Yreka council candidates address housing, a vision for city, other big priorities at Elks Lodge forum

Homelessness, housing and quality of life issues combined with the more prosaic concerns around city budgets, infrastructure and water supply remained at the center of discussions during a recent forum bringing together candidates for the Yreka City Council. 

Voters will choose three at-large members for the five-member board out of a selection of six candidates. Ballots have already been mailed, in advance of the Nov. 8 election. 

Incumbent Paul McCoy seemed to remind both his fellow candidates and some 75 members of the public gathered in the Elks Lodge in downtown Yreka on Oct. 13 that funding is at the root of all city services and new initiatives the city might explore. 

“Somehow or another we’ve got to come up with a balanced budget, or we don’t have public works, we don’t have cops, we don’t have fire, we don’t have parks, we don’t have any of that,” said McCoy, responding to questions around what he sees should be the city’s biggest priorities. The questions were presented by Brian Favero, a longtime member of the Elks.

The city has been operating with about a $300,000 budget deficit. Other candidates expressed at least passing familiarity with Yreka’s budget woes and mostly believed they could be overcome. 

“The issues that the city has are the same issues that I had when I was superintendent of the schools in eastern Oregon. And when I ran Don’s Sporting Goods,” said Drake Davis, a candidate. “You’ve got to have revenues. And that’s the serious issues that the city has.” 

Jackie Terwilliger was perhaps the only candidate to raise the T-word — taxes. 

“I’m certain at some point, we’re going to have to have taxes. But it has to be for something that benefits all,” said Terwilliger, apparently calling attention to a recent sales tax proposal intended to to help fund the maintenance and operation of a new aquatic park. The project proved controversial with some residents opposing it, saying it amounted to an expensive bauble the city could ill afford, despite the $8.5 million state grant awarded for the pool project. Ultimately, neither the pool, nor the sale tax will go forward.

“Things that we actually need — fire, police — those that are so critical,” said Terwilliger. 

Invariably, council leaders are expected to serve as more than just bean-counters. They are also chosen, in part, for the vision they embody. 

Robin Richards, a candidate, and also a top advocate for the pool project, talked about how the city and region has changed since she moved here in 1995. At the time, Richards told the room, Yreka “was full of life.” 

“There were activities going on,” she continued. “We had a pool. We had a theater. We had all sorts of things going on for the kids. And now, we don’t.”  

In her door-to-door campaign Richards says she’s spoken with some 550 residents who mention the endemic statewide problems of homelessness and housing as top concerns. 

“The second one surprised me,” said Richards recalling residents telling her, there’s not enough activities for children. 

“The kids are getting into trouble. They’re walking the streets. They have nothing going on, and have nothing to do,” she continued. “Crime did come up. But it didn’t come up on the top four. It came up fifth.” 

On the issue of homelessness all of the candidates seemed to signal the vastness of a problem as multi-sided as this one — itself a byproduct of untreated mental health, escalating housing costs, a dearth of economic opportunity and the sad chasm of drug and alcohol abuse. For its part, the city has taken concrete steps to partner with the county on the eventual development of a shelter space, as well as other initiatives to help the homeless, while also working with nonprofits to aid their efforts. 

“We have been working on the homeless issue now for three-and-a-half years. Believe me, it doesn’t move fast enough for any of us,” lamented McCoy. 

Tryes Cha, a candidate, and who also works for the social services division of Siskiyou County, signaled a need for more affordable housing, a sentiment echoed by nearly everyone in Yreka — housed or not. 

“I meet the homeless population. I work with them. I know of them,” said Cha. “They cannot find an affordable place to rent.” 

Cha has said he wants to help the city explore the many ways its public policy and zoning codes can be altered to make the city more attractive to developers, such as streamlining the permitting process. 

Other candidates like Colleen Baker pointed to her more than three decades working for Siskiyou County, the last 20 years as county clerk, as a long education in planning and engaging cooperatively with others.

“One of my talents is being able to look at the big picture to see what needs to be accomplished,” said Baker. “I am just a person that has the ability to see the big picture, and then all of the details that come behind that.” 

Baker boasted of her aim to work well with other members of the council, city staff and the public. 

“We may not always agree on exactly how to accomplish something. But, we can talk it out, and then come up with a plan,” she continued. 

The forum at the Elks Lodge — an organization known for its decades of philanthropic devotion to Yreka — was as much a lesson in civic engagement as it was a picture of civility. There was no name-calling, belittling or cheap shots, behavior that has become all but expected, or even encouraged by politicos at the state or national level. On more than one occasion candidates took a moment to credit an opponent for their ideas or efforts. 

And though most candidates admitted their knowledge of politics or city government was limited, but through all of their diversity of ideas, they evoked a willingness to serve and work hard to somehow, make the community better. 

“I love Yreka. Yreka is a passion for me,” quipped Davis. “I’m running because I’ve always wanted to. I’ve been in business. I coached basketball at the high school. And, I helped raise my family. And that’s why I’m running.” 

“Yreka has so much potential,” Richards boasted. “And we just need to work together to make things happen.” 

Following the forum, Claudia and Don East settled in for dinner a couple doors down at Strings Italian Cafe. 

Claudia said she knew little about most of the candidates, so the community meeting was a chance to see them all. 

“I’ve got a better feeling about them now,” she added. 

Both of the Easts said the unhoused members of the community remained a top concern. 

Too often, even small problems become major issues “before we face them,” said Don East. 

Skip Descant is a freelance journalist. He’s written for newspapers in California, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. He lives in downtown Yreka.