On September 4 we will have representatives of The Chronicle which describes itself as providing Hyper Local News in Springfield, Cottage Grove, Creswell, & Pleasant Hill with both print and online services and the Lookout Eugene Springfield, which is an online only news service. Join us then for a facilitated discussion about digital and print media in our area, the challenges they face, and their role in an ever shifting information landscape. Join us at Roaring Rapids Pizza, 4006 Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood. The program beings at noon, but you can come at 11:30 for lunch and networking. Or join us on Zoom

 The Chronicle

Noel Nash, owner and publisher

After 25 years in the newspaper business as a reporter, page designer and senior editor, Noel joined ESPN to help create the Stats & Information Group in 2006. In 2015 he was named Vice President of the 230-person team that generated unique-and-differentiating content across all media platforms, including live studio and event TV, digital and streaming products, audio and print. His oversight included the BottomLine and Content Research. His team supplied all real-time clock, scores, and statistical content to every ESPN platform globally), and industry-changing sports analytics and metrics. Noel left ESPN in 2017, and purchased The Creswell Chronicle in February 2019 – renaming it The Chronicle and expanding coverage to include Springfield, Cottage Grove, and Pleasant Hill. He and his wife Denise have a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Melissa.

Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller, co-owner and executive editor

Erin Tierney-Heggenstaller began her career in journalism in 2012 as a reporter and associate editor for The (Lock Haven) Express in Pennsylvania. In 2016, she relocated to Oregon, where she joined The Creswell Chronicle as a reporter and later became the editor. In 2019, Erin and her publisher led the effort in expanding the newspaper’s coverage to include nearby communities that were lacking local news, which led to the rebranding of the publication as The Chronicle and the expansion of its digital footprint. Deeply committed to delivering credible and unique content to her rural and underserved communities, Erin became a co-owner in 2025, making The Chronicle a majority-women-led business. She and her husband, Lance, live in Springfield with their parrotlet, Murphy, and a small flock of chickens and ducks.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Dann Miller

Dann Miller is the executive editor of Lookout Eugene-Springfield, bringing decades of leadership experience in both traditional and digital newsrooms.

A native of Elmira, New York, Dann began his journalism career at his hometown newspaper while still in high school. His path has taken him across the country, leading newsrooms at the Army Times Publishing Company outside Washington, D.C., the Tallahassee Democrat in Florida, and the Erie Times-News in Pennsylvania before moving west to the Yakima Herald-Republic in Washington and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon.

After leaving Oregon in 2018, Dann served as news director for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee, overseeing coverage in Arkansas and Mississippi, before taking on the same role at the Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.

Now, he returns to Oregon, a place he has long considered home. “The Willamette Valley holds a special place in my heart. I miss the mountains, coast, climate, produce, and people that helped shape me as a person and a journalist.”

Throughout his career, Dann has been committed to fair, aggressive, and nonpartisan local journalism. He has a proven ability to build strong teams and foster deep community connections to ensure vital stories are told with accuracy and impact. As executive editor, he leads Lookout Eugene-Springfield’s mission to provide high-quality journalism that reflects and serves the people of Lane County.

Lillian Schrock-Clevenger

Lillian Schrock-Clevenger is the Springfield correspondent for Lookout Eugene-Springfield. Since moving to Oregon in 2016, Lillian Schrock-Clevenger has reported for The Register-Guard and the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

She has also covered stories of entrepreneurs who launched their businesses with the help of the Oregon Small Business Development Centers and the Eugene Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network.

Lillian received her journalism degree from Drake University and cut her teeth at the Des Moines Register as an intern for two years. After graduating, she served as the statewide crime and courts reporter at the Casper Star-Tribune, covering criminal justice issues affecting Wyoming.

She believes in keeping readers informed and giving them hope about tough issues impacting our community.

Formerly a small business manager at Run Hub Northwest in Eugene, Lillian is also passionate about how individuals and their interests shape their communities. She looks forward to serving Springfield with critical information they need and the vibrant stories they want.

Earlier this year, Mayor Sean VanGordon convened the Fiscal Stability Task Force, bringing together 12 local community and business leaders to take a hard look at Springfield’s long-term budget challenges. Over nine weeks, the group reviewed 56 potential solutions and reached consensus on nine key recommendations aimed at protecting core services, promoting fairness, and ensuring long-term fiscal health.

At this City Club program, Mayor VanGordon will provide an overview of the Task Force process, its recommendations, and the principles guiding their work. The focus will be on open dialogue, with ample time for audience questions. Attendees will receive a summary handout and information on how to share feedback through the City’s public survey. A copy of the report may be viewed or downloaded here: Fiscal Stability Report.

