Outgoing Ephrata mayor lauded for years of public service

EPHRATA – After a decade of wielding the gavel, outgoing Mayor Bruce Reim quietly tapped the closure of his final Ephrata City Council meeting Wednesday night.

Council members, in turn, rose and gave Reim a standing ovation. They were joined by city staff and audience members including wife Beverly, family friends, several former council members and Reim’s mayoral predecessor, Chris Jacobson.

With their combined tenure, Reim and Jacobson have been Ephrata’s only mayors since 2002, a remarkable longevity. With others, they provided steady leadership following a disruptive period in city government.

“We remember the dysfunction prior to 2002 … and rebuilt trust,” said Jacobson, who resigned in early 2015 prior to moving to Seattle.

Jacobson cited numerous municipal improvements achieved during Reim’s time as mayor and his preceding 13 years as a council member. They included stabilized city finances, major infrastructure upgrades and street work, pending additions of more outdoor recreation facilities, and the recent acquistion of the former Rite-Aid pharmacy building.

“It’s a credit to you,” Jacobson told Reim. “You set up the new mayor for success.”

The new mayor will be Steve Oliver. The owner of a local business, Tarot Tattoo, Oliver will begin a four-year term on Jan. 1 after outpolling Reim, 937-819, in a Nov. 4 general election that only saw 30% voter turnout. Oliver, with no prior experience in elective public office, campaigned on themes that included business growth, city beautification and entertainment events, and “fine tuning” at city hall.

Oliver has regularly attended council meetings for several months now, including last night, but did not speak publicly.

Others who arrived for Reim’s final meeting included past council members Steve Lovitt, Tony Mora, and Lynn Sanders, and former police chief and interim city administrator Kurt Adkinson.

Adkinson said Reim, who has also chaired Grant Transit Authority’s board of directors, “embodied public service” in the often thankless task of “doing the most good for the most people” while mindful of budget contraints and taxpayer dollars.

“Kudos to the mayor,” he said.

City administrator Ray Towry read a letter from Grant County administrator Tom Gaines, who spoke of the “remarkable partnership” between the county and Ephrata city officials and staff. Gaines expressed thanks for their cooperation, professionalism and “willingness to help” – qualities that he said Reim helped foster.

“I hope the new mayor also does the same,” wrote Gaines.

Reim, in turn, credited past and current city staff for the collaborative partnerships, including former city clerk Leslie Trachsler, past city administrator Wes Crago, and police chief/interim administrator Mike Warren, now a council member.

“It’s nothing individual. It’s all the people at these tables … with their projects,” said Reim, gesturing around the council chambers. “There’s no egos. Egos get checked at the door.”

And Ephrata’s staff has evolved over the past three years with a new administrator, clerk, finance director, public works director, and police chief, said the 73-year-old Reim. He described them as “a bunch of young whippersnappers. But they know their stuff.”

An Ephrata native, Towry served as the city’s community services director from 2004-2016 before moving to Sweet Home, Oregon, where he was city manager from 2016-22. In May 2023, Reim appointed Towry as Ephrata’s new administrator.

Last night, on behalf of the city, Towry presented Reim with a commemorative plaque in appreciation of his years of dedicated public service. Towry later added a personal message to the mayor, saying, “Thank you for bringing me home.”