About Paul Becker

Mayor Paul BeckerPaul Becker is the current Mayor of Historic Jacksonville, Oregon.

With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes With the Mayor – December 2020/January 2021

Well, here it is… my last column as Mayor. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to write. I mean, what do I say at the end of a ten-year run? “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” What drivel! When is sorrow sweet? If you’re sorrowful you’re not […]

By |2020-11-28T20:33:44-08:00November 28th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

God Bless America – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – November 2020

Recognize this song title? It’s the song of every immigrant who ever came to America after leaving home, family and friends behind seeking a better life. Immigrants like Irving Berlin who wrote it, a Russian Jew escaping Russian tyranny… Einstein escaping German genocide… or Gloria Estefan whose […]

By |2020-10-30T18:17:14-07:00October 30th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on God Bless America – by Mayor Paul Becker

The Fire – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – October 2020

The deadline for submitting this column was rapidly approaching as I finished what I hoped would be an appropriate topic as I near the end of my term as Mayor. Then disaster hit… a broadside of bad tidings for our people in Jacksonville and the rest of […]

By |2020-10-01T11:58:04-07:00October 1st, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on The Fire – by Mayor Paul Becker

Postcards from the Edge – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2020

Recently, I received three postcards from Jacksonville citizens, all denouncing me as a racist for my July column. The column deplored racism, but the readers read it to mean quite the opposite. How very sad! I may have far more reason to condemn racism as well as […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:39-07:00August 28th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Postcards from the Edge – by Mayor Paul Becker

Time to Retire! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2020

I got up the usual way this morning… one eye half closed and legs that wobbled with a message to stop at once, crawl back under the sheets and go back to sleep. Rejecting such temptation, I groped my way to the bathroom. Reaching the bathroom mirror, […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:39-07:00August 2nd, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Time to Retire! – by Mayor Paul Becker

We the People – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – July 2020

One of the most familiar quotations in literature came to mind as I saw our nation’s cities explode in violence once again. It was by Charles Dickens who wrote the following words to introduce “A Tale of Two Cities,” a story of nobles and not-so-nobles during the […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:41-07:00June 29th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on We the People – by Mayor Paul Becker

Take Heart! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – June 2020

With time on my hands, as so many of us have these days, I was surfing the Internet when this quotation popped up on my screen: “When everything seems to be against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” No… that’s […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:42-07:00May 29th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Take Heart! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Movie Night Going Great – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2020

Our twin-date movie nights at Old City Hall when we ran The Last of The Wild Horses, a 1948 film shot in Jacksonville and other parts of the Valley including the Rogue River, wound up being a great success. Reluctantly, we had to turn away fifty or […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:46-07:00March 25th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Movie Night Going Great – by Mayor Paul Becker

Vinegar Dreams – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – March 2020

A few days ago, I was watching the news on television. There were two anchors on camera and the longer they talked the more I began to see them as two bottles of vinegar. Their words, their countenance, their every vocal inflection, were lacking any warmth or […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:48-07:00March 2nd, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Vinegar Dreams – by Mayor Paul Becker

Mayor’s Movie Night! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – February 2020

A number of you know that a Hollywood motion picture, The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, was filmed right here in Jacksonville in 1972. You may not know of another film released in 1948… also filmed right here in Jacksonville.

In 1947, a successful independent producer, Robert L. Lippert, […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:49-07:00February 4th, 2020|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Mayor’s Movie Night! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Share the Spirit – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – December 2019/January 2020

Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Familiar words at this time of year, yes, but what if we cannot muster up any “jolly-ness?” What […]

By |2019-12-02T09:33:51-08:00December 2nd, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Share the Spirit – by Mayor Paul Becker

Representing ALL – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – October 2019

A prominent citizen visited my office recently to complain about a statement I made in one of my columns. The statement read, “It is the Constitution that holds our political parties in check. It stopped the Republicans from destroying President Truman. Today it is stopping the Democrats […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:56-07:00September 27th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|1 Comment

Doing More… – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2019

Long, long ago there was a fellow named Charles Atlas. That wasn’t his real name, but it sounded good for a body-building guru which he certainly was. Everyone knew about him because his ads were everywhere… especially in comic books where they were […]