Sean VanGordon is the Mayor of Springfield, Oregon, and a champion for housing, economic development, and transportation policy. Since joining the City Council in 2011, Sean has led efforts to revitalize downtown Springfield, expand infrastructure funding, and champion businesses. A Springfield resident since 2007, Sean lives with his wife, twin daughters, and their Labrador, Marcus. He is an avid reader and a proud fan of the University of Oregon Ducks.

Join us to learn about how the Housing + Design Initiative is continuing the work of Springfield’s Housing Strategy, while helping the City also come into compliance with the State’s housing-related statutes and rules. The City will focus particular attention on amending the Springfield Development Code to include clear and objective standards for mixed-use areas. This approach reduces regulatory barriers by allowing more types of housing in commercial and mixed-use areas, and continues the larger, ongoing Development Code Update Project to simplify code language and streamline the development review process.

Haley Campbell, a Senior Planner for the City of Springfield and the project manager for the Housing + Design Initiative project will provide a project update. Her work focuses on the connection between long-range land use planning efforts and how the Development Code makes the long-term direction and goals a reality, which so far have resulted in amendments for stormwater management, income-qualified housing, and annexation requirements. 

A Bit About the Housing + Design Initiative

In 2024, the City secured funding from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development for Cascadia Partners to work with City staff on the Housing + Design Initiative. This multi-year project will produce three key deliverables, each tied to proposed updates to the Springfield Development Code and Springfield’s long-range land use plans, corresponding to each phase: (1) a code and plan audit, (2) code and plan concepts, and (3) code and plan amendments.

Cascadia Partners’ audit was designed to update the City’s Development Code and planning documents in areas outside Springfield’s proposed Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs). These areas, which are outside CFAs, but near to them are currently Gateway/RiverBend, Main Street, and portions of Glenwood and Downtown. The audit provided two lenses:

• A review for statutory compliance (how well Springfield’s Development Code meets State requirements and where it needs to change to do so)
• A strategic approach for a set of recommendations to support the City’s broader goals for increasing housing production and choice.

Looking more broadly, foundational work already completed includes:

• A Community Engagement Plan, which guides the City to meaningfully seek input from the community, build awareness of the project, and solicit early feedback on the code and plan concepts being considered.
• Consideration of market economics to better understand what types of development could realistically occur within mixed-use areas.

This summer, the project team has moved into the concepts phase to determine how the mixed-use sections of the development code could change. At this event, the project team will present some initial concepts for discussion. This fall, the Springfield Planning Commission and City Council will receive an update on the project, which will share highlights from the discussion at City Club and will provide direction on which concepts to incorporate into the proposed plan and code amendments.

More information is available on the project webpage at bit.ly/HousingDesignInitiative. You may view or download the project fact sheet HERE

Before joining the City of Springfield, Haley spent four years with the Satre Group, a local landscape architecture and planning firm, to deliver on land use planning and housing priorities. She also interned for the City of Springfield for two years while in college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in planning, Public Policy, and Nonprofit Management from the University of Oregon in 2016 (Go Ducks!) and participated in several Sustainable City Year projects.

What excites her the most about her work, and the Housing + Design Initiative, is the opportunity to work on projects that directly impact the lives of individuals and the broader community. One of Haley’s proudest accomplishments in affordable housing development came when she worked to establish a partnership between the Satre Group and SquareOne Villages. The Peace Village project created 70 units of permanent affordable housing with residents at 60% of the area median income. This has translated into her passion for creating homeownership opportunities and needed housing.

For 75 years, SUB has been Springfield, Oregon’s customer-owned utility, created by the people of Springfield to bring safe, reliable, and cost-effective utility services to the community. Jeff Nelson, SUB’s General Manager, will take us through the utility’s remarkable history, including how residents wrested control away from an unpopular for-profit utility and instead created SUB to ensure Springfielders had a voice in how they were served. He’ll also share how that spirit of ownership continues to guide the utility today.

Looking ahead, Jeff will discuss the complex challenges facing SUB, including a changing climate, new regulations, and rapid advances in technology. Those challenges are addressed in SUB’s newly released strategic plan, which focuses on five key goals over the next five years. The document is a commitment to customers, one aimed at keeping the utility resilient, reliable, and responsive to serve Springfield’s needs in a fast-changing world. Learn about how SUB is securing the community’s drinking water and power future with large-scale infrastructure projects, plus about our new customer-focused service and technology initiatives. Jeff will share how SUB is preparing for the future while staying true to its mission—and how customer voices continue to shape our direction.

