QuickTake:

The candidate chosen in November will serve through 2028. Jill Cuadros, the current interim councilor for the ward, can run if she chooses. Cuadros was appointed to fill a vacancy.

Community members who wish to represent Ward 4 on the Springfield City Council can begin filing for the November election on June 3, according to a city press release. 

The City Council appointed interim Ward 4 Councilor Jill Cuadros after Beth Blackwell stepped down from the council at the end of December. Cuadros will serve through the end of the year. The winner in the Nov. 3 election will complete Blackwell’s term, which goes through 2028. Cuadros could run for the seat in the election.

Candidates must live within Ward 4, which is bounded by 21st Street on the west, 42nd Street on the east, Highway 126 on the north and the southern city limits. Candidates have until 5 p.m. Aug. 18 to file for the general election. Filing forms are available online or at the City Recorder’s office at City Hall, 225 Fifth St. Candidates are elected by citywide vote. 

City councilors serve four-year terms without pay. The City Council sets policy, passes ordinances, authorizes contracts and adopts the city budget. Councilors also appoint the city manager and city attorney and choose advisory board members. 

Cuadros, a support services director for Eugene School District 4J, was among six residents who applied this spring to be the interim Ward 4 councilor. The City Council interviewed candidates before deliberating in an open meeting, initially becoming deadlocked between Callee Ackland and Luke McAllister. Unable to come to agreement on either of those candidates, councilors chose to consider a third option and ultimately all five voted in favor of Cuadros. 

The Ward 4 election will be the only City Council seat on the general election ballot. Three of the six Springfield City Council seats were up for election in the May 19 primary. Ward 1 Councilor Michelle Webber, Ward 2 Councilor Steve Moe and interim Ward 5 Councilor Andrew Buck each ran unopposed and won their seat.

Also on the November ballot will be two Springfield Utility Board positions currently held by Terri Dillon and Ryan Thomas. The utility’s board of directors are volunteers who serve at large for four-year terms. The board adopts rates, policies and procedures for each of the utility’s services. 

Candidates must reside within Springfield city limits for at least one year before the election and can’t hold a financial interest in a utility competing with SUB.