Wyden, Merkley ask data center advisory panel |
 Bob Smith and Genny Lynch staffed the Linn Dems booth July 16. |  Linn County Democrats Chair Ben Watts, House District 11 candidate Ivan Maluski and Penelope Watts, Ben's daughter, took in the fair July 16. |
 Thanks to everyone who staffed our booth July 16-18 at the Linn County, and to Democratic candidates Ivan Maluksi (HD11), Joanna Robinson (HD15) and Serriah Williams (SD6) for stopping by the booth and engaging with voters at the fair And special thanks to Genny Lynch for her great work coordinating our booth effort this year.  Ivan Maluski and Adrienne Lulay with Pamplousse the heifer at the fair. Lulay owns Lulay Livestock Company near Scio and supports Maluski in his bid for state representative. |  Video: House District 15 candidate Joanna Robinson summarizes results of the top issues picked fairgoers at our booth. |
 Ivan Maluski talks with fairgoer Ken Johnston. | Video: HD11 candidate Ivan Maluski. | | Videos: HD15 candidate Joanna Robinson | |
Former councilor challenges mayor in Albany
Alex Johnson II and Carolyn McLeod Albany Mayor Alex Johnson II will face at least one challenger, former City Councilor Carolyn McLeod, in the Nov. 3 General Election. Both say they plan to file as candidates for the office.
McLeod, who announced her intent to run last month, resigned her Ward 2B Council position Aug. 6. Citing a 50-page complaint by Albany resident John Robinson and concerns by former city councilors about her ward residency, she said she decided to step down despite her interpretation of the city charter and that of the city attorney that she was following legal requirements.
McLeod said she was unmarried at the time she filed to run for council in 2024 but got married since then. She owns a home in Ward 2 in southwest Albany and spends time at a home she doesn't own in North Albany (Ward 1).
In her resignation statement, McLeod said, "Because I value the opinions and input of everyone in Albany, I have decided to resign my position as city councilor in ward 2 to fully focus on the upcoming election, and my campaign for mayor of the city of Albany. (The full text of McLeod's resignation statement appears under the title "Good Trouble" on her mayoral campaign website.)
Johnson and McLeod are registered Democrats and veterans. Johnson served in the Navy, McLeod in the Army.
First elected in 2020, Johnson is seeking his fourth two-year term as mayor.
"I’m running to continue the vision of Albany when I first got elected,” he said last month, noting that his priorities will again be economic development, housing affordability, infrastructure improvements and public safety. Progress has been made in all four areas, “and you can see it all over town,” he said.
“As your city councilor," McLeod said last month, "I’ve been assisting neighbors citywide with their community issues. ... “Now is the time for change in Albany leadership and I’m ready for the task."
City Councilors Steph Newton (Ward 1A) and Ramycia McGhee (Ward 3A) have filed for reelection.
Councilor Chris Van Drimmelen (Ward 2A) has said he does not plan to run. He was appointed in the spring of 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Jackie Montague after she resigned to work as a business analyst in the city’s IT department. Rachel Biscoe has filed to run for that seat.
The filing deadline for mayor and council positions is Aug. 25. For more information, see the city's Elections webpage.
The City Council will appoint someone to serve the remainder of McLeod's Ward 2B term, which ends Dec. 31, 2028.
McLeod, who announced her intent to run last month, resigned her Ward 2B Council position Aug. 6. Citing a 50-page complaint by Albany resident John Robinson and concerns by former city councilors about her ward residency, she said she decided to step down despite her interpretation of the city charter and that of the city attorney that she was following legal requirements.
McLeod said she was unmarried at the time she filed to run for council in 2024 but got married since then. She owns a home in Ward 2 in southwest Albany and spends time at a home she doesn't own in North Albany (Ward 1).
In her resignation statement, McLeod said, "Because I value the opinions and input of everyone in Albany, I have decided to resign my position as city councilor in ward 2 to fully focus on the upcoming election, and my campaign for mayor of the city of Albany. (The full text of McLeod's resignation statement appears under the title "Good Trouble" on her mayoral campaign website.)
Johnson and McLeod are registered Democrats and veterans. Johnson served in the Navy, McLeod in the Army.
First elected in 2020, Johnson is seeking his fourth two-year term as mayor.
"I’m running to continue the vision of Albany when I first got elected,” he said last month, noting that his priorities will again be economic development, housing affordability, infrastructure improvements and public safety. Progress has been made in all four areas, “and you can see it all over town,” he said.
“As your city councilor," McLeod said last month, "I’ve been assisting neighbors citywide with their community issues. ... “Now is the time for change in Albany leadership and I’m ready for the task."
City Councilors Steph Newton (Ward 1A) and Ramycia McGhee (Ward 3A) have filed for reelection.
Councilor Chris Van Drimmelen (Ward 2A) has said he does not plan to run. He was appointed in the spring of 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Jackie Montague after she resigned to work as a business analyst in the city’s IT department. Rachel Biscoe has filed to run for that seat.
The filing deadline for mayor and council positions is Aug. 25. For more information, see the city's Elections webpage.
The City Council will appoint someone to serve the remainder of McLeod's Ward 2B term, which ends Dec. 31, 2028.
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Celebrating 250
The Declaration of Independence
Augustine DG opened and closed the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 3 in front of the Linn County Courthouse.
| In observance of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, city and county leaders, ministers, business owners, nonprofit representatives, community volunteers and citizens of Albany read the Declaration late Friday afternoon, July 3, to more than 60 people gathered in front of the Linn County Courthouse. The Declaration readers were Will Tucker, Alex Johnson II, Judi Saam, Oscar Hult, Elaine Kruger-Young, Peter Troedssen, Jared Ruari, Diana Vezmar-Bailey, Ramycia McGhee, Pam Thomas, Rick Staggenborg, Marilyn Smith, Leslie Chartier, Caryl Thomas, David Giles, Suzanne Woods, Rob Biggs, Stacey Bartholomew. Steph Newton, Carolyn McLeod and Barbara Nixon. Augustine DG, wearing a tricorn hat and Revolutionary-era attire, opened and closed the readings. A Declaration reading was held earlier in the day in front of Corvallis City Hall. The two events were organized by Lisa Bickham, Joe Esker and Suzanne Wood, all with Braver Angels’ Mid-Willamette Valley Alliance, which partnered for the day with Portland-based One Flag United. A follow-up discussion on “The Declaration in 2026” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in room 213 of the Calapooia Center at Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. Braver Angels Mid-Willamette Valley Alliance and the LBCC Civil Discourse Program will host the discussion. Registration, using the adjacent link is encouraged. | The reading of the Declaration of Independence. Rev. Allison Ruari from Albany First Christian Church leads the audience in singing the National Anthem at the conclusion of the program. |
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