Three candidates are on the ballot for Mayor in the upcoming Corvallis election. Their goals for the future of Corvallis range, as do their intentions for running. 

Roen Hogg:

Roen Hogg, a city councilor between the years of 2010 and 2018, is running for mayor for the second time, following a loss to incumbent Biff Traber in 2018. He is a long-time resident of Corvallis.. 

As the ward 2 city councilor, Hogg served downtown residents. During his tenure, the city-wide Corvallis population increased as Oregon State University admissions increased.

With this came more disorderly conduct and more unaffordable housing, Hogg said. To aid in both issues, he worked as a liaison for the Associated Students of OSU to meet the needs of students, especially those trapped in unfair rental agreements. 

“Affordable housing is a really big issue, especially for students who are paying astronomical rental fees for their accommodations,” Hogg said. 

Also at the forefront of his campaign is finding ways to keep Corvallis from contributing to climate change and aid with increasing mental health resources within the city. 

His campaign materials nod to new land use changes in Corvallis, and aims for more community members to be involved in similar processes in the future.

“I’m not looking at this as a stepping stone to something else,” Hogg said. “I’m just looking at this as a way to provide service back to the community.”

Andrew Struthers:

Andrew Struthers, originally from Albany, has always had an interest in politics, serving as the ASOSU president in the 2010-2011 academic year. Struthers graduated from OSU in the spring of 2011. 

Following graduation, Struthers worked for the university as a tech consultant before applying for the Corvallis Budget Commission in 2016. He is currently employed at OSU as an information technology consultant. He served for two years until he was elected to the Corvallis City Council, where he actively serves. 

“The mayor is the only position that is selected at-large,” Struthers said. “The way I think of it, the mayor represents the whole city…you’re the one who should be working with the state legislatures — I already have great relationships with our county commissioners and I do work on a regional level for our transportation board.”

Struthers serves currently as the chair of the Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a federal policy body. Transportation is one of four areas Struthers plans to focus on if elected as mayor. 

Housing, economic development and slowing climate change are also at the forefront of his candidacy. 

“We need to be working with our city partners on increasing supply,” Struthers said when talking about housing issues in Corvallis. “Whether that be more shelters or permanent support of housing…we need a spectrum of more housing. There’s not just one niche, we need it all.”

Struthers also hopes to get community members more involved in Council and Ward meetings and host more community based open-forum meetings per year. 

“If I’m elected, I’m being elected to a job I’ll be doing for four years,” Struthers said. “I’m going to do that to the best of my ability.”

Charles Maughan:

Charles Maughan, who has lived in Corvallis for the past 15 years, served as a city councilor from 2018 to 2022. 

Maughan has served in many Corvallis government positions, including the county’s Home, Opportunity, Planning and Equity Board as well as a Corvallis advisory board that has since been discontinued, but was geared towards city connections with the university. 

Having grown up in poverty and found solace in the services offered for Corvallis residents — like access to a free library and local events — Maughan feels that being mayor would be a good way to give back to the community that allowed for his children to have a “richer, fuller life” than he did. 

If elected as mayor, Maughan plans to focus on housing, which has been at the forefront of his political career thus far. 

“We need affordable housing for all and what ‘affordable’ means really depends on who we’re talking to,” Maughan said. “Affordable for say, a doctor, is not the same for a barista.”

Maughan hopes to serve as many terms for mayor as he is allowed, and has no current plans to leave Corvallis. 

“For me, it’s just always been about giving back to my community,” Maughan said. 

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One of these three candidates will be taking over for Biff Traber, who served as the mayor of Corvallis for eight years and as a city councilor for four years prior. 

Ballots are being sent out via mail within the next week and ballot boxes are posted in various locations across the city. For residents who did not receive a ballot, polls will be open on Nov. 8.