The fire district is seeking stability after recent turmoil, including board resignations, the termination of its chief, a massive financial shortfall and reduced staffing.
District 5 currently operates under an intergovernmental agreement with nearby District 3, which provides administrative support, including the oversight of its chief, Mike Hussey.
Now, four candidates are fighting for two contested seats on District 5’s board.
Eleanor Ponomareff already serves on the district’s budget committee and said she wants to use her experience with government budgets to help.
“The issues that define this election, in my view, are the financial missteps, getting those corrected so services can resume throughout the district,” she said. “And also restoring public trust. Because the board works for the people, the board doesn’t work for the chief. The board works for the taxpayers.”
She currently serves on the Talent City Council, as well as in other local government positions.
Ponomareff is running against Jennifer Hadden, who said she would work for better transparency from the board.
“I think things were a little bit shady,” she said. “The firefighters are the ones who are paying that price now, and I just want to make it so they never have to go through that again, the department doesn’t have to go through that again, and hopefully they can make it through this and get their budget back to what normal should be.”
She worked as a firefighter/paramedic for Ashland Fire and Rescue for 22 years and as a wildland firefighter with the USFS on hotshot crews.
Alfredo Echaide, a firefighter/paramedic for Ashland Fire and Rescue, said he sympathizes with everything the firefighters at District 5 have had to deal with.
“It’s enough of a strain on us as first responders just to come and work the job. We don’t need all this additional stress. Just give them the tools that they need to give the best service they can,” he said. “That would be my ultimate goal if I were appointed to the board.”
He said he would also search for new revenue sources and said his fluency in Spanish would help connect the district with the local Latino community.
Echaide is running against incumbent Chris Luz, who declined to be interviewed.
In the Jackson County voters’ pamphlet, Luz said his priorities are safety, financial integrity and transparency, supporting first responders, and risk reduction.
“I’ll do my homework, listen attentively, act with integrity, and continue to focus on solutions that insure that your family and neighbors receive the JCFD No. 5 services you expect and deserve,” the pamphlet reads.
Two other incumbents, Greg Costanzo and John Karns, are running for their board seats unopposed.
Costanzo, Karns and Luz were appointed to their positions by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners last April after the majority of the district’s board members resigned, leaving it without a quorum to conduct business.
The district operates three fire stations in Phoenix, Talent and unincorporated Ashland, serving over 23,000 people.
Residents can cast their vote for new board members in the May 20 special election.
