A Few Minutes With the Mayor – June 2021

Recently, fully vaccinated, my husband and I flew to our southern states and then drove home to Oregon from Jacksonville, Florida. We took care of some family obligations and visited old, familiar haunts and some new places along the way. I found myself comparing every place we visited to Jacksonville. Quite frankly, nothing compared to our town. During this trip, my curiosity changed from, “I wonder what’s here?” to “I wonder what people are feeling and thinking?” I have stayed home for so long I forgot how it is to travel. I also realized how safe I feel living in Jacksonville. How thankful I am for what we enjoy by living here: Excellent fire and police protection. Clean, safe streets. Good water. And, friendly people.

As COVID-19 restrictions lessen and things open-up, we can expect a return of tourism. We may find our parking spaces filled and lines at our favorite restaurants, but that is the trade-off for living in a beautiful place which others also want to enjoy. Tourism is necessary for the survival of our town and I wish our business owners and employees success in the recovery from the hardships of the past year and a half. Please support them. It has been a tough time and I am amazed how well they have adapted and, in some cases, even thrived. For me: I have missed seeing family and friends, and the excitement of travel. I suspect I am not alone. For those of you who have experienced hardships due to COVID-19, I’m truly sorry. As I write this, we are part way home, in Santa Fe, NM, on our trek from Jacksonville, Florida to Jacksonville, Oregon. It has made me appreciate what a wonderful country we live in. The past few years seem to be pitting American against American with anger, frustration and intolerance prevailing. But that isn’t what we found. We have been in big cities and very small towns and what we saw and heard were just Americans. Nothing sinister. Nothing divisive. Nothing angry. Just Americans going to work, laughing and smiling. Yes, even with masks on, the crinkle of a smile could be seen. It was great. As we climb out of the COVID-19 pit, I would like to hear from you regarding what you think about Jacksonville. I’m continually looking for ways to promote Jacksonville and retain some semblance of normalcy for those of us who live and work here. I’d like your thoughts. You can reply anonymously or sign your name. Please answer the questions you find interesting and tell me if I can share those ideas in a future column. I won’t mention your name unless you tell me it’s allowed. I promise.

Specifically:

  1. How would you describe Jacksonville to someone who has never visited?
  2. What Jacksonville spot do you show off to your out-of-town guests?
  3. What‘s your favorite place for just you?
  4. How can we provide a great place to live and still be attractive to tourists?
  5. What attracted you to Jacksonville? Is “it” still here?

Please respond directly to me through email at mayor@jacksonvilleor.us or a letter addressed to Mayor Donna Bowen, P.O. Box 7, Jacksonville, OR, 97530. You may also drop off a note in the City Dropbox at Jacksonville City Hall, 206 Nth 5th Street, Jacksonville.

Important city business this past month has been the development and formalization of the 2021-2022 Budget for Jacksonville. Please see the City webpage agenda for the details on the Budget Committee.

Our City Council Work Sessions are proving to be a success in terms of education, and work implemented and completed by your City Council. We will continue to hold Work Sessions in place of a second City Council meeting each month.

As soon as possible, public meetings will resume. In the meantime, all public meetings continue to be held via Zoom. Again, the city webpage is your go-to site for meeting times and places. Information on how to listen and participate is listed in each agenda.

I would also like to thank those of you who have supported and commented on this monthly column. I always have a head full of ideas but I’m not a writer. If you have ideas for future columns or something you would like to know more about, please let me know. Until July…