John Quinn is a candidate for Medford City Councilor, Ward 2, which covers Southwest Medford, in the upcoming general election on November 5, 2024. He is seeking to be elected to the position being vacated by current Ward 2 City Councilor Tim D’Alessandro, who has decided not to run for re-election. John has already received endorsements from State Representative Kim Wallan, Jackson County Commissioners Dave Dotterer and Rick Dyer, Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino, and Medford City Councilors Tim D’Alessandro, Nick Card, Zac Smith, and Chad Miller. He is actively seeking and will likely secure several additional endorsements.
The Jackson County Republican Party endorsed John in the May 16, 2023, special election, in which he was elected to the Rogue Valley Sewer Service Board of Directors. In the 2023 election, John was also endorsed by Representative Kim Wallan, Jackson County Commissioners Dave Dotterer and Rick Dyer, and Medford City Councilor Zac Smith.
John has lived in Southwest Medford for over 20 years. He has been an attorney for over 30 years and a prosecutor for over 20 years, now serving as the Chief Deputy District Attorney for Siskiyou County. He has prosecuted thousands of cases, ranging from death penalty eligible murder, domestic violence, money laundering, election fraud, elder abuse, burglary and theft, and essentially all other types of crimes.
In addition to serving on the RVSS Board, John is the First Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments and a member of the Medford Planning Commission. In Siskiyou County, John serves as the President of the Siskiyou County Bar Association (elected by the attorneys of Siskiyou County), the Chair of the property tax Assessment Appeals Board, and a member of the Law Library Advisory Committee, which latter two position were by appointment of the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors.
Before he moved to Medford, John was one of the youngest law professors at the University of California, Hastings College of Law (starting at age 31). He also served as a San Francisco Superior Court judge pro tem., as a court appointed mediator for the California Court of Appeal, and as a research attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, for the California Supreme Court and for the United States Court of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit, in Cheyenne Wyoming. He also practiced at one of the largest firms in California and has handled cases in the United States Supreme Court. John started UCLA as an Honors Undergraduate at age 16, graduated with a degree in English and Latin, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and obtained his law degree from University of California, Hastings College of Law, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, in the top 5% of his class.
There are four open positions on the Medford City Council. Both of the current Ward 2 City Councilors (Zac Smith and Tim D’Alessandro) are endorsing John to take over Councilor D’Alessandro’s seat. John is a solid, proven conservative who could become a key member of the Medford City Council as we face the continued onslaught of mandates from Salem, wrestle with the homeless crisis, and strive to make Medford a safe, clean, and prosperous city now and in the future.