By James Day
Silverton will have a new mayor come January, but the town still will be led by a Silverton native. Outgoing mayor Kyle Palmer, who has served in the position since 2017, is a lifelong resident, as are the two individuals running to replace him, Morry Jones and Jason Freilinger.
Jones is a corporate executive who has served on the Silver Falls school board, and the Silverton Planning Commission and Budget Committee. Freilinger is a financial services officer who has served on the City Council for 10 years, including this past term as council president.
The mayor’s term is two years.
“Having lived in Silverton my entire life I have a passion and dedication for the city and its residents,” Jones said. “As mayor, I want to provide a strong focal
point between existing and new council members in their goals to build a stronger city government and also engage the public in finding ways to make our city vital and exciting, bringing a new life to its businesses and the community.”
Jones vowed to hold town halls four times a year if elected.
“I am running for mayor because of my commitment and passion for the Silverton community,” Freilinger said. He added that during his 10 years of council service “we have been proactive about planning Silverton’s future, including funding important future projects within our existing budget.
“We are at the point where improvements can be made to parks and the downtown. I will lead the community in facilitating a public process to make these much-needed improvements.”
Here are the candidates’ views on issues raised at the Silverton Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Sept. 28 at the Oregon Garden:
Housing and the unhoused
Freilinger: As chair of the city’s affordable housing task force he noted that the group is considering 40 items.
“We’re just tackling the list. There are no quick fixes and we don’t have a lot of money to throw at it.”
He praised the partnerships the city has developed with Sheltering Silverton, SACA and Habitat for Humanity.
Jones: “We need to understand what it takes to help them. Don’t let people fall into the cracks and get them to organizations that can help them,” Jones said.
Infrastructure
Freilinger: The city has postponed a plan for a new water treatment plant because the construction bids came in too high. He said that current economic conditions play a key role there. He also noted that the city has $2 million that must be spent on parks and that the funds “offered a great opportunity over the next 3-4 years.”
Jones: In perhaps the strongest moment of criticism during the forum Jones asked “Why did we wait so long?” on the water treatment plant. “We should have taken care of it 5-10 years ago.”
He also noted a need for more parking for downtown employees and the need for more vacuum trucks in the Public Works fleet.
Police
Both candidates said that they did not think an oversight board for the police would be useful and also advocated better pay for officers to keep Silverton-trained personnel from being “poached”.
