Ephrata mayor: fresh ideas or the voice of experience?

EPHRATA – Can “fresh ideas” and willingness to learn on the job transcend decades of experience in public office?

Ephrata voters will decide when they return ballots to decide the city’s next mayor in the Nov. 4 general election.

The non-partisan race pits challenger Steve Oliver, a local tattooist who has never held elective office, against incumbent Bruce Reim, a former city councilman who has served as Ephrata’s mayor for the past decade. The winner will begin a four-year term that begins Jan. 1, 2026.

The two candidates have shared their credentials and views in online messaging, during a public forum held on Oct. 8, and in questionnaires provided to GCJ.news.

Oliver, 58, was an unsuccessful candidate for Ephrata mayor in 2006 and temporarily served on the city parks and recreation committee that same year.

A professionally licensed, award-winning tattooist, he has lived in Ephrata since 1997 and owned and operated Tarot Tattoo since 2000. Oliver said he is also a longtime fine art painter with an international clientele and a contributing writer for various publications.

In broad terms, Oliver has advocated for city growth and beautification, “transparency” and “fine tuning” at city hall, attracting more local businesses and jobs, and providing more entertainment events, facilities, and affordable activities to promote a “healthier, proactive lifestyle” for citizens.

More specifically, Oliver said he wants to “help Ephrata” get its downtown corridor removed from a federal flood plain designation – something that has been discussed by city officials for years but would require approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

Oliver would also like to see “more productive meetings” with Ephrata Port District officials to actively seek new client companies and expand the use of port facilities, including its airport.

“I don’t see a lot of focus there (by the city),” Oliver said during the Oct. 8 forum. “We need to help them.”

And Oliver wants to address what he called “a stalemate” in the city’s labor contract negotiations with union-represented police officers.

If elected, Oliver said he would bring 25 years of business experience plus “fresh ideas” to the mayor’s position while acknowledging there would be a learning curve on his part.

At last week’s forum, Oliver spoke several times of being “proactive” while also requesting citizen input. In a somewhat rambling presentation, he said, “I want people to talk to me to help them,” later adding, “Tell me what you know and what you want me to know.”

“My optimism is what I think is driving me,” Oliver told the audience, saying city officials should “find out what’s working elsewhere and make it happen here.”

In contrast, Reim spoke more specifically about city endeavors during his tenure.

In the past few years, said the mayor, Ephrata has embarked on projects to replace miles of underground sewer lines while making multi-million-dollar improvements to the wastewater treatment facility and upgrading the municipal water system with a new booster pump and towering reservoir that is nearing completion on Ephrata Heights.

The city has added several new employees including a new administrator, clerk, finance officer, public works director, engineer, code enforcement officer, and grant writer, said Reim.

All of them, he indicated, are helping revitalize city hall and municipal operations in the community. Ephrata has also acquired the former Rite-Aid building with plans to move city hall operations to that facility in the future.

Reim noted that the Port of Ephrata is a separate government entity with its own elected board of commissioners and property. Nonetheless, Reim said the city is working to improve relations with the port and supports its revitalization, and working with all other local government jurisdictions as well.

“Teamwork is important,” said Reim, noting that quarterly meetings are held with Grant County and Grant PUD commissioners, local school and hospital district officials, and others.

He cautioned against seeking “removal” of FEMA and the downtown flood plain designation, saying that could drastically increase insurance rates for property owners or assistance if a major flood or disaster did occur. Instead, Reim said the city engineer is looking at potential “adjustments” at FEMA regulations “to make it easier and cost effective for property owners.”

In addition to his role as mayor, Reim has long represented the city on the Grant Transit Authority’s board of directors, which he currently chairs. Public transit, he said, is a “community service” that helps students and people who are unable to drive or afford personal vehicles.

Regarding proposals by others for Ephrata to fund certain activities or facilities, Reim said the city is governed by state laws on the uses of its tax dollars and that many funds are dedicated to specific purposes, not discretionary spending.

He also said the city is “big on transparency … (and) open government,” noting that council meetings are accessible to the public and can also be viewed online.

“Everything we do shows up in council meetings … We’re not hiding anything,” he said.

Reim believes his experience in public office makes him the better-qualified candidate for mayor. In seeking reelection, Reim said he wants to provide residents with “a safe and secure environment to live and raise the next generation … (and) to make sure the foundational issues meet the quality standards that all residents deserve.”

Oliver is a 1985 graduate of Ferris High School in Spokane and holds associate degrees in machine shorthand and medical transcription from Bates Technical College in Tacoma. He can be reached at steveoliverformayor@gmail.com.

Reim, 72, is seeking his third term as mayor. Following his initial appointment to the position in March 2015, he previously served on the city council beginning in 2002. He is a 1971 graduate of Ephrata High School and a graduate of Eastern Washington University. Reim worked for the Washington State Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation for over 30 years, including supervising the Sunrise Treatment Facility in Ephrata. Afterward, he worked for over 15 years as a risk management facilitator with Clear Risk Solutions, an insurance pool management firm based in Ephrata. His information can be viewed at www.electmayorreim.com

Grant County elections officials are mailing out ballots this week for the Nov. 4 general election.

Currently, Ephrata’s mayor receives a monthly $500 stipend while council members are paid $200 monthly.

As defined in state law, Ephrata utilizes a “strong mayor” who is independently elected by voters and acts as the city’s chief executive with administrative authority. The seven-member city council holds legislative power, formulates policy, and approves the budget. The mayor presides over council meetings but does not vote except in the case of a tie.

In all but Washington’s largest cities, elected mayors and council members typically serve on a part-time basis, leaving most daily operations to administrative staff.