OSEA leader elected to local office
One of our own was elected to the Sweet Home City Council in the November election.
Sweet Home Chapter 3 member and Zone III Director Lisa Gourley was elected to a four-year term on the council. She obtained the second-most votes of any council candidate, including one incumbent. All told, eight candidates sought four positions. 
Gourley — whose husband, Jim, spent many years on the council, including stints as mayor — is excited to put her years of watching government to good use.
“I’ve been watching people come and go from the council, and I realized I know a lot of things already,” Gourley said. “So I just decided to run, and I’m glad I did.”
Once home to several lumber mills, Sweet Home was battered when Oregon’s timber industry went into an irreversible decline. Unlike many of its peer cities, Sweet Home faces an additional challenge: It has the highest tax compression rate of any Oregon city. Under compression, taxes imposed that exceed limits set by Ballot Measure 5 cannot be collected by the elected body. Sweet Home loses nearly $1 in every $3 it would otherwise receive.
However, Gourley said the city has a lot to offer businesses looking to start up or relocate. Several rivers and lakes are in or near town, and it sits at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, with skiing, hunting and other recreational opportunities available.
She added that OSEA members are often looked to as leaders — whether they realize it or not — and anyone interested in running for local office should seriously consider jumping in.
“We can’t afford to sit back and let things happen to us,” Gourley said. “We need voices of reason, people who care about what’s happening to them and their community.”
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