Mac councilors set to fill empty seat

Five candidates have applied to fill the Ward 3 McMinnville City Council seat vacancy and will be interviewed at a special meeting Wednesday, April 8.

The selectee will complete the term of resigned councilor Jessica Payne, who stepped down in February. The term runs through the end of the year, and all candidates are eligible to run for a four-year term in the November general election.

Residents Carson Benner, Josh Dillon, Artimus Johnson, Katie Russ and Richard Smith applied for the seat.

Benner serves as chair of the McMinnville Economic Vitality Leadership Council and has previously served on the school board, Habitat for Humanity board and Third Street Improvement Project Advisory Committee.

He is a former aviation executive and current owner of Cellar Ridge Construction.

Dillon has worked for Airbnb for 12 years and has previous experience in public service in his hometown of Rochester, New York.

“I’m interested in serving because McMinnville deserves leaders who bring fresh perspectives alongside deep commitment,” he stated in his application.

Johnson works as a porter at Royal Moore Subaru in Hillsboro and is a volunteer with the Lafayette Fire Department. The Hoquiam, Washington native graduated from Linfield in 2019 and was a running back for Wildcat football during his time at the university.

Russ is a licensed real estate agent with eXp Realty LLC and has served on the Yamhill County Property Value Appeals Board and volunteered with recent city land use studies.

Smith is the owner of Velvet Monkey Tea Shop on Third Street and is studying for a degree in urban planning at Portland State University.

Full candidate bios can be found in the meeting packet on the city calendar page at www.mcminnvilleoregon.gov/meetings. The special meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Kent Taylor Civic Hall.