SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 37, NO. 8
The Christopher Era
KEIZERTIMES.COM
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PAGES
8-9
JANUARY 2, 2015
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Five topics to watch in 2015
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
What will change in Keizer
in 2015?
One change will come ear-
ly in the year – Monday eve-
ning, to be specifi c.
As the new year gets under-
way, here is a look at fi ve topics
we anticipate being hot topics
over the next 12 months. After
that is a look back at what we
predicted a year ago would be
the hot topics of 2014.
New mayor’s mark?
For the fi rst time since ear-
ly January 2001, a person not
named Lore Christopher will
be Keizer’s mayor.
Christopher’s 14-year reign
(see the special section on
pages 8 and 9 for much more)
offi cially comes to a close at
the start of Monday’s 7 p.m.
Keizer City Council meeting,
when eight-year councilor
Cathy Clark is sworn in as the
new mayor.
Christopher has clearly left
her mark, both in projects
completed during her time
as well as her style of lead-
ership. The question now is
what kind of mark will Clark
leave? Further, how much will
she follow from Christopher’s
playbook and how much will
she chart a different direction
for Keizer?
Clark, who was profi led in
last week’s Keizertimes, has al-
ready made it clear she wants
input from Keizerites, as evi-
denced by her pledge to keep
her monthly Coffee with
Cathy informal meetings go-
ing.
While Clark is graduat-
ing to the top seat, the coun-
cil has more changes. Veteran
councilor Jim Taylor (see story
below) is leaving and being
replaced by former councilor
Brandon Smith. Joe Egli is
also leaving the council, while
newcomers Roland Herrera
and Amy Ripp join Dennis
Koho, Marlene Quinn and
Kim Freeman.
Though new, the newest
councilors are familiar faces.
Smith previously served on
the council for fi ve years and
was on the Parks Board the
past two years. Herrera was on
the Parks Board as well and
was previously a city employ-
ee for 19 years, while Ripp
has been involved in a number
of community efforts such as
KNOW (Keizer Network of
Women) for years.
Big Toy/other
projects at KRP
Late in 2014, the Big Toy
got a new location at Keizer
Rapids Park. Construction got
delayed from last September
to this June, which kicked off
a process of updating the KRP
master plan.
Funding still needs to be
in side
Commission
works on
policies
(Page 2)
The year in
photos in
Keizer (PG. 6)
The best of
sports in 2014
(PG. 16)
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
From left: Clint Holland, Bill Lawyer, Lore Christopher and Mark Caillier discuss Big Toy placement
during a break in a November 2014 Keizer City Council meeting. Caillier is general coordinator
for the project, expected to be one of the hottest topics in Keizer in 2015.
secured for the community
build play structure, but proj-
ect organizers remain confi -
dent that will happen and that
the 10,000 square foot struc-
ture will be built over a fi ve-
day span in June.
No set timeline has been
established for other proj-
ects that were added to the
KRP master plan late last year.
Among those projects: an in-
door sports facility, restrooms
with fl ush toilets (a fi rst for a
Keizer park), softball fi elds and
sand volleyball courts.
Gone fi shin’: Taylor
set to leave council
Outgoing Keizer
City Councilor
gets a kick out
of the invitation
to a going away
party being held
Jan. 17 in honor
of himself, Lore
Christopher and
Joe Egli. Taylor,
an avid fi sherman,
has served on
the council for 12
years.
Please see 2015, Page 14
Trimming down at city hall
KEIZERTIMES/
Craig Murphy
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
A crew from R and R Tree Service trimmed two large trees in front of Keizer Civic Center
on Dec. 22. For more photos, see page 3.
Old, new councilors
talk long-term goals
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
New Keizer City Council-
ors don’t offi cially begin their
terms until next week.
But Brandon Smith, Amy
Ripp and Roland Herrera are
ready to hit the ground run-
ning.
The trio took part in a
council work session last
month to look at short-term
and long-term council goals,
and to look at possible goals
they would want to establish.
City Manager Chris Eppley
ran most of the meeting.
