Candidates, races come into focus ahead of the May primary election

This story was updated on April 18 with additional information about the Lane County Assessor and Sheriff’s races.

The 2026 primary election has taken shape. Here are the candidates and ballot measures that Lane County voters will see on their ballots in May. The last day for voters to turn in their primary ballots will be May 19.

Lane County election officials said they will mail ballots to registered voters on April 30, and that most voters should receive their ballots about three to five days afterward. If voters do not receive their ballot in a timely manner, they should contact Lane County Elections at elections@lanecountyor.gov or 541-682-4234 to request a replacement ballot.

Eugene

City Council

Half of Eugene’s City Council seats are up for election: Wards 3, 4, 5 and 6. Councilors are elected to four-year terms and earn about $22,000 per year. Councilors are elected by residents within each ward. (See a map of the wards.)

If a council candidate wins more than half the total vote, they will be the only name appearing for that race on the November general election ballot. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates with the most primary votes will appear on the November ballot.

All of the races are contested this year. Last time these specific seats were up for grabs, three of four candidates — all sitting city councilors — ran unopposed.

Ward 3

Alan Zelenka, who has represented the University of Oregon campus area on the council for five terms, will not seek a sixth.

Two newcomers have filed to run for the seat: John Barofsky and Jennifer Smith.

Barofsky is a Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioner and the owner of Italian restaurant Beppe & Gianni’s. Smith is a project coordinator for the University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center and a member of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

Ward 4

Jennifer Yeh is running for her third full term on council representing the area north of Alton Baker Park and along Coburg Road. She faces a challenge from Tom Stedman, a member of Eugene’s Toxics Board who previously worked for timber company Weyerhaeuser and the Army Corps of Engineers. Yeh works as a volunteer and development coordinator for Community Supported Shelters.

Ward 5

Mike Clark, a mortgage specialist, is running for his sixth term in this north Eugene ward. He faces two opponents: Athena Aguiar, a former field manager for Fund for the Public Interest, and mortgage specialist Jasmine Hatmaker.

Ward 6

Greg Evans has filed to run for his fourth term representing northwest Eugene. He is a retired educator at Lane Community College.

The race has one other contender: Tai Pruce-Zimmerman, a chess statistician.

Eugene Water & Electric Board

Two of five EWEB positions are up for election, one that covers city Wards 4 and 5, and one at-large seat.

Four of the board’s five commissioners each represent two of Eugene’s wards. The fifth seat represents all residents as an at-large member. Commissioners serve four-year, unpaid terms. The ward-specific seats are elected by voters residing within those wards.

Wards 4 & 5

John Brown, a principal with a commercial real estate brokerage, is running unopposed for his fifth consecutive term as an EWEB commissioner. 

At-large

Mindy Schlossberg, a speech language pathologist, is not seeking a third term in the at-large seat. Two challengers have filed to run for her seat: retiree Eric Dziura and Alexi Miller, the director of building innovation at the New Buildings Institute.

Ballot measures

Removal of gender-specific pronouns

The measure will ask voters if they approve of removing gendered pronouns from the city’s charter.

Removal of department head residency requirement

The measure will ask voters if they approve of removing the requirement that city department heads must reside within Eugene city limits.

Library levy

The measure will ask voters if Eugene should levy $4.3 million per year for five years beginning July 1, 2026, to fund library operations and services. 

Springfield

City Council

Half of the six Springfield City Council seats are up for election: the seats for Wards 1, 2 and 5. Councilors are elected to four-year terms and serve without pay.

Councilors represent specific areas of town, and candidates must reside within the ward they are running to represent. But they are elected by citywide vote, meaning all Springfield voters can weigh in on all three seats.

Ward 1

Michelle Webber, who worked as a commercial banker for 30 years, is running for her second term as the councilor for Ward 1, a northwest section of Springfield that includes Gateway Street.

Ward 2

Steve Moe is seeking his third term as the representative for Ward 2, which is in southwest Springfield and includes Glenwood. Moe owns Intercity Engineering on Franklin Boulevard.

Ward 5

Interim Ward 5 Councilor Andrew Buck filed for election. The council appointed Buck to the position in October to serve out the remainder of Victoria Doyle’s term after she resigned. That term expires at the end of 2026. Buck is considered a nonincumbent. Ward 5 is in east Springfield between 42nd Street and Bob Straub Parkway.