By |2020-09-30T14:15:57-07:00August 29th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Doing More… – by Mayor Paul Becker

Here We Go Again – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2019

Some readers may remember a column years ago about my falling and then riding in an ambulance to the ER. It struck me as humorous how repeatedly I was asked my birthdate… 11-14-29. However, I annoyed a couple of readers who mistook my humor […]

By |2019-08-07T11:48:28-07:00July 29th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Here We Go Again – by Mayor Paul Becker

Getting Here – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – July 2019

I was 16 years old when I went to college. The year was 1946, World War II had ended, the GI Bill had been passed by Congress, and the colleges were flooded with soldiers returning home to resume their lives. It was no […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:01-07:00July 1st, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Getting Here – by Mayor Paul Becker

Memory Issues – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2019

Why is it, the older one gets, the more difficult it is to remember recent events while the easier it is to remember something in the distant past? I guess this is true for almost everyone except maybe politicians who, when faced with questions about the present […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:05-07:00March 27th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Memory Issues – by Mayor Paul Becker

Mayor Urges Support of Randall Theatre

I wear several hats. One as your Mayor which has priority over all others. Another hat is the “movie guy.” The third is Randall Theatre board member. That’s the hat I’m wearing as I write this.

Remember when the theater moved to Jacksonville in 2017? The only facility large enough for the Randall to operate was […]

By |2019-03-05T14:03:05-08:00March 5th, 2019|Now|2 Comments

A Few Minutes With the Mayor, March 2019 – Mayor by Paul Becker

The women seen dining here are members of the “Jacksonville Belles and Beaus Old West Society.” They celebrate history by donning costumes for almost any era dating back to the Civil War—but with an emphasis on the Victorian days. You’ve seen them in Jacksonville’s Christmas and Chinese New Year parades; at other times strolling sidewalks […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:08-07:00February 28th, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on A Few Minutes With the Mayor, March 2019 – Mayor by Paul Becker

The Personal Side of City Hall – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – February 2019

One of the joys of being your Mayor is introducing you to the wonderful people who make our city work—the fine, professional staff at City Hall. At City Hall, I’m glad to say, you’ll find people who actually care about helping you and I’m happy to introduce […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:09-07:00February 1st, 2019|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on The Personal Side of City Hall – by Mayor Paul Becker

‘Tis the Season – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – December 2018/January 2019

‘Tis the season… a time for family and friends to gather around the Christmas table or the Christmas tree… a time for love and good will to all. Winston Churchill described Christmas “as a season not only of rejoicing, but of reflection.” In Jacksonville, we reflect […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:11-07:00November 28th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on ‘Tis the Season – by Mayor Paul Becker

With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – November 2018

The election is upon us. With all its insane anger and pent up hatred, I’ll be glad when it is over. Contrarily, I welcome the Thanksgiving season for the blessings in life. It’s a feeling we should have year-round.

Every election seems to get worse with the name […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:14-07:00October 23rd, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

Don’t Change J’Ville – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2018

As your Mayor, I’m always ready to take responsibility for my actions. Screw Up—‘Fess Up is my rule. So imagine my surprise when confronted with accusations of sponsoring the meals tax initiative on this November’s election ballot. Evidently the assumption was made on the part of some, […]

Boosters Make Bash a Blast! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Summertime and the livin’ is easy…
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high

Those lyrics Ira wrote to his brother George’s music seem very appropriate as we head into August and the heart of summer. Summertime! The mere word brings thoughts of picnics on the lawn, blankets on the beach and boating on the lake. For […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:19-07:00July 30th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Boosters Make Bash a Blast! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Best Things Aren’t Free – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – July 2018

One song I remember growing up was sung by a very sincere June Allyson in a movie called Good News. The song was The Best Things in Life Are Free. The words went…

 

Ah the moon belongs to everyone

The best things in life they’re free

Stars belong to everyone

They […]

By |2018-06-29T17:33:44-07:00June 29th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Best Things Aren’t Free – by Mayor Paul Becker

With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – June 2018

I need to start this column by thanking a couple of people, who through their efforts have made a positive contribution to our city: Donna McMann and Donna Williams, neither of whom lived in Jacksonville.

