Grants Pass mayor could be removed from office

Currently, Bristol has almost 45% of the vote, while her rival Clint Scherf has almost 55%.

Bristol has served as mayor of Grants Pass for the past four years and survived a recall attempt last fall, while Scherf previously served on the city council.

Scherf wrote on his campaign Facebook page Tuesday: “Election Day is finally here. Everyone should vote, your vote matters. Upload your newsletters to Dropbox today. Thank you everyone for your support. I am very confident that our community voted for change.”

Bristol wrote on her professional Facebook page on Monday: “Your voice matters! Be sure to place your ballot in the ballot box before 8:00 pm on Tuesday. Thank you for your support!”

Both candidates agree on the top issues facing the city: homelessness, public safety and economic development.

But Bristol says she has the knowledge and experience to keep moving forward, and Scherf says the city needs new leadership.

Perhaps the biggest talking point during Bristol’s reign was the homelessness crisis. Homeless residents filed a lawsuit against the city in 2018, even before Bristol became mayor, alleging that the city was trying to drive homeless people out of the city. This case was appealed to the US Supreme Court. In June The Supreme Court sided with with the city, supporting a ban on public camping.

But that doesn’t mean the homelessness crisis has gone away. Since then, Grants Pass has created two temporary urban campsites for the homeless to comply with state law, which states that rules governing where homeless people can camp must be “objectively reasonable,” although that term is not specifically defined.

Bristol was endorsed by the county Democratic Party and Scherf was endorsed by the county Republican Party, although the mayor’s position is nonpartisan.

Nearly all of the eight City Council candidates vying for the four nonpartisan seats were also endorsed by the county’s political parties.

Preliminary results also show the city council is on track to attract new blood.

Currently, Republican-backed Indra Nicholas leads Democratic-backed incumbent Brian DeLaGrange with about 52% of the vote compared to his 47%.

Republican-backed Victoria Marshall is on track to defeat Democratic-backed Jay Meredith by about 55% to 44%.

Early results show Republican-backed Kathleen Krohn leading Democratic-backed incumbent Vanessa Ogier by about 45% to nearly 36%. Mark Kelsey trails in third place with about 18% of the vote in this race.

The fourth seat will be filled by Erich Schlögl, who is supported by the county Republican Party, who ran unopposed.