Diane Ragsdale
Team building and her way with people are what Diane Ragsdale said set
her apart as a candidate for the mayor of Dundee. The city council president faces fellow
councilor Don Sundeen in the Nov. 2 election.
“I think I’m more personable,” she said, hesitating
afterwards, seemingly uncomfortable offering unadorned plugs for herself. “I
get people involved. I think that’s important.” Another strong point of hers,
she added, is once she has heard from the people and made up her mind she stays the
course.
Her reason for running for mayor is the same one her opponent offered:
it’s a natural progression in her public service. Mayor Roger Worrall is not running
for re-election and has endorsed Ragsdale.
Ragsdale moved from Newberg to Dundee in 1999. She has 36 years of managerial
experience and was formerly the communications director for Ramada Inns’ corporate
office. She now consults small businesses on accounting and marketing practices.
Ragsdale’s government experience is limited to the Dundee City Council.
Starting out as a volunteer on the Dundee budget committee in 2000, she was elected to
council in 2002. She has served on the downtown development committee and as chairwoman of
the police committee. She was also among those to help draft Dundee’s vision
statement. If she loses the election she will stay on the city council for the remaining
two years of her term.
The city of Dundee operates on weak mayor system, meaning the city council
holds the real power. The mayor runs the city council meetings and is the city
government’s mouthpiece.
Here’s what Ragsdale said when asked for a synopsis of Dundee as
it is: “I love it. I think it’s a wonderful community. But it has issues that we
have to face head on.”
The bypass
Ragsdale said the Newberg/Dundee bypass is a must for Dundee. So too, she
said, is relieving the traffic congestion on Highway 99W in Dundee in the short term.
“We can’t wait 10 years,” she said.
The key to implementing short-term solutions will be working with the county,
she said. The two options she said the Oregon Department of Transportation is considering
to alleviate the congestion both utilize county roads.
Downtown
An offshoot of the bypass issue is what to do with downtown Dundee once
the bypass is built.
“It will change the whole feeling of downtown,” she said. But:
“You have to plan 10 to 20 years in advance to get those things in place.”
She was referring to guidelines in a master plan for the river side of Dundee
that she would want adopted by the city council by the end of her two-year term as mayor.
A master plan would outline what the city had in mind for growth in that area of town, in
theory preventing buildings that don’t fit within the community theme. She said she
would push for money in next year’s budget to create such a master plan.
Police
Ragsdale declined to say what she thinks the future of Dundee’s law
enforcement should be.
Down to two officers, the city of Dundee has declared the department in a
state of emergency and hired the temporary services of the Newberg Police Department. The
police committee is considering three options — retaining the city’s own police
department, adopting a long-term contract with Newberg police or contracting the services
of the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.
Ragsdale, as chairwoman of the police committee, said she would wait until
after a public forum on the issue (7 p.m. Sept. 30 at city hall) before making comment.
She did add, though: “It appears at this point, though, that Newberg is the
best choice.”
Water/sewer
The city of Dundee needs increased water storage, and its wastewater
treatment facility is operating at full capacity. Ragsdale is for building a new treatment
plant, as well as constructing a new water reservoir.
To hear more of Ragsdale’s views call her at 503-537-7971 or e-mail her
at dianeragsdale@comcast.net.
Don Sundeen
Years of government experience tops Don Sundeen’s list of reasons
why he thinks he’s the better of the two candidates for Dundee mayor.
In Dundee’s weak mayor system one of his duties would be to run the
meetings. Sundeen pointed this out, then said his experience would enable him to do it
better.
“You make sure everything is done procedurally correct,” Sundeen
said.
Sundeen collaborated with many government agencies during his 28 years
working as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He served four years on the
Dundee Planning Commission – what he called great training ground for the city
council – before being elected to city council four years ago.
The first-term councilor’s seat is up for re-election this year, meaning
if he loses the mayor’s race his seat will have been filled. His competition for the
mayor’s chair is Council President Diane Ragsdale. Mayor Roger Worrall is not seeking
re-election and has endorsed Ragsdale.
Sundeen has owned property in Yamhill County since the mid-1980s, when he
purchased a vineyard. He moved to Dundee about 10 years ago. The vineyard was for
retirement for he and his wife, Elizabeth, but instead he sold the land and took up
golfing and local politics.
Echoing his opponent’s motivation, Sundeen said he’s running for
mayor because it’s a natural next step for his civic service. As mayor, in
addition to running the council meetings, he would act as the city government’s
mouthpiece. Here’s what he said about Dundee in a written statement for the
voter’s pamphlet:
“I envision Dundee remaining primarily a residential community with
small-scale economic development that fits the residential/agricultural flavor of the
community and protects and promotes a high quality of life, good schools, open space and
excellent public safety standards. This can be accomplished through active citizen input,
a team of elected officials working together and a dedicated city staff.”
This week in an interview with The Graphic he discussed several of the issues
facing Dundee.
Bypass
Sundeen said that while the Newberg/Dundee bypass is important, “we need
to look at ways to get rid of the congestion in Dundee.”
The bottleneck on Highway 99W in Dundee sees some 30,000 cars per day and the
bypass is years away from becoming reality. Sundeen credited himself with getting the ball
rolling on the latest round of discussions with the Oregon Department of Transportation
for solutions.
“I don’t pretend to have the answers,” he said. But, while
acknowledging that a lot of heads have been scratched over this problem, he said the city
needs to try and develop alternative routes. He cited State Rep. Donna Nelson’s idea
to use Highway 240 as one option for further consideration.
Growth
Sundeen is for Dundee’s planned growth, but he said it should not come
at an unfair expense to those already living in Dundee.
“I don’t think citizens should (subsidize Dundee’s) future
growth,” he said.
He said the next step toward continued growth — building a new sewage
treatment facility and replacing the one at capacity that is hindering growth —
should be funded in part by the people who move into the area. He said he would like to
see the city work with landowners interested in developing the area to produce a
compromise.
Police
The future of Dundee’s law enforcement is unsure and may not be decided
until after Dundee voters decide their next mayor and city council.
The city of Dundee has declared the Dundee Police Department, down to two
officers, to be in a state of emergency and hired the temporary services of the Newberg
Police Department. The council’s police committee is considering three options —
retaining the city’s own police department, adopting a long-term contract with
Newberg police or contracting the services of the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office.
“My personal preference would be to have our own force,” Sundeen
said. But he realized the funding constraints of the city, and said if the city could get
better service for the dollar by contracting through Newberg, and if the city could
maintain its identity, he could see going with Newberg.
To talk with Sundeen yourself call 503-538-5284 or e-mail him at
dsundeen@teleport.com.
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