Donna McMann possessed a beautiful, circa 1880s upright piano which she treated with […]

By |2018-06-05T12:14:55-07:00June 5th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on With Gratitude – by Mayor Paul Becker

Real Life Lessons – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2018

A visitor stopped by my office the other day to discuss a dream she has. That dream is to one day see a world where everyone who is handicapped and wheelchair-bound will have the freedom of movement to go where others go who take it for granted. […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:25-07:00April 27th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Real Life Lessons – by Mayor Paul Becker

Let’s Talk Police – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2018

Though it was half a century ago, it seems as fresh to me now as the day it happened. I was what they called a Data Processing Manager in those days. One of those fellows who ran all of the business computer systems which included Operations, Systems […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:28-07:00March 12th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Let’s Talk Police – by Mayor Paul Becker

“Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear” – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – March 2018

I know a young man who was recently visiting who needed to pick-up two weeks of work in order to earn money to return home. When the time came for him to be picked-up and taken to the job, he became flustered because he couldn’t find his […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:30-07:00March 1st, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on “Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear” – by Mayor Paul Becker

History Repeats Itself, Again! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – February 2018

When you woke up this morning, how did you feel? Were you happy? Did you feel like singing? Did your morning coffee have that refreshing aroma? Were you exuberant at the thought of a new day? Was the sky bluer? Was the grass […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:32-07:00January 26th, 2018|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on History Repeats Itself, Again! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Notes for November – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – November 2017

Did you know we have a town historian? Well, we do! He’s one of the many volunteers who serve without pay in our community. His name is Larry Smith and he can just about recite the history of any event, person, or structure within our city. He’s […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:39-07:00October 27th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Notes for November – by Mayor Paul Becker

Humor Needed – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – October 2017

I recently had occasion to remember a political figure I listened to every week on the radio. His name was Senator Claghorn and he was a true Southern spokesman. One week, when objecting to the import and sale of apples from the North, and being told that’s […]

By |2017-10-27T16:43:57-07:00September 28th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Humor Needed – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Day in the Life of Your Mayor – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – September 2017

We all have one of “those days,” a day when unforeseen circumstances alter our plans. Sometimes they offer pleasant surprises. Oftentimes they are anything but pleasant. I had one of these in late July, and thought it worth sharing.

By |2020-09-30T14:16:44-07:00September 5th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on A Day in the Life of Your Mayor – by Mayor Paul Becker

Thanks for the 4th! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2017

July 4th has come and gone… now for the “lazy hazy days of summer.” If you missed it, we had one “swellegant” party here in town on the Courthouse lawn with 350 to 400 people this year. That’s not counting the many volunteers as well as the […]

By |2017-08-07T07:55:02-07:00July 28th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Thanks for the 4th! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Celebrating America – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – July 2017

Independence Day is at hand. Congratulations and Happy Birthday America. It’s been quite a ride for 241 years. When the Continental Congress formalized the Declaration of Independence with the signature of John Hancock, they took a step so bold and daring and went where no others had […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:49-07:00June 29th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Celebrating America – by Mayor Paul Becker

From New York to Hollywood to Happiness – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – June 2017

Last month, we ran a film called Saturday’s Children at Old City Hall. It’s a story about people living in tenements… people like my own family.

In buildings like this, there were no elevators, so the higher the floor on which you lived, the cheaper the rent.

Ours was […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:51-07:00June 4th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on From New York to Hollywood to Happiness – by Mayor Paul Becker

Potpourri a la Winchell – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2017

I’ve always wanted to “play” Walter Winchell in one of my columns. Walter would jump from topic to topic in almost every other sentence. So… with the forbearance of my publisher, here goes.

