Oregon counties hold “special elections” in May in odd numbered years for voters to choose their representatives for local districts, such as school boards, water districts or transportation districts. In this fraught political climate, education and the environment have become hot-button topics.
Eugene Weekly is one of only a few papers in Oregon that conducts in-person endorsement interviews. We also look at voting records, résumés, other endorsements, candidate debates and more as we prepare our guide. Our small editorial board prioritizes folks who reach out to us for an endorsement (we have a theory that when we endorse a Republican, it’s like a political kiss of death — sorry Charlie Conrad, we really did appreciate your open mindedness on abortion and the rights of transgender folks).
This list is intended as a guide and we were unable to endorse in all of the many important races. Have a thought on a race? Send a letter to Letters@EugeneWeekly.com. Voters have until May 20 to weigh in!
Lane Community College
The Lane Community College Board of Education wasn’t getting much attention until December, when LCC’s The Torch student newspaper began to cover the board’s inability to appoint a member to replace now-Rep. Lisa Fragala, and then reported on allegations against board chair Zach Mulholland of “ineffective leadership and repeated inappropriate, unprofessional behaviors towards the president of Lane Community College.” (EW has published some of The Torch’s coverage in a story share. EW Editor Camilla Mortensen advises The Torch and intern Kat Tabor is its editor).
At stake are the folks who help steer LCC — voting on key issues like tuition raises — and also future leaders, as Fragala and others have shown that the board is a jumping off point for higher elected office. Also at stake appears to be a disagreement between board members who feel the board should steer LCC versus those who feel it’s the president’s job to be LCC’s leader.
Director Zone 4, 4-Year Term
Austin Fölnagy (incumbent) v. Richard Andrew Vasquez
“We need to push back against this administration because nobody, and I mean nobody, should be in fear to pursue education,” Austin Fölnagy told us in a recent editorial board interview. Fölnagy first began serving on the board in 2021 and comes at the position with fire and enthusiasm for students and community college education. He is currently president of the Oregon Community College Association, and he’s not afraid to take a stand on the effects the Trump administration is having on LCC and its students. Fölnagy gets the yes from us.
His opponent, Richard Vasquez, is also sincere in his commitment to students, but is still getting his feet underneath him when it comes to LCC — when The Torch interviewed him shortly after he entered the race in February he had not yet attended a board meeting. Vasquez will hopefully run for future seats as his commitment to public service is sincere.
Director Zone 1, 4-Year Term
Jerry Rust v. Jeffrey Cooper
This LCC board election is a good reminder that age is just a number — Jerry Rust is in his 80s and Devon Lawson is old enough to vote but not to drink. Age brings perspective. Rust is a longtime local politician who spent 20 years on the Lane County Board of County Commissioners, was a Hoedad and a candidate for the Oregon District 9 House of Representatives in 2022.
“I like LCC,” Rust tells us, “it represents common people, working-class families that want to get a leg up, and it’s a ladder for people in Lane County.” We agree and Rust gets our nod. Opponent Jeffrey Cooper is endorsed by the county commissioners’ right-wing faction — David Loveall and Ryan Ceniga — and while we love diversity on school boards (that’s right, even political diversity) being aligned with the folks who refused to vote yes on the county’s sanctuary policy is a dealbreaker.
Director Zone 3, 4-Year Term
Devon Lawson v. Julie Weismann (incumbent)
This race was difficult. Two smart, dedicated LGBTQ+ candidates are seeking the seat that Julie Weismann was appointed to in 2024. Devon Lawson says he was inspired to run after Weismann refused to vote on the appointment to fill Fragala’s seat, and she walked out of a meeting. After she walked out, Lawson says he asked Fölnagy, “Is there anything students can do?” And when told he could run for a seat, he jumped in.
