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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election results: Voters deciding two contested Cascade School Board races
This story will be updated at 8 p.m. with initial election results. Voters in the Cascade School District are deciding whether to return two incumbent board members who are being challenged in the May 20 election. Incumbent Spencer Rockwell faces challenger Michael Cross for Position 3, and Aaron Lee faces Eric Diehl for Position 4. Board chair Brett Stegall, who has been on the board since 2012, is running unopposed for Position 5. The Cascade School District encompasses Turner, Aumsville and rural sections of Marion County. It had an enrollment of more than 2,500 students in the 2024-2025 school year. Rockwell was appointed to the board in 2025. He is an attorney with the Special Districts Association of Oregon, a group of special districts, such as fire districts, that advocate and provide services for members. Cross is the chief executive officer and president of several companies. He ran for Oregon attorney general in 2020 and 2024, winning the Republican primary in 2020 before losing in the general election to Ellen Rosenblum and losing in the primary in 2024. Lee, a mechanic, has been on the Cascade School Board since 2021. Diehl works in sales and property development. He has not previously run for office. Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@ This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Cascade School Board election results
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These are the candidates for the two contested Cascade School Board races
Two of the three Cascade School District board positions in the May 20 election are contested races. Spencer Rockwell faces Michael Cross for position 3. Aaron Lee goes up against Eric Diehl for position 4. Brett Stegall, who has been on the board since 2012 and is the current board chair, is running unopposed for position 5. The Cascade School District serves more than 2,500 students in five schools in Turner, Aumsville and surrounding areas. The school board makes policies and goals for the district and oversees the superintendent. Board positions are unpaid. Rockwell was appointed to the Cascade School Board in January 2025. He is the assistant general counsel for the Special Districts Association of Oregon, which advocates for and provides services for about 900 local governments in Oregon, such as fire districts. Rockwell is a graduate of Cascade High School and has a child attending school in the district. 'While I think there are many important issues, I think continuing to be fiscally responsible and securing adequate funding for the district, both in the short and long term, is the most significant issue that the district is facing,' Rockwell said. Cross, who says he is the chief executive officer and president of several companies, said he is concerned about how students are educated in Oregon and wants to raise the standard for receiving diplomas. 'Well, you know I love my community and/or of course I don't like the direction for many years how our public schools in general have been going,' Cross said. Cross led an unsuccessful recall of then-Gov. Kate Brown in 2019 and won the Republican primary for Oregon Attorney General in 2020 before losing to Ellen Rosenblum in the general election. He ran for attorney general again in 2024, losing to Will Lathrop in the Republican primary. Cross was convicted of felony first-degree criminal mistreatment in Marion County in 1997. In 2006, he was convicted of two counts of felony fourth-degree assault in Lincoln County. The convictions in both cases were later expunged. He declined to talk with the Statesman Journal about the cases. Cross also was convicted of criminal trespass in 2000 in Texas while campaigning for presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. Lee, who is a mechanic, has been on the school board for four years. 'Supporting our education staff is making decisions based solely on bettering their chances in improving our children's future,' Lee said in a candidate statement. Diehl, who works in sales and property development, said he wants the district to be prepared for planned growth in the area. 'Cascade is an amazing school district, and I want to make sure this growth doesn't overwhelm or change the school district,' said Diehl, who is not related to Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton. 'Most of the houses that go for sale, in this area, list the school district as a selling feature.' Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@ This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Turner, Oregon school district has contested races in May 20 election
