Oregon incumbent, councilman to face off

9/16/2009

Oregon Councilman Mike Seferian overwhelmed incumbent Mayor Marge Brown in yesterday's primary vote 54 percent to 37 percent, with the two facing off in the Nov. 3 general election.

Negativity surfaced just days before the primary election for Ms. Brown after her son, Jeffrey Brown, a 39-year-old Oregon police officer, was suspended without pay for 20 days for illegally using a statewide law enforcement database to search for information about a former girlfriend.

Mayor Brown said last week she was disappointed in her son's choices, but she hoped voters would judge her on her record.

Mr. Seferian, a 51-year-old who runs a small business, said last night that he has six weeks to convince voters that overhauling Oregon's image to attract businesses and residents is best for the city.

Among Mr. Seferian's goals is to loosen stringent building and sign codes in Oregon, which he calls a costly burden for companies.

“I'm pleased,” Mr. Seferian said. “It's sure nice to have a lead, and I hope to be able to get my message across.”