A Few Minutes with the Mayor – May 2025

AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE my May Column for the Review, I am reminded how grateful I am to live in Jacksonville. My husband, Clark, and I recently returned from a trip to the Southwest…places we have been to before, many times, and enjoyed. We had the fortune to enjoy incredible scenery, friendly people, and delicious food. Then, we experienced the misfortune of catching a nasty bug that laid us low for well over a week. That bug appeared a day or two after we returned, and we were feeling lucky to be home when it launched a full-scale attack. The feeling of being home in your own bed, with your special comforts around you, is unrivaled. Feeling ill, without the energy to read or watch television, leaves you with nothing to do but sleep and reflect.

I have been thinking recently about Jacksonville and what living here is all about. I have seen a few changes in the twenty-five years since we first moved to our small town and see more each year. Some of the changes I enjoy, some I don’t. Progress and keeping up with the times is essential if change is used to better the existence of the folks who live here, or to preserve our historic city. Deciding how and why to make changes is something your City Council and I do a lot of research on. Living in an extraordinary city, with numerous historic structures and a historic downtown core, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a significant choice. It’s a huge responsibility to maintain our historic structures and the stories behind them. There can be important decisions to consider if you buy a home or operate a business in a historic town. There are many rules and regulations mandated at the city, state, and federal levels regarding what you can or cannot do to a historic property, or a property near something of historic value. Congratulations, and thanks to those of you who made the choice to live or work in Jacksonville. You are helping preserve some of Oregon’s history.

Why do these old places matter? For one, preserving history and our historic structures is always crucial. Once these buildings are gone, they are gone, and the history behind them will be forgotten. To me personally, old places also matter because of the feeling of community that is created by living here. We have a shared sense of place. We feel a deep sense of home. Our neighborhoods have distinct personalities. Our Post Office is a daily gathering place for people. You seem to run into just the person you need to see at the Post Office or a local coffee shop. You end up having a lot of meetings and greetings, just strolling down California Street. People are proud of where they live, and they are homesick when they are away. Old places with a strong sense of community create a feeling of a safe harbor for us. They are the places where we meet on common ground.

Some of you commute to a larger city for work, but I bet your heart is lighter when you see our “Welcome to Jacksonville” sign on the outskirts of town each evening. Those of you who work from home probably start each day thankful you don’t have to drive in traffic to your job. We are lucky that all our daily needs are met without stepping over our city limits. A loaf of bread, a meal out, buying or borrowing a book? It’s all here. These old places also matter because our historic resources are community assets, and preservation of historic resources is an important community service we can all participate in. Yes, sometimes we experience growing pains, but we find a way to preserve what is important to our history and our way of life in a small, historic town.

What new, or old, places in Jacksonville matter to you? What gives you a sense of being in the right place? Is it the buildings lining California Street, City Hall, the library, the Woodlands, or maybe the Britt? I hope you all find your sense of place, of home, and of community in Jacksonville.