Central Linn voters will have the opportunity to vote to fill six School Board seats and will be asked to approve a $34.5 million bond measure to improve local schools, in addition to filling other positions in the May 20 election.
May elections in odd-numbered years select representatives for local districts, such as school boards, water districts or transportation districts.
Ballots for the election will be mailed to local voters starting April 30. April 29 is the deadline for new voter registration, but anyone who has moved within the state and simply has not updated their voter registration have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to do so and receive a ballot. Polls close at 8 p.m.
Official ballot sites in the area include Brownsville City Hall, 255 N. Main St., Halsey City Hall, 100 Halsey St., Harrisburg City Hall, 120 Smith St., Lebanon Police Department, 40 N. 2nd St., and Linn County Sheriff’s Lebanon Substation, 2590 Main St., which has a drop box. Ballots can also be dropped off in Room 205 at Linn County Courthouse, 300 4th Ave. in Albany, or at a 24-hour drive-through drop box on 5th Avenue, outside the courthouse.
Central Linn School Bond Request
The school district is asking voters to approve what may be a series of bonds, totaling $34,550,000, remodel and construct a new classroom wing at Central Linn High School and to pay for safety improvements and facility maintenance and upgrades at Central Linn Elementary School.
The estimated cost of the bonds to district property owners would be $1.89 per $1,000 of assessed value over 20 years. The actual levy rate may vary, depending on final interest rates and changes in assessed value.
A citizen oversight committee would be established to ensure that bond money is used for the intended purposes.
An incentive for voters to approve the bond is that the district will get an additional $6 million in grant funds from the state if the bonds are approved.
For Central Linn High School, approval of the measure would finance:
- Remodeling of the Cobra Dome Gymnasium and auditorium
- Demolishing 1950s-era classrooms wings, which would be replaced with “new and accessible” facilities that would include flexible learning spaces, a dedicated kitchen, a cafeteria and locker rooms;
- Safety, security and accessibility improvements;
- Replacement of “obsolete” electrical service; asbestos abatement; and
- Improvements to the CTE shop, which would include an interior shop and learning spaces.
At Central Linn Elementary School, the bond would pay for:
- Improved safety, security and accessibility;
- New windows, painting, roofing and painting; stormwater improvements;
- Improvements and expansions to the kitchen; and
- Restroom improvements that would include additional facilities.
The bond would also pay for site improvements, demolition, furnishings, equipment, and interest and bond issuance costs.
Central Linn School Board
Six of the seven positions on the Central Linn School District Board of Directors are open, due to the fact that three of them were filled before they expired, so the occupants must run in this election or step down. All the candidates listed on the ballot will be running unopposed.
Stacey E. Winter, who was appointed to the Zone 1 position and whose term, if elected, will end in 2027, is running for that position. Winter, of Shedd, is a farmer. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental management from Oregon State University.
Garrett M. Leabo, who was appointed to the Zone 2 position and whose term, if elected, will end in 2027, is running for that position. A graduate of Santiam Christian High School who also attended Linn-Benton Community College, Leabo is a Halsey resident employed at L3 Farms. He has also worked as a service manager at SS Equipment, according to election filings.
Levi S. Farris is running for the Zone 3 position, which is being vacated by Parker Leigh, whose appointment to the position expires June 30. If elected, Farris’ term will expire in 2027. Farris, of Halsey, did not list employment or educational details on his election filings.
Steven P. Irwin is running for the Zone 6 position, which is being vacated by Kirt Glenn, who is not running. Irwin, of Brownsville, is retired from law enforcement. He graduated from the University of Phoenix with a diploma in criminal justice.
Donald Fleckenstein is running for the Zone 7 position. Fleckenstein, of Brownsville, has a background in dairy farming and currently works as a dairy nutrition consultant. He is a graduate of Molalla High School and attended Eastern Oregon University.
Incumbent Suzanne Parker filed to run for her Zone 4 position, but she told The New Era that she has withdrawn, although her name will appear on the ballot.
Fire Board Elections
Two seats are open on both the Brownsville and Halsey-Shedd rural fire protection district boards of directors.
In Brownsville, incumbents Larry Thornton and Kevin Durheim are running unopposed for Positions 4 and 5 on the board. Durheim is a retired farmer and Thornton is a retired millwright and electrician.
For Halsey-Shedd, incumbents Don Smith and Josh Davidson are running unopposed for Positions 4 and 5, respectively, on the board. Both are local farmers.
LBL ESD Election
Lori F. Greenfield is running for the Zone 2 seat on the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District Board of Directors, which represents the Central Linn area.
The LBL ESD is made up of 12 school districts stretching from Lincoln County to Sweet Home to Alsea. It provides a wide range of services that cover many aspects that local districts cannot afford to do for themselves, from special education and personnel development for schools to digital and computer services, to support for needy students and their families.
Central Linn is in Zone 2, along with Alsea, Harrisburg, Monroe, Philomath, most of Lincoln County and about half of the Corvallis school districts.
Zone 2 has been represented by Roger Irvin, who is not running again.
The lone candidate for the seat on the ballot will be Greenfield, of Alsea.
According to her election filings, Greenfield is a retired “career educator” who has been a classroom teacher, principal, curriculum director, instructional coach, and an administrative and educational consultant. She has earned degrees in general studies from Armstrong University, cultural anthropology from the University of Georgia, a master’s of arts in teaching from Oregon State University, and administrative licensure from the University of Oregon in K-9 education.