After discussing short-
term goals (covered in a re-
cent Keizertimes story), Eppley
turned to long-term goals set
by councilors in March 2013.
One goal was to take nec-
essary steps to liquidate Keizer
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
If you want to know why
Jim Taylor has served on the
Keizer City Council for 12
years – and the Parks Board for
10 years before that – you have
to hit the rewind button.
Taylor, 67, has lived in Keiz-
er his entire life. He was active
in Troop 241 Boy Scouts as a
child and played youth baseball.
Taylor coached youth baseball
and softball for years, also serv-
ing on the Keizer Little League
board for more than a decade.
“My dad was always real ac-
tive in the community,” Taylor
said. “Growing up, I saw a lot
of people active in volunteer-
ing. All of the people I looked
up to as adults, whether it be
through the Keizer Merchants
Association (precursor to the
current Keizer Chamber of
Commerce), the Lions Club
or Keizer Rotary, I looked at
those people and they all vol-
unteered in Keizer. So it was a
natural progression.”
Taylor is leaving the council
at the Jan. 5 meeting, handing
his seat over to Brandon Smith.
Mayor Lore Christopher is also
leaving (see related stories), as
well as Joe Egli.
“The most important thing
we have in our life is time,”
Taylor said of serving on Parks
Board and council for a com-
bined 22 years. “That’s what I
was giving up. It was very self-
satisfying. I didn’t do it for any
other reason. I sure didn’t do it
for ego. If you’re doing it for
ego, you need to fi nd some-
thing else to do. I was just vol-
unteering my time.”
With a grin, Taylor added,
“A lot of it.”
Based on his background,
one might assume Taylor had
problems putting friendships
aside to serve the greater need.
He said that wasn’t the case.
“I had one occasion where
one of my best friends dis-
agreed with where the council
was going on an issue,” Taylor
said. “I was with the majority
of the council. This is a very
good friend. I fi nally said, ‘I
would do anything for you,
but I serve 35,000 people.’ I
couldn’t in good conscious
go against what was good for
35,000 people for a few peo-
ple. It was very diffi cult. He
still thinks I was wrong, but
our friendship survived.”
Please see TAYLOR, Page 12
Arrest happens at warp
speed in Space Age robbery
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Keizer City Manager Chris Eppley (right) answers a question
during a Keizer City Council work session last month.
Station Area A property that
was foreclosed upon and re-
fund the River Road Renais-
sance program. The Rawlins
properties were foreclosed
upon last year by the city.
“We’re hoping beyond
hope they are able to buy it
back from us,” Eppley said in
reference to the Rawlins fam-
ily. “If they are able to buy it
back and do development, that
would be fantastic. We would
just as soon be out of the de-
velopment business. Once we
do sell the property, it would
come back to you to see what
to do with the money.”
Please see GOALS, Page 14
Offi cers from two law en-
forcement agencies worked
together to make an arrest on
Dec. 26.
Around 8:45 p.m. last Fri-
day, offi cers with the Keizer
Police Department responded
to a report of an armed rob-
bery at the Space Age gas sta-
tion at 4495 River Road N.
Offi cers were told the male
suspect confronted the ca-
shier, displayed a handgun and
demanded both money and
cigarettes. The cashier obliged
Storkus
and the suspect
fl ed on foot.
KPD and
Marion Coun-
ty Sheriff ’s Of-
fi ce personnel
set a perimeter
and a KPD
K-9 was de-
ployed to help
the search.
About an hour after the
initial call, a deputy with the
MCSO contacted a male
at Cummings Elementary
School at Delight Street and
Cummings Lane, less than a
half-mile away from the gas
station.
The male, 28-year-old Wil-
liam M. Storkus of Beaverton,
was arrested for robbery, men-
acing and a parole violation,
with a total bail of $45,000.
All of the property and mon-
ey taken in the robbery were
recovered and returned to the
gas station owner. The gun
Storkus displayed was also re-
covered.
We see what’s on the inside
So you get back in the game
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