Three seats on the Philomath Fire & Rescue Board of Directors will be included on the May 18 special election ballot with each of those positions carrying four-year terms.
The terms of Robyn Jones (Position 1), Ruth Jacobs (Position 2) and Joe Brier (Position 3) are set to expire. Jacobs and Brier were elected to four-year terms in the 2017 special election. Jones was appointed to Position 1 in 2018 following the resignation of Tom Ries and then she ran in 2019 to retain the seat and finish out the final two years of the term.
As of Friday, the Benton County Elections Office reported no candidates. The other two seats on the board — held by Rick Brand and Daphne Phillips — do not expire until 2023.
Candidates must be registered to vote and live in the fire district and are required to file with the Benton County clerk’s office by either submitting a petition with signatures of registered voters or by declaring a candidacy and paying the filing fee. Filing by petition has a deadline of March 11 and candidates should contact the Benton County Elections Office to determine how many signatures are required. Filing by declaration has a deadline of March 18.
Local residents interested in running can reach out to Philomath Fire & Rescue’s Lillee Rodriguez at 5471-360-0030 or admin@philomathfire.com.
For more information, contact the Benton County Elections Division (541-766-6756, 120 NW Fourth St., Room 13, Corvallis, or www.co.benton.or.us/elections).