Ward 4

The Ward 4 seat, representing central Springfield, is vacant after Beth Blackwell submitted her resignation in December. The council accepted applications for the position and is expected to appoint someone to the role in April. The appointed interim councilor will serve through the end of 2026, and in the November general election, voters will elect a Ward 4 councilor to serve the remaining two years of Blackwell’s term, which ends Dec. 31, 2028. The interim councilor is eligible to run for the seat in the election.

Springfield Utility Board

Three open Springfield Utility Board seats will be on the general election ballot in November.

Ballot measures 

Willamalane Park and Recreation District

The Willamalane Board of Directors has approved a ballot measure for a five-year temporary general operating levy to help stabilize finances for the Springfield district. This is the first time the district has sought a general operating levy since the permanent tax rate was established in 1997.

If passed, the measure would increase the district’s tax rate by 25 cents, with the owner of a house at the median assessed home value of $196,803 paying about $49 more annually in property taxes for the district.

Lane County

Board of Commissioners

Commissioners are elected to four-year terms and earn an annual salary of $114,026.

Commissioner 1

Ryan Ceniga is running for a second term. Ceniga has one challenger: Thomas Hiura, a Lane Education Service District board member and a former Eugene Human Rights Commissioner.

The District 1 seat covers western Lane County, including Florence, Veneta and Junction City. 

Commissioner 2

Incumbent David Loveall, Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and retiree William Monsoor have filed to run for the seat. The district represents Springfield and outlying rural areas.

Commissioner 5

Incumbent Heather Buch, who is running for a third term, has two opponents: Jake Pelroy and Bob Zybach. The East Lane District 5 commissioner includes Cottage Grove, Creswell, Oakridge, Lowell, Westfir, Coburg, portions of west Eugene, and numerous unincorporated communities, such as Goshen, Pleasant Hill, Dexter, Walterville, Blue River, McKenzie Bridge and Marcola.

Assessor

The race for Lane County Assessor was initially set to appear on the May ballot. But Lane County Clerk Tommy Gong said that the contest will no longer be held, because only one person, incumbent county Assessor Mary Vuksich-Shafer, filed to run.

Gong said the assessor’s race will now move to the November election. 

Sheriff

Incumbent Carl E. Wilkerson III has no challengers. Gong said the county charter requires the Sheriff’s race to be included in the May primary even if only one candidate has filed.

Ballot measures

Watershed bill of rights

Measure 20-373 would establish rights for watersheds and clean water. 

4H and OSU Extension programs

Lane County supported a measure asking voters to renew and increase a five-year local option levy that supports 4-H and Oregon State University Extension programs, which provide aid and education in food, agriculture, gardening and natural resources. The levy would increase from 2.8 cents to 5 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Lane Fire Authority

Lane Fire Authority has filed a measure asking voters to renew and increase its five-year local option levy for general operations from 35 cents to 55 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value. In November, a measure asking for the same increase was struck down by voters 53.6% to 46.4%.

South Lane County Fire & Rescue

The board of directors for South Lane County Fire & Rescue is asking voters to raise the fire district’s local option tax from $0.47 to $0.94 per $1,000 of assessed home value.

The same measure was rejected by voters in November, with it failing 53.7% to 46.3%.

Dexter Rural Fire Protection District

The board of directors for Dexter Rural Fire Protection District is asking voters to renew the district’s five-year local option tax. The renewal will not increase the fire district’s annual local option tax rate, currently $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. 

The tax, first passed by voters in 2022, expires in 2026 and funds facility and vehicle maintenance, training, daily operations and equipment replacement. If renewed by voters for another five years, the fire district estimates that the tax will raise a total of $1,424,530. 

Dexter Fire Chief Larry Wooldridge said that if the renewal doesn’t pass, the fire district will have to reduce its staff significantly and no longer be able to maintain around-the-clock medical response and fire protection starting in 2027. 

Siuslaw School District

The Siuslaw School District will ask voters to approve a $139 million bond measure to remodel Siuslaw Elementary School, make traffic safety improvements at district schools and build a new high school, replacing Siuslaw High School, which was built in 1970. 

The district estimates that the bond would increase annual property taxes by $2.75 per $1,000 of assessed value. If the bond is passed by voters, Siuslaw will receive a $6.12 million matching state grant.

In 2018, nearly 58% of voters rejected a $108.7 million bond that also sought to replace Siuslaw High School.

Fern Ridge Library District

The board of directors for the Fern Ridge Library District is asking voters to renew the district’s five-year local option levy. The renewal will not increase the library district’s annual local option levy rate, currently $0.35 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The levy funds staff, library materials, and other programs and services. If renewed by voters for another five years, the library district estimates that the levy will raise a total of nearly $2.57 million.