A native Oregonian, Jeff Nelson began his career with the Springfield Utility Board in 1996. He has served as the utility’s General Manager since 2012, making him only the fifth person to hold the position in the utility’s 75-year history. Under his leadership, SUB has emphasized energy and water efficiency, infrastructure investment, and a commitment to serving the Springfield community. Jeff has been instrumental in guiding the utility through various challenges, including the West Coast power crisis in the early 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he led the utility through a comprehensive review following the 2024 ice storm, resulting in a rigorous after-action process that has positioned SUB to better meet customer needs during future large-scale events. In March, Jeff announced he would retire in 2026, after nearly 30 years of service. He is working now to ensure a strong finish and a smooth transition to a new general manager.

You may have met Jeff in the wild without knowing it: from donning a beard and belly to play Santa in the Springfield Christmas Parade, to pulling on his formal stars-and-stripes attire to greet Light of Liberty Celebration festivalgoers as Uncle Sam, to jumping in a dunk tank dressed as a pirate, he’s known foe injecting fun and humor into even the most buttoned-up occasions.

Boating is one of the most popular recreation activities in Oregon. That’s why there are so many boat types and activities for any adventure imaginable. Whether you’re spending time fishing for salmon, steelhead, or the many other varieties of fish in Oregon, relaxing on a serene lake or running through whitewater rapids, Oregon has it all.

But to have a fun, relaxing, and thrilling time, being prepared, having the right equipment, and knowing what to do in different situations can make a difference.

Springfield City Club will welcome Captain Eddie Persichetti, The Oregon State Marine Board Law Enforcement Training Coordinator and Priscilla Mary-Cruser, the agency’s Boating Safety Advocate Program Coordinator 

In this presentation, Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) staff will cover:

• Best practices for water safety on the Willamette and McKenzie rivers in boating, tubing, swimming, fishing, and more.
• Stories of water safety relevant to our local area.
• Educational classes available.
• Happenings at OSMB that community members should know about.
• And more!

Priscilla Macy-Cruser grew up near the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. At an early age, she was introduced to outdoor recreation and various water sports. Her first job was working for a jetboat company in Grants Pass, and shortly after high school, she became a professional whitewater river guide, leading trips in Oregon, Idaho, and California, both commercially and for a wilderness therapy program based in Oregon and Idaho.

Priscilla attended Oregon State University, earning an undergraduate degree in Recreation Resource Management and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). During this time, she also worked as a student instructor at the University Adventure Leadership Institute, teaching climbing, rafting, adventure education, and rescue classes, and she also competed as a professional whitewater kayaker.

As the Coordinator for the Boating Safety Advocate Program at the Oregon State Marine Board, Priscilla works with Oregon’s boating communities and the public to raise awareness and educate about responsible boating practices. Her goal is to make more people feel welcome, prepared, knowledgeable, and confident to enjoy our state’s waterways safely.

Priscilla Macy-Cruser, Boating Safety Advocate Program Coordinator 

Boating Safety Program
Oregon State Marine Board
Cell: (971) 382-2540

Boat.Oregon.gov

Holding his 1600-ton Open Oceans USCG license, since 2002, Eddie has worked his way up the commercial side and transitioned to the private sector of the maritime industry. He has accumulated over 60,000 nautical miles of sea service during this time. Working with local authorities and adhering to customs, clearances, maritime laws, and specific country or state regulations was the norm. High profile, high stress, and high expectations were the day-to-day grind in that arena. Still, he maintains his license and remains ingrained in the maritime community professionally and personally.

Transitioning to “family life” in 2017, Eddie stepped down from full-time yachting, and he and his wife started a successful day charter business based out of Warren, Rhode Island. He also became involved in USCG hybrid captains’ license curricula and assisted several maritime institutions in implementing and teaching these curricula.

He has held the position of Marine Law Enforcement Training Coordinator with the Oregon State Marine Board for more than seven years, with honor. He is grateful for the opportunity to work with a dynamic boating safety team in which he challenges himself daily to make boating safer. Working with over 30 sheriff’s offices statewide and over 150 law enforcement professionals throughout the year, he is engulfed with challenges, comments, and complaints. He has found that gaining trust, maintaining transparency, and not losing sight of his boating passion allows him to excel and has become the foundation for his professional success.

Eddie Persichetti

Law Enforcement Training Coordinator
Mobile 503-877-8304
Web Boat.Oregon.gov
E-mail Edward.persichetti@boat.oregon.gov
435 Commercial St NE Suite 400 Salem, OR 97309

 

Seven candidates have filed for election to the Lane Community College Board of Education. The candidates have filed for several different zones, but all Lane County voters may vote for all candidates. The candidates that have filed, and the positions they are seeking include:

Candidate	Zone
Jeffrey Cooper	1
Jerry Rust	1
Devon Lawson	3
Julie Weismann	3
Austin Folägny	4
Richard Vasquez	4
Jesse Maldanado	7

 

All candidates have accepted an invitation to appear at a candidate forum sponsored by the Springfield City Club in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Lane County. Each candidate has been invited to submit a statement concerning their candidacy. The statements received so far may be found here: Candidate Statements.

