Six candidates for Lake Oswego City Council squared off on the city's new library and a state mandate to add more than 4,000 housing units at a forum Oct. 23.

More than 100 people filled Park Academy for the final candidate event before ballots are due Nov. 3, as first reported by the Lake Oswego Review.

The Lake Oswego Review and the city's neighborhood associations co-hosted the event. Bryan Guiney, Suzanne Miles, Heather Ramsey, Peren Tiemann, Neil Tunmore and Patrick Walsh each answered seven questions and delivered opening and closing statements.

The sharpest divide came over Oregon's requirement that Lake Oswego foster development of more than 4,000 new housing units over the next 20 years.

Neil Tunmore said he has been among the residents pushing back on the mandate but acknowledged the city cannot simply fight it.

He called on the council to explore rezoning areas "that would have less impact" and to negotiate with the state rather than resist outright.

Patrick Walsh, who chairs the Lake Oswego Public Library Advisory Board, agreed that rezoning deserves a close look.

He pointed to cottage clusters built in First Addition as a cautionary tale, saying "that experiment did not work" because the units have not sold. Walsh said the Foothills development area represents the city's best remaining opportunity for new housing, and he argued the council should not weaken design standards in the process.

Library plans draw caution

The city is planning a new library, likely on the west side of town, and must decide what to do with the current First Addition building. The City Council voted Oct. 20 to hire Shiels Obletz Johnsen as the owner's representative for the project, according to a separate Lake Oswego Review report.

The city capped that contract at just under $299,925. Library Director Melissa Kelly said at the Oct. 20 meeting that the existing building "has reached the limit of its useful life" and cannot be expanded.

At the forum, Suzanne Miles urged the city to slow down and consult residents on what library services they value and what they are willing to fund. Peren Tiemann, a law student at Lewis & Clark Law School, called the library "the heart of our community" and said the priorities should be accessibility and affordability.

Neighborhood associations and emergency prep

Asked about the role of Lake Oswego's 25 neighborhood associations, Heather Ramsey said the groups are essential for sharing information and continuing emergency preparedness work.

Bryan Guiney, a Lake Oswego planning commissioner, echoed that point, calling neighbors "your first responders" in a crisis.

The forum recording is available on the Tualatin Valley Community Television YouTube page. Ballots are due Nov. 3.