estacada News, Aug 25, 2010, Updated Aug 25, 2010

File Photo / Estacada News

Mayor Becky Arnold recently announced plans to run for re-election Nov. 2. TriMet bus driver and Estacada resident Dora Morgan will challenge Arnold for the position.

ADVERTISEMENTS

City of Estacada voters will weigh during a major local election in November, when incumbent Mayor Becky Arnold is challenged by former Estacada School Board candidate Dora Morgan.

Arnold and Morgan both formally announced their plans to run for mayor last week. Arnold’s first two-year term as mayor of Estacada following a decade of service by Bob Austin, now a Clackamas County commissioner, will end Dec. 31, 2010.

“I’m here to announce my candidacy for mayor,” Morgan said during the Estacada Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Aug. 18 at Sabor Latino Restaurant & Cantina. Arnold also spoke briefly about her plans to run for mayor and the work she has been involved with during her tenure. Estacada Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Rob Gaskill said that a candidate’s forum would be held at a later date for Arnold and Morgan to talk about community issues and their interests in running for mayor.

Arnold joined the Estacada City Council in January 2003 and was elected mayor of Estacada in the November 2008 general election, with 55.48 percent of the vote, in a race against former City Council Member Kay Nelson. Minutes after officially taking office Jan. 1, 2009, Arnold declared a state of emergency in Estacada when floodwaters caused extensive damage at the Estacada Public Library, the city’s wastewater treatment plant, Estacada High School and the junior high, and impacted numerous homes and businesses.

“My first year as mayor started out really busy, with the flooding,” Arnold said. “I’ve kept really busy throughout my second year as mayor, and I think I can see the results. I’m very proud of all the work everyone is doing in this community, and I am running for mayor again.”

A longtime Estacada resident, Arnold has also served as the treasurer for the Estacada Chamber of Commerce. She’s been actively involved with the Estacada Area Community Events organization, which hosts the Fourth of July Big Bang Celebration every year, has supported the Estacada High School music department as a parent volunteer and has been involved in a variety of other community-minded efforts. She is also an accountant for Dean Holden Enterprises, based in Estacada.

“There’s some things I want to continue working on and want to finish,” Arnold said. “I want to see us finish Wade Creek Park and a number of other things. But probably one of the biggest issues our community is facing is public safety. We’re probably going to lose some coverage from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office because our costs keep going up, and at the same time we’ve heard back from the community that they aren’t interested in a city police department and are happy with what we have now.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>