Jackson County OLCV releases first Scorecard on the Ashland City Council

Immediate Release: 

August 14, 2008                                  

Contact:

Mat Marr, Jackson County Chapter Organizer, (541) 324-3592

Ashland:  Today, the Jackson County Chapter of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) released their first ever Environmental Scorecard for the Ashland City Council. The scorecard focuses on the voting records of Ashland City Council members over the past three years.  The Ashland City Council voted pro-environment 70 % of the time on average; results that reveal the council is on the right track when it comes to protecting the City's land, water, and wildlife but still leaves room for improvement.

Three Ashland City Councilors champion the environment  

Three Ashland City Councilors led the City Council, earning perfect scores from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters for their strong track record as conservation champions. Alice Hardesty, Cate Hartzell and Eric Navickas all voted responsibly to protect Ashland’s environment.

 “All the council members must be commended for their leadership roles on the environment -particularly the 100%ers, Alice Hardesty, Cate Hartzell and Eric Navickas. But we can’t ignore the fact that we have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the Council’s overall record on the environmental issues that matter to Ashland voters,” said Mat Marr, Jackson County organizer for OLCV.

Room to improve

Councilors Kate Jackson and David Chapman received failing scores, 40% and 50% respectively. Both councilors voted against affordable mass transit, against updating Ashland’s comprehensive water conservation plan and against several other key efforts that would protect Ashland’s Ashland’s legacy of clean land, air water and health for our families for future generations.

Russ Silbiger scored 70%. Though Silbiger voted pro-environment the majority of the time, he joined Chapman in voting against installing solar panels on city property to power the Solar Pioneer II project. This project allows Ashland families with limited sunlight at their homes for solar power to use cleaner energy by buying into city solar panels.

“Overall, the Council is charting a pro-environment course for the City of Ashland. But if Ashland wants to be a regional leader when it comes to environmental issues we must do better,” said Tomas Estes, local OLCV leader. “The citizens of Ashland deserve more responsible leaders from their council.”

The full scorecard is available online at http://olcv.org/accountability