NORTH POWDER — The November 2024 election will bring new faces to the North Powder City Council with three uncontested races. 

Doris “Midge” Clause is running for Position 1. She will replace Vicki Townsend.

Tonya Dias is seeking the Position 4 seat. Dias will replace Justin Wright.

Alan Brown is running for Position 6 and will replace Logan McCrae.

The Observer sent questionnaires to all of the candidates and have printed the responses of those who responded below. Answers have been printed as they were provided by the candidates. Light editing was only done if necessary for spelling or grammar reasons.

Doris Clause

Name: Midge Clause

Age: 70

Residence: North Powder, OR

Current occupation: Retired

Relevant political or other experience: I use to work for two governors for the State of Arizona for the Board of Behavioral Health. Currently, I am an elected official for the State of Oregon as a Precinct Committee Person in Union County.

Family: I have two children and four grandchildren who reside in Arizona. I also have a niece and nephew who live in North Powder.

Hobbies: My hobbies are hiking, cooking, sewing, reading and traveling.

Why are you running for office? How has your experience qualified you for the position?

I am currently on North Powder Town Council due to a former councilor resigning. I ran for her position which is position #1 and won. Position #1 is up for re-election which is a two year term.

Because of my precious experience working for two Arizona Governors, I have an understanding plus a deep interest with different levels of government. I have always felt that our democracy starts with our local government. I also have experience with being a business owner.

What are the two biggest issues facing your community? What can you do in your position as mayor or councilor to address those issues?

North Powder is a great community with really wonderful residents. However, there is little revenue coming into the town to help sustain it, but it also means very little employment for residents. I would like to see progress in both those areas.

What would be your priorities in terms of preparing a city budget? In other words, if cuts had to be made in the budget, what areas would you try to protect first?

I feel it is vitally important to protect city employees and their positions.

How would you help to ensure that the city’s business is conducted in an open and transparent fashion? How would you help to share with residents information about important issues facing the council?

In order to be a good steward for the community, ethics plays a crucial role in local government. It is the foundation for building trust with the citizens to ensure transparency and accountability. I encourage everyone in the community to attend Town Council meetings. It is very important to me to provide an atmosphere where we all can come together as neighbors and friends to discuss issues regarding North Powder.

I am a people person. I like talking to the citizens of North Powder. On a weekly basis I am out walking around town, engaging with people, as I truly care about how they are doing.