A rainbows appear over six travel trailers on site at the Gateway Project in Talent, Oregon. The mayor said some families still rely on transitional housing as Talent continues to recover from the 2020 Almeda Fire.
Erik Neumann / AP
After a close race, the results of the Talent mayoral election have finally been announced. Incumbent Darby Ayers-Flood will remain in office.
Ayers-Flood says she plans to remain focused on the city’s post-fire recovery and economic growth. The 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed housing for low-income residents.
“(We’re) still pursuing affordable housing, trying to bring back our families, who in many cases are still cast asunder, there are still hotel rooms in use for transitional housing,” she said. “We still have FEMA trailers in the area.”
Ayers-Flood won the election by only 20 votes. She says she thinks one reason the election was so close is that recovering from a disaster is a complex effort - and there are a lot of different opinions about the best path forward for Talent.
The mayor discussed recovery and her priorities for the city moving forward with “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the entire conversation:
