Two incumbents held on to their positions as board members for the Villages
at Mt. Hood, and one new face joined the team.

Pat Sharp and Shirley Dueber retained their chairs, while Doug Saldivar took
the seat vacated by Robert Baker.

Sharp was the top vote-getter, collecting 62 votes in the election that allowed
voters to cast their ballots for three candidates. Saldivar’s strong showing was
reflected by his 55 votes. Dueber garnered 44 votes to keep her chair.

The only other candidate, George Wilson, fell short with 33.

Seventy-seven ballots were cast at the May 23 election held at Welches
Elementary.

“It’ll take me two or three months to get up to speed,” Saldivar said, in the
flush of his victory. “In the beginning, I’ll be listening a lot.”

Saldivar campaigned on a platform that emphasized support of the county’s
sustainability action plan as it relates to the Villages.

“Once we remove all the political prejudices, media hype and preconceptions
we can see that sustainability is a common sense conservative approach to
our lives that simply means that we don’t use our resources in a way that
depletes them faster than they can be replenished,” Saldivar said in his
candidate statement. “It also means that we take care of our space so that
our descendants can live and enjoy it as much as we do.

“If you look at sustainability on a personal level it means that you live within
your budget so you don’t go broke and you maintain your home so it doesn’t
fall down.”

Sharp’s vision for the future of the Villages seemed to ring true for the
majority of voters.

“It is important to me to maintain our identity as Mountain villages, be a
steward of the environment, ensure safety for people at home and on the
road, support our local businesses, and create opportunities for healthy lives,”
Sharp said in her candidate statement.

Sharp has served on the Villages board for the last five months and looks
forward to better communication by the board in the future.

“I feel that we need to improve our techniques for gathering input from the
community and work to sustain our mountain and river habitats,” she said.

Dueber cited her years of activity on the Mountain since becoming a resident
in 1966. She has been on the board of directors at Hoodland Rural Fire
Department for 29 years; is trained and active on the Trauma Intervention
Program; served in executive positions for the Chamber of Commerce; and is
an active member and maintains a board of director’s position with the Mt.
Hood Lions Club.

In other business the board:
ƒÞ heard a presentation from the Sandy River Basin Watershed Council;
ƒÞ conducted a Q & A session with State Representative Suzanne VanOrman;
and
ƒÞ introduced new County Commissioner Ann Lininger, who promised the
community we would see more of her in the future.