Teresa Cisneros for City Council · Ashland, Oregon
Rooted in Community.
We don’t have to agree on everything to agree on how we will govern together.
My campaign is rooted in fiscal responsibility, accountability, transparency, and community-centered decision-making.
My three priorities
A stronger Ashland, together.
01
Fiscal Responsibility & Accountable Government
Public money is a public trust. Budgets are moral documents.
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A city’s budget tells us what we truly value.
Every public dollar should have a clear purpose, measurable community benefit, and transparent accountability.
I support strong fiscal oversight, regular review of programs and contracts, long-term financial planning, transparency around borrowing and major expenditures, and accountability when financial policies are not followed.
Borrowing and investment can be responsible and necessary, particularly when we are investing in infrastructure that will serve future generations. But we must understand what we are paying for, how we will pay for it, who benefits, and what obligations we are leaving behind.
Fiscal responsibility and caring for people are not competing values.
Good government requires both.
02
Housing, Affordability & Economic Stability
The people who make Ashland work should be able to afford to live here.
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Housing cannot be separated from the rest of our economy.
Housing affordability affects whether families stay in Ashland, whether businesses can find employees, whether young people can build their futures here, whether elders can remain in their community, and whether people experiencing financial hardship have somewhere safe to live.
We need to move beyond simply describing our housing crisis and begin measuring whether our policies are actually producing meaningful results.
We should be asking:
Can the people who teach our children, care for our elders, work in our restaurants, operate our small businesses, serve our community, and raise families here actually afford to remain in Ashland?
Housing, employment, economic development, homelessness, and family stability are interconnected. Our policies should reflect that reality.
03
A Safe, Family-Centered Ashland
It means building a community where people can experience safety, stability, connection, opportunity, and belonging.
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A family-centered community is about more than programs for children.
It means creating a city where people can build stable lives and meaningful relationships throughout every stage of life.
That includes safe neighborhoods, responsible fire preparedness, strong parks and public spaces, opportunities for children and teenagers, accessible community services, support for elders, humane and effective responses to homelessness, and careful consideration of the financial pressures already facing Ashland households.
Family-centered does not mean only households with children.
Meet Teresa
What Sets Me Apart
I have spent more than two decades working inside institutions and alongside communities.
I have managed public programs, budgets, and grants; worked within government and education systems; participated in collective bargaining and organizational accountability processes; organized housing responses; worked with Indigenous communities; led nonprofit organizations; and facilitated difficult conversations across cultural and power differences.
I know how institutions work—and I know how to ask the questions institutions often don’t ask themselves.
I am willing to ask difficult questions while still bringing people together to find solutions.
Seven Generations
Lead with Seven Generations in mind.
Care for our community today while protecting the possibilities of tomorrow.
I believe leadership requires us to think beyond the next budget cycle, election, or immediate crisis.
Every decision we make today should care for the people who are here now while protecting the possibilities of those who will come after us.
What Seven Generations means for Ashland
Seven Generations thinking asks us to consider:
Does this care for our community today?
What are we leaving for the generations who come after us?
Are we being good stewards of our resources, land, and public trust?
For me, Seven Generations thinking is also practical governance.
We should not solve today’s problems by leaving future generations with unsustainable debt, deteriorating infrastructure, environmental damage, unaffordable housing, or fewer opportunities.
Our responsibility is to leave Ashland stronger than we found it.
How I will govern
The Three Questions at the Core of My Campaign
Whether City Council is considering a budget, development project, fee, contract, policy, bond, program, or major investment, I believe we should consistently ask three questions.
Who benefits?
Who actually receives the benefit of this decision, investment, policy, or expenditure?
Who is impacted?
Who carries the financial, social, environmental, or practical consequences of this decision—especially people whose voices may not be represented in the room?
Who is missing from the conversation?
Whose experience, knowledge, or perspective should be included before we make the decision?
These questions help us move beyond good intentions and examine the actual consequences of government decisions.
The commitment
Ashland, for generations.
City government should be transparent enough that residents understand what is happening, accountable enough that we can measure whether it is working, and courageous enough to change course when it isn’t.
We should take care of the people who call Ashland home today while remembering that we are temporary stewards of this community.
The decisions we make today become the inheritance of the generations who follow us.
That is the responsibility I want to bring to Ashland City Council.
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How to vote
Election Day: . Make sure you’re registered, watch for your ballot, and plan to return it early.
- October 13: Register by this date if you’re a first-time Oregon voter. Online registration closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
- On or about October 14: Jackson County ballots are expected to be mailed. Delivery dates vary.
- October 27: Recommended last day to mail your ballot.
- November 3, by 8 p.m. Pacific Time: Return your signed ballot to an official drop box. Mailed ballots need a valid postmark by November 3 and must arrive by November 10.
Two ways to return your ballot
Voters have two choices when returning ballots:
October 27 is a recommended mail-by date, not a legal deadline. After that date, use an official drop box or request a manual USPS postmark. Read Oregon’s ballot-return guidance (PDF).
Ashland election information · Jackson County election information · Full calendar & voting details