Greetings Mr. and Ms. Jacksonville wherever you are, in your home or in one of […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:53-07:00May 2nd, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Potpourri a la Winchell – by Mayor Paul Becker

Jacksonville Goes Broadway! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – April 2017

In my years as Mayor, the two questions I get most often are, “Will we have a museum again?” and “What are the chances of having a live theater in town?” In case you didn’t know, Jacksonville once had a permanent melodrama theater in the old Pioneer […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:56-07:00March 29th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Jacksonville Goes Broadway! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Civility: Bogie-Style – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – March 2017

Did you wake up angry this morning? A great many people do, judging by the news reports every day. I’ve never seen so many people this angry since Pearl Harbor was bombed, when I was twelve-years-old. By then I knew all the bad words children weren’t supposed […]

By |2020-09-30T14:16:59-07:00February 28th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on Civility: Bogie-Style – by Mayor Paul Becker

Reflecting on Change – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – February 2017

Each New Year finds me more perplexed than usual regarding the subject matter for this column. Due to my degree in history, I am tempted to write something history-related, but current events usually take precedence. So here I am, reminiscing about a world long passed… the decades […]

By |2017-01-26T17:01:28-08:00January 26th, 2017|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Reflecting on Change – by Mayor Paul Becker

December 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall is “Piccadilly Jim”

So… here is the news.  On Friday… December 16th… at 7 PM… we are running my favorite comedy… no question about it.  The name of this outstanding film is… Piccadilly Jim.   The same name as my email address ID.   And that is no accident.  In the film, from the P.G. Wodehouse novel of the same […]

By |2016-12-04T10:51:35-08:00December 4th, 2016|Now|Comments Off on December 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall is “Piccadilly Jim”

A Big “Thank You” to All – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – December 2016/January 2017

Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. For me, this one was special because I owe so very many people a big “thank you” for their support and their vote in this past election. What was especially heart-warming were the letters to the editor of the […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:06-07:00November 30th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor|Comments Off on A Big “Thank You” to All – by Mayor Paul Becker

November 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall – A Boris Karloff Double Feature

Good Morning Everyone…  Here is the movie lineup for November, and it’s another pair of really great Boris Karloff films… and I’m not speaking of Frankenstein or Dracula or the Wolf Man.  No… these films are dramatic enough without fake Hollywood monsters.

The feature film is Bedlam, a well told tale of the fight to improve […]

By |2016-11-08T11:10:34-08:00November 8th, 2016|Event News, Now|Comments Off on November 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall – A Boris Karloff Double Feature

Why I Want to be Mayor! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – November 2016

Here we are—election time again, with the media blasting out the latest “he said”…”she said” news daily until one is worn out! Therefore, it is with some reluctance that I bring up the subject of our local election… something I hadn’t even considered doing except that people […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:08-07:00October 24th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Now|Comments Off on Why I Want to be Mayor! – by Mayor Paul Becker

Madcap Elections – Real and Not-So-Real – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – October 2016

Before addressing our tagline, here is the long-awaited announcement concerning a Public Citizen’s Day at the New City Hall. The date for the festivities is set for Friday, October 14th from noon until 1:00pm, complete with refreshments. Your hosts and hostesses will be the Belles and Beaus […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:10-07:00October 4th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Madcap Elections – Real and Not-So-Real – by Mayor Paul Becker

Ah. . . Politics! – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes With the Mayor – September 2016

Here comes September. “Where did the summer go?” is a common question dating back long before our time. The yearly cycle repeats itself: children go back to school… vacations end… commerce picks up… and soon squirrels will begin to hoard fall nuts for the long winter. Speaking […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:13-07:00August 25th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on Ah. . . Politics! – by Mayor Paul Becker

August 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall

Our movie selection for August is On The Town.  I generally try to run films which, in my opinion, have not been seen as often this one, but On The Town is such a happy-go-lucky motion picture, I felt it deserves a showing.  We don’t use that phrase much anymore.  Perhaps it’s because we are […]

By |2016-08-11T15:11:01-07:00August 11th, 2016|Event News, Now|Comments Off on August 2016 Movie Night at Old City Hall

On Volunteers in the Trenches and Town – by Mayor Paul Becker

A Few Minutes with the Mayor – August 2016

East Side, West Side, all around the town…
Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O’Rourke
Tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York
Things have changed since those times, some are up in “G”
Others they are wand’rers but they all feel just like me
They’d part with all […]

By |2020-09-30T14:17:15-07:00July 26th, 2016|A Few Minutes with the Mayor, Featured Stories|Comments Off on On Volunteers in the Trenches and Town – by Mayor Paul Becker
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