When Rick Lewis walked into the Main Street Bistro and Coffee shop on Nov. 5, a group of men sitting at a table stood up and gave Lewis a round of applause.Graciously, Lewis received well wishes and congratulations.
As Silverton’s mayor-elect, Lewis is more than appreciative of the support he has received from his friends, community members and especially his family.
And it’s with them in mind, Lewis is ready to begin working for the city of Silverton in January, when he is sworn in.
Lewis said he also appreciated the campaign ran by current Mayor Stu Rasmussen, who stopped by Seven Brides on Election Night Nov. 4 to congratulate Lewis.
“I detest negative campaigning and I think both Stu and I ran a positive campaign that showed voters the differences between us,” Lewis said. “I appreciate the campaign was focused more on the issues and I think that is the way it should be.”
Silverton voters cleaned the slate, as all the incumbents were voted out – Rasmussen along with councilors Scott Walker, Bill Cummins and Randal Thomas. The newly elect city councilors are Dana Smith, Jim Sears and Kyle Palmer. Lewis said he is looking forward to working with the council.
Eager to work for the betterment of the community, Lewis said the first thing he plans to do in January is have a goal setting meeting. He wants to work on ways to better communicate with the citizens and build trust between the city and community.
“I think it’s time we turn over the page and put the past behind us so we can work on the long-term vision for Silverton,” he said. “We need to have a long-term vision of what we want our community to be and we need to work toward that vision.”
Describing his style as democratic, Lewis said he believes the best decisions are made by listening and respecting different opinions and working toward a respectful compromise.
Scotts Mills
Scotts Mills was running lean at election time with no mayoral candidate and only two candidates running for three vacant city council seats.
City Clerk Kari Plas said Paul Brakeman and Joe Fleischman stepped in at the last minute with write-in mayoral campaigns, but no count was available as of press time.
Incumbent councilors Erin McRae and Valerie Lemings ran unopposed. No one stepped forward as a council write-in, Plas said, but the names that come in on ballots will give the council a pool of people to approach about the council seat.
Mount Angel
Don Fleck, Ray Eder and Karl Bischoff were elected to fill the three seats on the Nov. 4 ballot for the Mount Angel City Council. They join councilors Kelly Grassman, Darren Beyer, Pete Wall and Mayor Andrew Otte heading into the new year.
“I’m happy to be able to serve the city of Mount Angel for another four years,” Eder said. “We have a good council and staff to accomplish good things.”
Retired Mount Angel Fire Chief Fleck will be the only newcomer to the council.
“I would like to thank Mount Angel, both those who voted for me and those who did not,” Fleck said. “I will work hard for all.”
Measure 24-370 to amend the Mount Angel City Charter passed handily.
House District 18
Rep. Vic Gilliam (R) defeated challenger Scott Mills (D) and was re-elected to the Oregon legislature.