Lawson brings a unique, younger former-MAGA-turned-progressive perspective. Weismann, the former director of Hope & Safety Alliance (formerly WomenSpace), now its finance director, tells us with great sincerity that she attended LCC and “I fell in love with Lane.” Her commitment to LCC is clear. And her reasons for not voting — that the voters would decide in May, ring true, but a huge part of being a board member is voting on difficult issues.
Director Position 7, 2-Year Unexpired Term
Jesse Alejandro Maldonado (unopposed)
After two failed attempts to appoint someone to this seat, Jesse Maldonado, one of the original contenders, is the sole candidate. He’s endorsed by everyone from Congresswoman Val Hoyle to Jim Arnold, one of the former contenders for the appointment. Maldonado, an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon, tells us “At LCC, students have connections with their faculty members unrivaled by large institutions — they’re people, not just numbers.” Maldonado is aware of the current board dynamics but says, “moving forward our North Star must be ensuring that LCC remains a beacon of opportunity in our community.”
Eugene School District #4J
Director Position 2, 4-Year Term
Ericka Thessen (incumbent) v. Danny McDiarmid, Alan Madden
“When the going gets tough, I dig in,” says Ericka Thessen, a two-time cancer survivor and a mother of kids with health issues. She was appointed to the 4J board in 2023 and soon was dealing with the chaos of allegations of bullying and retaliation against the now-former 4J superintendent. Thessen is both fierce and thoughtful and brings board experience and experience as the mother of kids in the school system to the role.
Her opponent, Danny McDiarmid, is sincere in his desire to sit on the board and make a difference for his own child and kids in the schools. He says, “The best way to make a difference is to learn and understand and give what I have to offer.” McDiarmid has an understanding of the effects of homelessness on children and the difficulties of emotional regulation and serves on his child’s Parent Teacher Organization.
The third opponent, Alan Madden, has not been campaigning.
Director Position 3, 4-Year Term
Judy Newman (incumbent) v. Donald Easton
“I’m so passionate about education, my whole career has been about education and I feel like we need to have a stable experienced and strong school board that can work well together,” Judy Newman tells Eugene Weekly in a recent interview. Newman has stuck out the 4J board through the tumult of allegations of board members improperly using the same Signal app Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used to talk about war plans, the loss of an embattled superintendent, and now the effects of the Trump administration. She’s shown she’s in it for the long haul — something belied by her work since 1991, when she co-founded Early Childhood CARES, a free education program for children with special needs.
Don Easton comes into the race with a host of qualifications — he’s taught in 4J, he teaches at LCC, he’s a parent and, like the other folks running, he’s a proponent for CTE — career technical education — saying, “By creating a variety of opportunities within our schools, such as CTE and other trades education, we can improve graduation rates and the success of our students once they graduate.”
Director Position 6, 4-Year Term
Maya Rabasa (incumbent)
Maya Rabasa, like Newman, has hung in there through thick and thin on the 4J board, and shown grace under pressure as the board chair. She’s running unopposed but deserves a yes vote for her work.
Other Races
Lane Education Service District
Director Zone 1, 4-Year Term
Thomas Hiura v. Rich Cunningham
Oregon’s education service districts provide support to public school districts in their regions. Lane ESD works in collaboration with Lane County’s 16 school districts and focuses primarily on services for students with special needs, school improvement, technology support and administrative services. The only contested race is Zone 1, where we give Thomas Hiura the nod. Hiura was a student in 4J and now has engaged in public service from his work as a Eugene Human Rights commissioner to volunteer work with the City Club of Eugene and WOW Hall. Cunningham is a perennial Republican candidate.
Other contested races we are keeping an eye on include South Lane School District #45J3 (Cottage Grove), Springfield School District #19 and Springfield School District #19. Want to weigh in? Send a letter to Letters@EugeneWeekly.com. Know a candidate we should look at? Tips welcome at Editor@EugeneWeekly.com.
Ballots mailed May 1, the election is May 20. Check your ballot status at SOS.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/myvote.aspx.