LA GRANDE — La Grande residents have four uncontested races on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Justin Rock is seeking a second term as mayor. He is running unopposed.

Incumbents David Glabe and Mary Ann Miesner are running uncontested for Position 3 and Position 4, respectively. A new face on the city council will be Rikki Jo Hickey, who is running unopposed for Position 2. The seat is currently held by Nicole Howard.

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, grammar or style.

Rikki Jo Hickey

Age: Candidate did not provide an answer.

Residence: La Grande

Current occupation: Business owner and learning coordinator for Art Center East

Relevant political or other experience: LG Arts Commission, URAC, Arts Advocate

Family: Candidate did not provide an answer.

Hobbies: I enjoy theater, live music, spending time in nature, and reading books or playing board games with my family.

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

I decided to run for office because I felt like it was a natural next step in my civic engagement. After serving on the La Grande Arts Commission and the Urban Renewal Advisory Council for the past two years, I heard that councilors were not running for another term, and I felt comfortable and willing with the idea of stepping into a councilor position if elected.

I have also spent time advocating for the arts by speaking before educational boards and at legislative events as well as on news channels when I studied and worked in Hawaii. In La Grande, I sat on the board for both Art Center East and the Liberty Theatre Foundation for approximately one year.

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

It seems that the biggest issue our community faces (is) understanding the role of our local government and staffing. I hope that in my time as a councilor I will be able to take what I have heard in citizen questions, find answers, and seek opportunities for civic engagement to help build a robust civic-minded community in La Grande.

The second issue facing our community is timeliness. In all government, there are protocol in place to help ensure that the government as a representative entity and the citizens are allowed ample time to complete necessary review and analysis of any given situation/need. I would like to spend time as a councilor seeking ways to refine some of the extensive processes that are currently in place.

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?

The priorities for our city budget include 1. I will likely focus on communitywide safety primarily, such as: water/sewer/garbage/emergency preparedness and necessary upkeep and care for equipment, facilities, staffing. 2. Continue working toward our economic vitality through a variety of avenues such as: small business support programs like LGMSD, streetscape upkeep through Parks and Recreation, the Community Landscape and Forestry programs, and Street Safety/Maintenance. 3. Continue building support our youth with communitywide activities through City Parks and Recreation, the Cook Memorial Library, the La Grande School District, and local organizations.

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?

The city already conducts much business in an open and transparent fashion. It seems that using Facebook, EOA-TV, the Observer, the city website, and the radio are all avenues that the city already utilizes.

I believe it is important for citizens to honor our duty to be participating members of the community we live in. As a councilor, I will do what I can to encourage community members to be active participants through volunteering for the city, community service through local organizations, and through attending council meetings regularly, whether it is online or in person.

If we continue to tell ourselves that the city’s business is not already being conducted in an open and transparent fashion, we are mostly lying to ourselves. There are processes that happen in public forum, and processes that happen in closed meeting rooms, but the pertinent information is generally and readily available to all who look for it.

MaryAnn Miesner

Name: MaryAnn Miesner

Age: Old enough

Residence: La Grande

Current occupation: Retired

Relevant political or other experience: Served on the La Grande City Council from 2003-2015 and then took a two-year break and came back onto council in 2017-current. During that two-year break, I served on the La Grande Planning Commission. Prior to being on the city council, I have twenty-plus years serving on the La Grande School Board.

Family: My husband of 58 years and I have three children (Jeff, Greg, and Dawnelle), three grandchildren (Laura, Elsa, and Thane, and one great grandson, Korbyn.

Hobbies: My husband and I are members of the Timber Cruisers Car Club and we spend a lot of our summer weekends going to various car shows throughout Oregon, Idaho and Washington. I am also a board member of La Grande Main Street Downtown and spend time working with this organization. In my spare time I love to read.

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

My passion is to build a vibrant downtown and to bring to our community family-wage jobs and help solve our housing issue. I believe that my years on the council and working with La Grande Main Street Downtown continues to help me achieve some of my goals. Obviously, these goals can’t be done with only one person, so it will take the businesses and the community pulling together to make this happen and it won’t happen overnight. La Grande has a lot of challenges ahead to make these goals a reality.

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

I basically already answered this question; however, expanding on my previous answer, it will continue to take all of us to fulfill this agenda.

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?

We are currently running on a very limited budget and our first priority is to continue our services to the community. We need to keep a healthy police and fire department and, of course, our roads need a lot of work. These areas need to be protected first. We have very little wiggle room in the budget to make cuts.

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?

I try to make sure my questions during council meetings are directed at providing information to the community who may be at the meeting or watching the meetings via EO Alive. As a council we have been provided a lot of information, but I recognize that our council meetings sometimes lack sharing this information to the public. I am always available to the public to ask me questions, and if I don’t know the answer, I will find out and relay that information in a timely manner.

David Glabe

Name: David Glabe

Age: 40

Residence: La Grande

Current occupation: Optometrist

Relevant political or other experience: City Council, 2020-Present.

Family: Married with five children

Hobbies: I enjoy backpacking, aviation, birding and photography.

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

I am seeking a second term on the La Grande City Council to continue to promote economic prosperity and strategic growth while maintaining the values that make La Grande a great place to live and raise a family. I am committed to policies which favor quality educational and employment opportunities and healthy recreation. My prior experience on the city council has given me a deeper understanding of governance procedures and strategic initiatives to accomplish these goals.

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

The two primary issues facing the city currently are housing availability/affordability and economic growth. While these are multifaceted and complex issues, I believe sound government policy can promote solutions.

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 strongly favor a balanced budget and accomplishing this requires hard decisions regarding funding. Prioritizing critical infrastructure and emergency and law enforcement services becomes necessary when faced with these difficult decisions.

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?

Our system of government works best when citizens are informed and participate. I welcome and encourage open communication, attendance at council meetings, and involvement in city commissions. We have too few applicants for both elected and appointed positions and I hope to see this change through promoting increased participation in local government.