Lane County voters re-elected two incumbents and welcomed two new voices in the May 20 race for Lane Community College’s board
By Kat Tabor
Lane County voters chose a mix of familiar faces and new voices to serve on the Lane Community College Board of Education during the May 2025 special election. Among the winners: a former county commissioner, two incumbents and a University of Oregon instructor with a deep public service background.
Zone 1: Rust returns to public office
Jerry Rust is heading back into public service. The former Lane County commissioner won the Zone 1 seat with 66.6 percent of the vote (35,351 ballots), beating out Jeffrey Cooper, who finished with 33.2 percent (17,637 ballots). More than 5,000 voters skipped the race entirely.
“Thank you to the voters of Lane County, and to all the volunteers and organizations that supported me,” Rust said in a statement. “I look forward to serving with a high-performing board on behalf of LCC students, faculty, classified employees and the general public. Higher education is under attack, and we need to stay strong at the local level.”
Zone 3: Weismann keeps her seat
Julie Weismann held onto her Zone 3 position, winning re-election with 54 percent of the vote (26,273 ballots) over challenger Devon Lawson. A Lane Community College alum and current finance director at Hope & Safety Alliance, Weismann has long worked in nonprofit leadership and housing advocacy. She’s even taught nonprofit law at the UO.
“I’m honored to have the trust and support of so many community members to continue working on behalf of LCC students,” Weismann said. “First up is the budget committee meeting tonight. My commitment to ensuring the sustainability of LCC will not waver.”
Zone 4: Fölnagy’s grassroots push pays off
Austin Fölnagy won re-election in Zone 4 with 67.6 percent of the vote (33,547 ballots), defeating Richard Andrew Vasquez.
Fölnagy is president of Oregon Community College Association. His campaign leaned heavily on coalition-building — and he’s staying focused on students.
“We started this campaign in January with the goal of building a true community coalition for our community’s college,’” Fölnagy said. “We had support from migrant farmworkers, building trades, union members, business owners, environmental groups, and voters across party lines. We all do better when we all do better — and do it together.”
He added that he hopes his opponent stays involved at LCC in another role. “Students come first in this position. I’ve fought for them before, and I’ll keep doing it for the next four years.”
Position 7 At-Large: Maldonado joins the board unopposed
Jesse Alejandro Maldonado was elected to the at-large Position 7 seat with 97.9 percent of the vote (37,735 ballots), running unopposed after his initial challenger, Bob Brew, dropped out of the race.
Maldonado teaches public administration at the University of Oregon and serves as the national political and labor director for Democratic Municipal Officials. He’s a former member of the Eugene Budget Committee and previously served on the city council in Lewiston, Idaho. “I am greatly humbled by this opportunity,” Maldonado says, “and the trust and support that the voters gave me. I am really looking forward to getting to work and ensuring that LCC still remains a Beacon of opportunity for the community for years to come.”
With a background in policy, labor and equity-focused leadership, Maldonado brings another experienced voice to the LCC board.
Turnout trails behind
Voter turnout was quiet this time around — just 20.9 percent of registered voters took part in the special election. Out of more than 279,000 registered voters in Lane County, only about 58,000 cast a ballot.
Check your status: To verify your voter registration or get ready for the next election, visit sos.oregon.gov/voting. Full Lane County election results are available at results.oregonvotes.gov.
