December 13, 2022 4:20 a.m.
It was a celebration of history and a look forward as a new councilor was selected at Monday night’s meeting of the Roseburg City Council.
A special meeting to interview potential new councilors was delayed for nearly 15 minutes due to a lack of a quorum. Councilors Brian Prawitz and Kylee Rummel did not attend the meeting, while Andrea Zielinski arrived late.
Councilors interviewed David Mohr and Dick Filley, who had both submitted applications to complete the Ward 1 Position 2 term of Sheri Moothart, who recently resigned. Mohr told councilors that he has 22 years of experience working in the field of cyber security. Mohr has served as the HIPPA Security Officer/Information Security Manager for Pacific Source since 2015. Dick Filley said he is a semi-retired real estate loan broker. Filley, the owner of Colt Mortgage, served for 4 years as the Douglas County Treasurer, and was on the city council from 1992 to 1996.
Both identified the issue of homelessness as something that needs more attention by city leaders. Mohr said he was born in Roseburg and has lived here for most of his life, while Filley said he moved here about 50 years ago. While Filley is known for volunteer work in a variety of areas, Mohr said changes in his life in recent years, has led to his interest in serving on the council. Filley said he was impressed with Mohr, and wouldn’t be disappointed if he wasn’t the one selected.
During the regular meeting, Councilor Bob Cotterell admitted to favoring Filley prior to the interviews but said he was impressed with Mohr and believed the council needed younger people involved. The rest of the council agreed with that assessment. Mohr was selected on a 5-0 vote. He will take office in January.
At the start of the meeting, artist Susan Applegate unveiled a painting she had been commissioned to do in celebration of Roseburg’s Sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary. Artists Susan Comerford and Mayor Larry Rich’s wife, Alpha were also present. Alpha Rich worked to restore a life-size cutout of Roseburg founder Aaron Rose, which was originally painted by Comerford in 1996. Both works of art will now be on display in the lobby of City Hall. A brief reception was held so those attending could interact with the artists.
Outgoing councilors Bob Cotterell and Beverly Cole were thanked for their work. Both opted to not seek another term in office.
More from the rest of the meeting will be featured in a separate story.
Pictures from the evening are posted at www.541radio.com