The forum will be held on May 1 at Roaring Rapids Pizza, 4006 Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood. It will be an in-person only event. The forum will begin at noon and is scheduled to run for 90 minutes. Attendees who wish to purchase lunch should arrive by 11:30 a.m.

 

 

Jami Resch was sworn in as the Interim Chief of Police for the City of Springfield on March 17^th and became the City’s first female Chief of Police. In this presentation, Chief Resch will discuss what new initiatives are being considered, what current strengths of the department she wants to build upon, and her overall philosophy of management and policing.

 

With 26 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as Portland’s Chief of Police, Chief Resch brings expertise in leadership, community engagement, and department operations. Since joining the Springfield Police Department in 2023, she has made significant strides in strengthening community relationships, mentoring officers, and enhancing department operations.

She holds advanced command and decision-making certificates, threat assessment training, and diplomatic security law enforcement training. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Allied Health

Sciences with a Minor in Psychology from the University of Portland.

 

The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency represents an unusual approach to protecting air quality. In most of the State that task is a function of the State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. LRAPA presents a local opportunity to maintain air quality. The presentation will discuss how LRAPA provides essential local services through monitoring, enforcement, and community engagement, while creating a balanced approach that serves both environmental and economic interests. This presentation will explore emerging challenges, including increasing wildfire smoke events, and new opportunities through technological innovation. As federal environmental policies shift, Executive Director Travis Knudsen will outline how LRAPA creates certainty and stability for Lane County residents and businesses while maintaining its commitment to public health and environmental protection. Mr. Knudsen will also discuss his vision for the agency which includes embracing AI technology as a transformative tool for the agency’s work, creating certainty for businesses and residents amid changing federal environmental policies and addressing the growing challenge of wildfire smoke in the region.

April 3: School district 19 Candidate Forum
Seven candidates have filed to run for seats on the Springfield School Board at the May 20 election. Springfield City Club and the League of Women Voters of Lane County have invited all candidates to attend a forum to be held at noon on April 3 to allow them to explain their candidacy.

The candidates that have filed, and the positions they are seeking are as follows:
Name                    Position
Heather Quaas-Anna              2
Sarah Bosch*                           2
Johnathan Light                      3
Justin Martin                           3
Amber Langworthy                 5
Bob Brew                                5
Robert Morgan                       5

*Ms. Bosch has advised that she will not be actively campaigning.

Five of the remaining six candidates have accepted the invitation. The final candidate has informed us that scheduling conflicts may preclude his attendance. Each candidate been invited to submit a statement describing their candidacy. The statements received so far can be found here: Candidate Statement.

The forum will be held at Roaring Rapids Pizza, 4006 Franklin Boulevard in Glenwood. It will be in-person and livestreamed on Zoom. Each candidate will be asked to give an opening statement and then respond to questions proposed by a moderator designated by the League of Women Voters. Attendees may submit written questions to the moderator. The forum is planned to last for 90 minutes.

Guests who wish to purchase lunch are encouraged to arrive by 11:30 so they may be in place by the time the forum starts.

Even though the largest workers’ comp insurance carrier has been around for more than 100 years, there still seems to be people out there who don’t know what we are or what we do. In this session, learn the history and purpose of SAIF, including a brief overview of operations. As a safety and health focused company, we will also share links to free resources to help employers keep their workers safe and healthy on the job.

Leigh Manning, MPH, CSP, ARM has been Senior Safety Management Consultant with SAIF Corporation since 2010 and has been working in occupational health and safety for almost 20 years. In her current role, she creates safety and health training materials, speaks at regional conferences, and works with employers to improve the health and safety of their workers. She is an active member of the Cascade Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals, serving in many leadership roles over the years. Leigh has a BA from the University of Oregon in Journalism, Public Relations and Communications and a Master of Public Health from Portland State University.

 

 

Rob Miller brings over 30 years of experience in Oregon workers’ compensation insurance, with nearly 23 years dedicated to SAIF Corporation. He moved to Springfield in 1999 and has been in his current role for the past three years. Rob’s extensive insurance experience is primarily in the premium audit function. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Communications from Concordia University-Portland. Born in Portland, Oregon, he has a deep connection to the state.  In his spare time Rob enjoys following the Seattle Mariners and all things baseball. He and his wife Shannon are celebrating their fourteen-year wedding anniversary in April, and they enjoy spoiling their two amazing grandkids every chance they get.