February 11, 2020 5:00 a.m.
Roseburg’s former city recorder is the newest member of the Roseburg City Council.
Sheila Cox was the unanimous pick at the council meeting on Monday night.
Cox began as the city recorder in 1988, and retired in April of 2018. During an interview with the council, Cox said she wanted to give back, and pointed to her knowledge following 30 years of being employed by the city, plus her volunteer work in a number of areas, as reasons she should be chosen. Cox admitted she has missed being around city government and said “it gets in your system”. In the eight-minute interview, Cox said she agreed with the recently adopted council priorities including finding more low- income housing, transportation funding, and improving the livability of the community.
Councilor Linda Fisher-Fowler noted that everyone now on the council is newer to the role and cited Cox’s experience and history with the city as a reason she should be selected. All six councilors in attendance also expressed support for Cox. Councilor Beverly Cole did not attend the meeting. Cox will serve through the end of this year, and will have to run in November if she wants to serve in the role for an additional two years, in order to complete Tom Ryan’s term. Ryan, who was also the council president, recently resigned as he plans to travel in retirement.
After the vote, Cox was sworn in by City Recorder Amy Sowa and took her seat as a member of the council.
While Cox got the nod to join the council, councilors appeared to be impressed with the other candidate, Jeffrey Weller. Weller described himself as a semi-retired Certified Public Accountant who moved to the area four years ago. Weller said he has worked in communities in Oregon and in California and is licensed in both states. Weller said he would bring “an unbiased viewpoint” if selected to be on the council. Council President Bob Cotterell said he hoped Weller would consider a position on the Budget Committee as a way to get involved. Mayor Larry Rich was among those who agreed with the idea and said Weller would also be a good pick if a position became available on the Economic Development Commission.
The third candidate for the council, Ashley Taylor, withdrew her name late Monday afternoon, according to Management Assistant Koree Tate. Tate said Taylor pointed to Cox’s experience in making her decision.