Lebanon Local provided to Mr. Jackola the same questions posed to candidates running for City Council. Responses from each candidate were received either via email or phone call.
Years in Lebanon: More than 50 years
Education: Oregon State University: Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences (2013); U.S. Army NCO Leadership Center of Excellence: Sergeant Major Academy (2009); Linn Benton Community College: Reserve Police Academy (1993); Lebanon Union High School: Graduate of Class 1986
Professional Background/Work Experience: U.S. Army and Oregon Army National Guard (Retired 2014 as Command Sergeant Major); Small Business Owner: Transportation; Lebanon Commercial Building Owner; Law Enforcement
Political Experience/Affiliations: None/Unaffiliated Candidate
Other Community Involvement: Board Member: Lebanon Downtown Association (2019-2020); Lebanon High School Hall of Fame: Inductee (2016); 82nd Airborne Division Association: Lifetime Member
Family: Married to Shellie Jackola with five children
Why do you want to serve on City Council?
I want to continue the work that present council and myself have done over the last two years. That’s improving transparency, economic development, responsible budgetary practices and public safety.
Please describe your view of the proper role of government and how your philosophy of government would impact how you carry out your responsibilities in leading the city.
My philosophy of government is simple. It’s providing the foundational principles which I just listed in question one (the transparency, economic development, responsible budgetary practices and public safety). If you provide those four things, the citizens of any community can aspire to reach their dreams. Without those, it gets very difficult. That is my philosophy, and I will continue to promote the way I think government should be at the local level and bring positive value to Lebanon.
What are the three most important issues/challenges you believe Lebanon should address in the next four years? How would you address these?
Well, of course, the obvious one, we have a structural deficit that we have to attend to. We’re looking at some different options right now, but we’re down to the options of doing major cuts or putting out a service fee to the public. We’re having two town halls concerning that here this month on the 10th and the 15th. That will give us the opportunity to talk to the public, see what their views on it are.
The other issue is finding a sustainable funding source for our city when it comes to General Fund. It’s kind of lumped in with the first one, but finding a sustainable funding source. With that, we’ve already done a ton of cost-saving measures to try to alleviate the structural deficit that we have; cost-saving measures and looking at different ways to do business in the city of Lebanon.
Some of that is technology driven, looking at technology to help us still be effective, but lowering the cost of doing business. We’re also looking at some other projects, solar, some other things to offset the resources that we use yearly. For instance, on electricity we pay close to three quarters of a million dollars a year on electricity, and we’ve looked at solar projects to offset that. That would also be not only to offset our expenditures, but also to provide assistance to low income housing or low income families when it comes to electrical, and also providing an opportunity for business to be involved in that community solar project.
I think the last issue or challenge that we have is continuing the work that we’ve already done. If you take your eye off the ball, it can get difficult, and some of these things that we’re looking at take time. But just keeping our eye on the ball and making sure that we’re bringing that positive value to Lebanon and trying to make a sustainable future for city government.
What goals do you hope to achieve while serving on the council?
I think I addressed this already, (such as) continue the work finding sustainable funding sources. (Also) continuing our work building relationships with state and federal officials and representatives and senators which, to this point has not happened as far as I know in the City of Lebanon, but during my time we have reached out to those offices and started having meetings. Last week we were up in Salem meeting with many different representatives, senators from both parties, to articulate our challenges in the city of Lebanon, and they’re very receptive to our message. So we’re going to continue that work and, like I said earlier, changing the way we do business, and one of those things is also lobbying our state and federal officials for assistance.
The city is facing some financial challenges right now as the budget foresees a multimillion dollar deficit in the coming years. What do you believe would be the best course for fixing this problem?
I believe the best course right now is to implement the service fee, which we’d have limitations on; we would have to re-approve it every year, so that leaves the option for future councils and mayors to eliminate it. And then maybe looking into levies or some type of a fix like that. However, we need to address the problem now. A levy usually costs money and it takes consultants to come in and help you market it and present it and also just submit it. So we’re looking at the fix right now.
I don’t think, personally, the city of Lebanon, the citizens, have the appetite to do major cuts to services. I don’t believe that at all. I’ve been told that by many people who live in our community, and that’s why we’re looking at the service fee, which will have limitations. It will also have benefits for low income, and it will also not just be put at the feet of the property owners. It will be shared citywide, and we will articulate that plan at the town halls, and I hope people show up to listen to those details.
A lot of city government revolves around funding – budgets and taxation. In general, how do you view the city’s performance in these areas? If you would change it, how would you do so?
I think the city’s performed excellent in the first years of my mayorship and that they were receptive to finding new ways of doing business. I keep saying that, but it’s the truth, finding different ways to make processes more efficient, less costly, and looking at other technologies to offset some of our expenditures through just regular operations.
If I was going to change anything, I would change the fact that some of the increases in the cost of doing business were driven by state or federal, not city. We work with a very limited staff – in fact, we have nine open positions which we are not hiring back at this point. And so it would be more – and we articulated this to city and the federal level – that sometimes they put down certain mandates that cost us a bundle, and they don’t see how that really affects communities; getting that message out and having them take that concept into their decision making process and make sure that they remember that some of these things sound great at the higher levels, but when they reach the city level with limited resources and budgets, they just don’t work and they put us behind the eight ball, and it’s really difficult for us to make them happen.
The city, like many others, faces challenges related to homelessness. What policies do you propose to address this issue, keeping in mind both compassion for those in need and the interests of residents and businesses?
At this time, the City of Lebanon went with the ‘time, place and manner’ restrictions on where people can camp in the city limits. It seems to be working at this point. We don’t have the resources for, as I articulated in all the other answers, shelters or anything like that. We’ve had groups reach out to us, but most of them, they don’t have the resources either. So what we’re doing is we continue to do the ‘time, place and manner’ restrictions that protect the rights of the people that are forced to live on the street, and it also protects the rights of the people that live in and make Lebanon their home.
So it’s working well, so far. We do have community policing officers that continuously work with this affected population and find services for them quite quickly. I wish that the State of Oregon would assist us in a detox center or a mental health center of some type. I think that’s the driving force behind the majority of them. Now, I know that I’ll have people on the other side that say that I’m wrong. However, I live in downtown and I see it constantly. Most of them are suffering from addiction or mental illness. The other ones that aren’t, that are truly homeless because of financial, usually receive services quite quickly through our community policing division and are off the streets in a timely manner.
Why should voters consider re-electing you? How would you make a difference on the City Council or as mayor?
I think I’ve already made a difference on city council. When I arrived in the office of mayor, the city had some challenges. We’ve come together as a team. In fact, we call ourselves ‘Team Lebanon,’ which was a moniker of another city council person, but I will keep that name to myself. But ‘Team Lebanon’ has come together. We’re all moving in the same direction and we’re doing great things, and I want to continue that work on the four items that I mentioned in some of the other questions (transparency, budgetary responsibility, responsible community development and public safety).
We’re producing good products and we’re also building relationships with the state and federal government.