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Election 2022: New councilors – Hammond, Newton, Traeger cite communication challenges

By James Day Silverton will have four new councilors beginning in January. Eric Hammond, April Newton and Marie Traeger were elected to four-year terms in a seven-candidate field on Nov. 8 to replace retiring councilors Jim Sears, Dana Smith and Crystal Neideigh. In addition, current council president Jason Freilinger was elected to a two-year term as mayor, and one of […]

Mayor: Freilinger – Traeger, Newton, Hammond headed to Silverton council

By James Day Jason Freilinger, a 10-year city council veteran, has been elected Silverton mayor. Freilinger will replace Kyle Palmer, who has served as both a councilor and mayor since 2004. Palmer chose not to seek reelection. Although results have not been certified, Freilinger leads with 56.88% of the vote to 43.12% for planning commissioner Morry Jones.  Jones already has […]

Election 2022: Freilinger elected mayor; Traeger, Newton, Hammond lead for council

By James Day Ten-year Silverton City Council member Jason Freilinger appears to be on his way to being elected the town’s mayor.  Freilinger, a financial services officer and this term’s council president, was leading corporate executive Morry Jones by nearly 450 votes, according to unofficial results released Tuesday night by Marion County. Freilinger had 1,896 votes (56.66%), with Jones at […]

Election 2022: Silverton candidates participate in two-hour forum

By James Day Silverton’s two mayoral candidates and six of the seven City Council hopefuls took part in a two-hour public forum on Oct. 18 at the Palace Theater. The event was hosted by the Silverton Discourse Project, with Our Town reporter Stephen Floyd serving as the moderator. Approximately 100 residents attended, some munching popcorn from the Palace concession stand. […]

Letter to the Editor: New council needs an experienced hand

Jason Freilinger is, without a doubt, my choice to be Silverton’s next mayor. As well as being part of the downtown business community and multiple service groups, Jason has been actively serving on city committees, task forces, planning commission and council for more than a decade.  He’s been a humble, thoughtful voice on a variety of issues including: • effective […]

Mayor’s race: Jones, Freilinger vie to replace Palmer in Silverton

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 […]

Silverton candidate forum set for Oct. 18

A second election forum for Silverton candidates will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Palace Theatre. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the audience-question driven forum organized by the Silverton Discourse Project getting underway at 6 p.m. Concessions will be for sale. On hand will be mayoral candidates Jason Freilinger and Morry Jones. Six of the seven City Council […]

Slew of candidates – Seven contend for City Council seats in Silverton

By James Day There will be a distinct changing of the guard for the Silverton City Council come next term. That’s because there will be three and perhaps four new councilors when the session begins in January. Incumbent councilors Jim Sears, Dana Smith and Crystal Neideigh all chose not to seek re-election to new four-year terms. In addition, Council President […]

Voters to decide – Candidate forum set for Silverton council, mayor races

By James Day The Silverton Chamber of Commerce is hosting an election forum on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Oregon Garden. The noon luncheon event ($15 for chamber members and $20 for non-members) will take place at the education building, which is just across from the visitor center entry gate. Go to https://business.silvertonchamber.org/events/details/silverton-candidate-forum-20009 to register. Invited to participate will be […]

Race takes shape – Silverton leadership set for changes

By James Day Silverton government will present a slightly different face in 2023. Mayor Kyle Palmer, a Silverton political fixture since 2004, is not running for re-election. Veteran councilor Jason Freilinger and local businessman Morry Jones have filed for the race to replace Palmer. Meanwhile, the six-person City Council will see at least one change and perhaps more. Two-term councilor […]

Reasons to run: Silverton candidates put demeanor, fiscal issues at top of list

Editor’s note: Our Town reporter Don Murtha interviewed the seven candidates competing on the Nov. 6 ballot for three seats on the Silverton City Council. This contains more information than the Oct. 15 print edition. By Don Murtha Ron Butcher  If elected, Ron Butcher said he would address citizens’ concerns including establishing a balanced budget, keeping the swimming pool open and […]