The city of Newberg is fortunate to have three amazing, highly qualified candidates running for city council: Dr. Jeri Turgesen, Tyson Butler, and the only incumbent, Elise Yarnell. 

Yarnell has served six years as a councilor from District 1. She is an amazing communicator and a proven collaborator with extensive experience getting things done! Besides holding a lot of institutional knowledge as our longest-serving city councilor, she is currently the only council member who is not a member of the ideologically rigid and uncompromising Newberg Dundee Strong. 

The monopoly Newberg Dundee Strong had on the school board has caused the Newberg Dundee School district to suffer greatly. The last thing we need is our most senior member of the council replaced with yet another member of Newberg Dundee Strong. We are concerned the city councilors will follow the example of the former Newberg Dundee school board members and not engage with or listen to constituents outside of their group. 

Why is Newberg Dundee Strong running a candidate for this position in the first place? Britta Mansfield announced her candidacy with a picture of her and Lindsay Berschauer at a local festival. On her website, Britta says, “I believe the community should still be involved in regularly choosing who they want to represent them and lead.” 

Sounds good, but there is absolutely no indication of how Mansfield would represent or lead better, let alone different, from Yarnell. In fact, Britta’s entire campaign, from the language used right down to the branding, seems to be copied from Elise. This raises a good deal of concern about why she is running under the guise of “let(ting) the citizens choose who represents them.”  

If Mansfied wins Yarnell’s seat with no other changes to the council, then EVERY council position will be represented by members of Newberg Dundee Strong. This concern about a Newberg Dundee Strong monopoly was shared with Mansfield on her Facebook page, along with a question about if she would represent all her constituents. Instead of attempting to quell the concerns about representation, Britta just ignored the question altogether. 

Thankfully, in addition to Elise, there are two other highly qualified citizens running for city councilor positions: Dr. Jeri Turgesen and Tyson Butler.

Turgesen was raised in rural Yamhill and brings her rural sensibilities and years of experience as a psychologist in Newberg to the table. She oversees all behavioral health for the Newberg Dundee School District. She is passionate about Newberg being a safe and nurturing community, especially for our children. 

This passion about youth mental health led her and Elise to create and implement a system to identify and help students experiencing suicidal ideation. Their combined efforts stopped the rash of youth suicides that rocked our community several years ago and it is crucial that this work continue. 

Like Yarnell, Turgesen is a clear and effective communicator. They both recently gave testimony to the Board of Commissioners about youth mental health, successfully getting funding released that had been held. Berschauer had held the funding because of her concerns about parents’ rights. Jeri explained the collaborative approach the health center uses and showed its effectiveness with data. There is 100% parental/guardian participation for youth in crisis. Her kindness, coupled with an ability to address serious issues, is much appreciated. 

Butler is a working professional who chose Newberg to raise his children, largely because it is a tight-knit community. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and has 10 years of experience in community development and conflict resolution. There are skills that will be put to good use here in Newberg! Jeri and Tyson will bring much needed diversity, skill and experience to our community. They will foster a strong, collaborative city. 

Please vote for Elise Yarnell, Dr. Jeri Turgesen, and Tyson Butler for Newberg City Council!