Chew vs. Silbiger vs. Vavra

Ben Chew, Russ Silbiger (incumbent) and Pam Vavra

All three candidates for City Council Position No. 5 named the economy as a top concern — but each has different views on fixing it.

Ben Chew backs a laissez-faire approach to business, while incumbent Russ Silbiger says Ashland needs a long-term economic strategy that includes year-round, living-wage jobs.

Pam Vavra says a focus on local goods and services will help diversify the economy.

Ben Chew

Ben Chew would like to provide a different perspective on the responsibility of the City Council.

"I really think that the only proper role of government is to protect the life, liberty and property of every individual. And, of course, for a city government to protect infrastructure," said Chew, a 2003 Ashland High School graduate.

He supports a more hands-off approach to the economy, he said.

Chew would like to reduce taxes, especially surcharges for electricity and water, as the city has a monopoly on these services and residents have no choice but to use them, he said.

If citizens were taxed less, they could use the extra money to start their own businesses or make investments, thereby stimulating the economy, he said.

Rethinking the zoning laws could also help the economy, Chew added.

"It's absurd to think that we know how to use someone's land better than they do," he said.

If people faced fewer restrictions, the free market would determine whether they succeeded or failed, he said.

"For it to be successful, you need to get out of the way. Or rather, the city and the council need to get out of the way," Chew said. "I have immensely more faith in my fellow citizens than I do in councils or bureaucracy."

Young people and families struggle to stay in Ashland, Chew said, and most of his friends from high school have left town.

"Everyone wants living wage jobs and you can't do that if everyone's waiting tables," he said.

Even affordable housing is better dealt with in the free market, Chew said, because people passionate about affordable housing could pool their resources to create a nonprofit and address the problem more efficiently than government.

While taking a hands-off approach to the economy, Ashland also needs to cut spending, Chew said.

The city should evaluate the budget, and services that don't fall within the scope of protecting life, liberty and individuals' property or maintaining infrastructure should be scaled down or eliminated, he said.

He would also like to see less interference in citizens' lives.

For example, regarding the woman who had to give up one of her dogs because of an ordinance limiting residents to owning no more than three canines, Chew said that situation would probably be better handled in a court-type situation.

He would defend people's civil liberties and oppose Big Brother initiatives, Chew said.

"We've already rejected the Patriot Act in Ashland, and that sort of mentality is something we need to hold onto," he said.

Chew has lived in Ashland since the fourth-grade and works as a precious metals broker in Medford. He decided to run for City Council because he doesn't think the current councilors share his philosophy.

"I think there are a number of people in Ashland who do hold views like mine and aren't represented," Chew said. "It would be possible that I could be the lone voice of dissent on the council. But at least people in Ashland would have a voice."

Russ Silbiger

Ashland needs to develop a practical economic strategy that looks at building the local economy and adding jobs, councilor Russ Silbiger said.

"The ones we all know we need are higher wages, full time, year-round jobs so we don't have the cyclical economy we have now," he said.

The city needs to maintain a strong relationship with the business community and the Chamber and continue to support events like the Ashland Independent Film Festival and A Taste of Ashland, he said.

At the same time, Ashland needs to be prepared for a budget crunch, Silbiger said.

The downturn in the economy will likely affect tourism, which provides a significant portion of the city's tax base, he said.

People may still come to see plays, but they will probably spend less at restaurants and hotels, Silbiger said.

Property taxes should hold steady since assessed values are still much lower than market values, but the city won't see an increase in construction anytime soon, he added.

Last year the city held some funds in reserve for this fiscal year, and Ashland will probably need to do that again, he said.

"We're really going to have to question new spending and new projects — whether we can afford to do it," Silbiger said.

The cost of providing services has increased dramatically, Silbiger said, and spending will need to be scaled back.

He favors community-based prioritization as a strategy for fixing the budget.

"This is a community decision on things like the ambulance service and supporting public transit," he said.

Another top priority for Silbiger is protecting Ashland's resources, he said.

"This is such a beautiful place. This is why many people choose to live here," he said.

The watershed is very fragile and must be protected from fire, flood and the effects of climate change, and the city needs to work with the Forest Service to lessen the fire hazard in the watershed, Silbiger said.

He said he supports the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix Intertie Pipeline to give Ashland access to more water unless someone can come up with a better plan.

A refocus on communication would also be good for the council, Silbiger said.

"I think we've fallen behind on community outreach on a number of issues," he said. "We really need to be more proactive, especially on neighborhood issues but also on the bigger issues."

Silbiger is completing his first term as a city councilor. He has been on the budget committee since 2001 and is currently on the Rogue Valley Council of Governments.

He said he has a diversity of experience from serving on public, private and nonprofit boards of directors and understands what it's like to be a small business owner from his tenure running a restaurant in Ashland.

Silbiger has lived in Ashland for 17 years and works as financial investment manager.

"[Ashland is] still a great community and the main reason I'm running for reelection is because of that," he said. "I think I'm very valuable on the council in terms of balancing the issues and really trying to look at all the sides and costs."

Pam Vavra

Ashland needs to diversify and strengthen the local economy to weather the economic downturn, Pam Vavra said.

"First and foremost, we really need to recognize the vast amount of home-based businesses we have and the businesses that serve local needs," she said.

To develop a year-round economy, the city needs to augment these businesses' survivability like it has with the tourism industry, Vavra said.

Ashland should conduct an assessment of what products and services residents can't find locally and see if some of these needs can be met with new businesses, Vavra said.

"I think that will boost our economy more than attracting outside companies to come in and employ us," she said.

For example, the city should look at how much food is grown locally and examine citizens' reliance on fossil fuels and large financial institutions, she said.

"We really need to look at more sustainable economic development," she said.

The city also has to find a way to reduce its budget, Vavra said. She favors base-revenues budgeting — with department heads bringing in a flat budget and justification for adding expenditures — instead of base-services budgeting, where the budget adjusts for all the services the city wants to provide.

Ashland needs to demonstrate greater transparency about the budget situation and the public needs to get involved, Vavra said.

"I understand that the city doesn't want to alarm citizens, but I think the city needs to inform citizens, especially if we have a budget crisis looming," she said.

The city should hold public forums to get input from informed citizens on where to cut, she added.

Another of Vavra's priorities is sustainability, which she defines as "being able to meet our needs as a community without impinging on future generations' ability to meet their needs."

The Wilderness Charter School sends students to the Bioneers Conference every year and they give a presentation about the environmental convention, which every city councilor should see, Vavra said.

"The ideas and approaches young people are taking to reduce our carbon footprint is heads and shoulders above the previous generation," she said. "We need to listen to the young people and follow their lead on respecting natural resources and protecting them."

Alternative modes of transportation should be encouraged, she said. The watershed is overdue for fuels reduction, but she isn't sold on the Forest Service's approach, Vavra said. She opposes the proposed Mt. Ashland expansion.

Vavra has worked as a research engineer for 20 years.

She has lived in Ashland for six years and is not employed.

Vavra co-directed the campaign to reopen the Ashland library and she has been on the board at Peace House for three years. She now holds the unpaid executive director position at Peace House, although she is on leave until after the election.

"My biggest passion is people and democracy and just valuing and cherishing everyone in the community, and that's the real impetus for everything I do," she said.

Staff writer Kira Rubenthaler can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 226 or krubenthaler@dailytidings.com