Woodburn Mayor Eric Swenson won’t seek a third term in the office, he confirmed Tuesday.
When he withdrew from the Oregon Senate District 11 race in June, Swenson said in a Facebook message that he intended to run for a third term as mayor, “continuing to dedicate my energy to serving the people of my city. This wasn’t an easy decision to make — the chance to serve as a state senator was also calling.”
But Dalia Lopez, Frank Lonergan and Ricardo Puente were the only candidates who filed paperwork to run for mayor by the August 25 deadline, city spokesperson Tommy Moore said.
Lonergan was a city councilor who lost the mayoral race to Swenson in 2018. Puente is a long-time school resource officer in the Woodburn School District.
Swenson said he opted not to run because there are qualified candidates running for the position and he wants to focus on his business, The Grove Café La Onda.
Massage parlor incidents:Woodburn spa still open after fines, investigations
“My decision-making process in all of this has been about wanting to make sure there was good candidates for mayor, and in the end there are good candidates for mayor,” Swenson said. “I’m very comfortable not running.
“I was ready to give it up to run for the Senate. I was looking for people to carry on the work and now there are good candidates. Easy as that.”
Swenson won the Democratic primary in May for the state Senate race and would have faced Republican Kim Thatcher of Keizer in the Nov. 8 general election.
He withdrew from the race and endorsed State Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon to take his place. The Democratic Party instead chose Rich Walsh of Keizer to run in Swenson’s place.
Less than two weeks later, news broke that Swenson and the chair of the Woodburn school board, Anthony Medina, had reported to police that they were inappropriately touched at a Woodburn massage parlor earlier in the year.
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Swenson told police that while the massage started off “normal,” it became inappropriate, so he ended the massage early. Swenson admitted the touching was mutual before he stopped the massage, according to the reports.
In an emailed statement following the release of the police report, Swenson said he told the truth, although “unflattering,” in order to protect the community against the business.
“Learning there was an investigation into a local massage business, I informed our city manager, city attorney and our police department about my experience,” Swenson said. “I accept responsibility and apologize for my initial role in this matter and accept the disappointment that some people rightly feel.”
No criminal charges were filed against spa employees. Woodburn Police say they recommended charges to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office for operating without a license and other offenses. The district attorney’s office declined to press charges.
Medina is the Democratic Party nominee for House District 22.
Swenson, formerly a principal of Woodburn High School, also resigned from his position on Woodburn’s school board in August.
He is one of a number of mayors in the Mid-Valley who are opting not to run for re-election including Aumsville Mayor Derek Clevenger, Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett and Stayton Mayor Hank Porter.
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him atbpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
