Three file for city posts

Last Friday, Dana Journey filed to run for the Position 2 council seat that Dan Spatz will be vacating. Spatz, council president, who has represented the western part of The Dalles since 2008, has decided not to seek a new four-year term.

Andretta Schellinger has filed for the at-large position, currently held by Taner Elliot. As of Tuesday, Elliot had not yet opted to pursue another term.

“I’m still thinking about it,” Elliot said on Monday. “I’ve got a couple months; there’s a lot of time.”

The filing deadline for the positions is Aug. 30.

Lawrence – who has served as mayor since 2012 -- filed last week to seek re-election to another two-year term.

“I decided to run one more time, and this will be it if I’m re-elected,” said Lawrence. “But we’ve got some programs started that are just in infancy, and I want to continue with the progress we’re making. There are a lot of things I’ve been participating in I’d like to see finished.”

Lawrence added that he believes having consistency in the mayor’s office is especially important to the city right now.

“We have a new chief of police coming in, there’s a new city manager, and the director of planning and the director of finance are retiring next year,” Lawrence explained. “My experience will really assist us through that transition. It’s important to have that consistency.”

Lawrence was unopposed in his first two mayoral election campaigns, in 2012 and 2014, and as of June 21 no one has yet filed to compete for the mayor’s office.

Schellinger said she is running because she wants to help boost the community.

“I am civic-minded and fiscally conservative, while still understanding that to make a stronger community we need to work together to promote local business, repair critical infrastructure, and improve the educational opportunities for our students,” Schellinger explained.

Schellinger and Journeyhave a unique connection. Schellinger was co-owner of Wizards Keep Publishing, an independent eBook publishing company founded in 2014 that specialized in science-fiction and fantasy titles. Journey is the author of a sci-fi/fantasy book – “The Apprentices (The Crimson Guard Trilogy, Book 1)” – that was published in 2014 by Wizards Keep Publishing.

The Dalles City Council Position 4, which represents the eastern part of The Dalles, will also be on the ballot this year. As of Wednesday morning, no one had filed to run for the office. Incumbent Linda Miller said she is still considering her options.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Miller said. “I’m extremely busy at my job, and haven’t thought about it yet.”

Those interested in filing for any of the city’s elective offices can contact the city clerk’s office at 541-296-5481, or stop by The Dalles City Hall at 313 Court Street during business hours.