2nd Judicial District

Seven positions on the 17-member Lane County Circuit Court are up for election. One incumbent judge, Amit Kapoor, is facing a challenger, Eugene lawyer Katina Saint Marie, for the Position 6 judgeship.

Four other incumbent judges are unopposed for reelection.

Two new judges on the District 2 Circuit Court were appointed in January; appointed judges are required by law to seek election if they want to retain the seat, and both have filed.

Circuit court judges are elected on a nonpartisan basis and serve six-year terms. Circuit judges earn salaries set by the state at $204,060 annually.

Position 3

Incumbent Bradley A. Cascagnette is seeking reelection. He has served on the bench since 2018.

Position 4

Incumbent Charles M. Zennaché is seeking reelection. He has served as a Circuit Court judge since 2007.

Position 6

Incumbent Kapoor faces opponent Katina Saint Marie in the only contested Lane County Circuit Court race. Kapoor has served on the Lane County Circuit Court since 2020.

Position 10

Incumbent Kamala H. Shugar is seeking reelection. She has served on the bench in Lane County since 2019.

Position 15

Incumbent Clara L. Rigmaiden is seeking reelection. She has served on the bench in Lane County since 2013. 

Position 16

In January, Gov. Tina Kotek appointed Jessica E. May to the Position 16 judgeship. The position is one of two added to the Lane County Circuit Court by the 2025 Legislature. By law, appointed judges must run for election to retain the seat. May has filed for election.

Position 17

Allison Knight was appointed to the Position 17 seat in January by Kotek. The position is one of the two added to the Lane County court by the Legislature. By law, appointed judges must run for election to retain the seat. Knight has filed for election.

State

Senate

District 4

Democratic incumbent Floyd Prozanski is seeking reelection. Senate District 4 covers Eugene and Springfield.

District 6

Republican incumbent Cedric Hayden is barred from reelection. Republican candidates Jami Cate, Nicole De Graff and Jack Tibbetts have filed. Democratic candidate Sierrah Williams has filed. Senate District 6 covers a portion of eastern Lane County.

District 7

Democratic incumbent James I. Manning Jr. has filed for reelection. Republican candidate Jack “Jake” D. Huff filed to run against him. The district covers parts of northern Lane County in the Eugene metropolitan area.

House

District 7

Democratic incumbent John Lively is not running for election. Democratic candidates Ky Fireside, KC Huffman and Kori Rodley and Republican candidate Adam Wilson have filed for the race. Fireside is an archaeologist and Springfield-based activist who co-founded Eyes Off Eugene, which has fought against Flock license-plate reader cameras. Rodley works for Lane County Developmental Disabilities Services and is a current Springfield city councilor. Huffman is an attorney at Bromley Newton Huffman and coaches baseball at Marist High School. The district covers the Springfield area.

District 8

Democratic incumbent Lisa Fragala and Republican candidate Bill Vivian have filed. The district includes most of downtown Eugene and the University of Oregon.

District 9

Republican incumbent Boomer Wright is not running for reelection. Republican candidates Troy Cribbins and Claire Lynn and Democratic candidate John Ezra Scheirman have filed. The district includes the coastal region of Lane County. 

District 10

Democratic incumbent David Gomberg is running for reelection. The district includes a portion of Lane County on the coast. 

District 12

Republican incumbent Darin Harbick and Democratic candidate Amber Smith have filed. The district covers the eastern portion of Lane County. 

District 13

Republican candidate Jonathan T. Abrahamsen, Democratic candidate Kathy Cantrell-Damewood and Democratic incumbent Nancy Nathanson have filed. The district covers the northern part of Eugene. 

District 14

Democratic incumbent Julie Fahey, the current speaker of the House, and Republican candidate Kevin Burton have filed. Erik Glass, a Democratic candidate, also has filed. The district includes west Eugene. 

Federal

U.S House of Representatives, 4th Congressional District

Democratic incumbent Val Hoyle is seeking reelection. Democratic candidates Daniel B. Bahlen and Melissa Bird have filed. Republican candidates Monique DeSpain and Stefan G. Strek have filed.

U.S. Senate

Democratic incumbent Jeff Merkley has filed for reelection. Democratic candidate Paul Damian Wells and Republican candidates Brent Barker, David A. Burch, Russell McAlmond, Jo Rae Perkins, Timothy Skelton and Deborah C. Brown have filed. State Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, has also filed to run.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated when the Springfield City Council Ward 4 seat will be up for election. It is on the November 2026 ballot.

Clarification: This story was updated to clarify that this will be the first time Willamalane has sought a general operating levy since permanent tax rates were established in 1997.