The Canby City Council will convene in a special session Wednesday to consider seven candidates to replace David Bajorin, who stepped down earlier this month, citing family and professional responsibilities.
Bajorin had replaced Jordan Tibbals, who was elected to the seat in November 2020 but also served less than a year before resigning and moving to Texas.
Seven applicants filed for the position before the April 20 deadline and will be considered during a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 27.
They are, in order of when they filed their paperwork, Art Marine, Brad Clark, Stephanie Boyce, Curtis Vieke, Jason Padden, Scott Sasse and Herman Maldonado.
Marine is a longtime mortgage banker and branch manager in Beaverton and ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Canby School Board in 2019. He wrote that he is particularly interested in managing residential and commercial growth and the optimal allocation of resources for the city and its advisory boards.
“I feel I have valuable input that can benefit the community,” Marine wrote. “Having been a mortgage banker in multiple jurisdictions for over 35 years, I have the benefit of seeing growth plans that work well and those that do not. I would love to share that experience to benefit the city of Canby.”
Marine said councilors Greg Parker and Sarah Spoon referred him to the position.
Clark, who previously sought the council appointment last year that was ultimately won by Bajorin, is a program librarian for the City of Wilsonville as well as a crisis counseling volunteer and a pastor and faith leader.
He cited interests in strategic planning and development across city departments and supporting city employees to focus on improving quality of life for residents. If appointed, he promised to help “position Canby as a forerunner of small-town government.”
“Canby first, Canby better,” he wrote.
Boyce is the owner of the Vitamin Plaza in downtown Canby and an unsuccessful candidate for Canby City Council in 2010. She previously served on the city’s budget and transportation committees and has volunteered with student activities at the high school and homeless programming at Zoar Lutheran Church.
Last year, she was the lead petitioner in a failed campaign to recall councilors Sarah Spoon and Chris Bangs, both of whom remain on the council.
In her application, Boyce cited concerns with the influx of new development and whether the city’s infrastructure can keep pace.
“If I join this committee, I will want to keep an eye on what is called ‘smart growth’ strategies,” she wrote. “Policies that protect the rural landscape and open space.”
Vieke is a Les Schwab Tire Center employee and military veteran who enjoys running and cycling. He said he wishes to invest in local youth.
“I believe in investing in the community you want to live in and this is the best way for me to do this,” he wrote.
Padden is the current chair of the Canby Planning Commission and a former city councilor, who stepped down due to work commitments he held at that time. He has since sought re-election or appointment to the council multiple times, including last year.
He has a long history of other service to the community, including on the Budget Committee, Canby Urban Renewal Advisory Board and Street Maintenance Task Force.
“I would like to be part of representing the citizens of Canby and helping the city plan for the future,” Padden wrote in the application, while also disclosing that he’d planned to run for council again in November.
His professional background is in horticultural sales and treatments and he currently works as an area sales manager for Grants Pass-based Mycorrhizal Applications, which markets “microbial-based biorational solutions” to improve root growth and plant hardiness in agriculture, horticulture, landscaping and forestry applications.
Under “major interests and concerns,” he cited streets and sidewalks, parks, planning for the future and a desire to “keep the City Council nonpartisan.”
Sasse is a self-employed landscaper and longtime member of the Canby Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He cited interests in parks, downtown growth, stability and a desire to become more involved in guiding the city’s growth.
Finally, Maldonado is a maintenance technician with Northwest Venture Group who cited interests in intercultural integration and development and funding for programs, projects and events.
“I want to help make Canby a safer and more integrated community,” he wrote. “This would be my first time in a position where I am able to directly impact our city’s development.”
Maldonado said he was referred to the position by Council President Traci Hensley.
Councilors plan to interview each applicant Wednesday and make an appointment that night. The successful candidate will be sworn in at the next regular meeting and serve until the November general election, at which point the seat will again be up for grabs for a full four-year term.