Polk County News
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saries, births, milestones) —
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on Thursday.
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WEATHER
RECORDED
HigH LOW
Dec. 20.............. 52
Dec. 21.............. 33
Dec. 22.............. 41
Dec. 23.............. 46
Dec. 24.............. 44
Dec. 25.............. 45
Dec. 26.............. 41
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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 28, 2016 3A
Monmouth mayor reflects on decade
Steve Milligan to take the seat from John Oberst on Tuesday
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — The city
of Monmouth has complet-
ed more projects in the last
decade with Mayor John
Oberst at the head of the
dais than it has in the 30
years prior to him taking of-
fice.
Projects completed
ranged in scope from re-
placed sewer pipes to build-
ing a dog park, the splash
fountain and amphitheater
at Main Street Park, to the
expansion of the Monmouth
Senior Center.
On Tuesday, city councilor
Steve Milligan will take the
mayoral seat, having won
the November election. A re-
ception for Oberst and out-
going councilors will be held
at the Tuesday council meet-
ing at 7 p.m., along with the
swearing in of Milligan as
mayor and three new coun-
cilors.
Oberst didn’t run for an-
other term, partly because
of his leadership philosophy.
“This is very much a per-
sonal opinion, but I believe
it’s important to have
turnover in leadership, and
opportunities for new lead-
ers to come along and make
changes in communities,”
Oberst said. “The only way
a community stays vital is
for that turnover — for
younger people to serve,
new people to serve. I just
had this feeling that it was
time to give somebody else
a run at it.”
Admittedly, serving as
mayor for 10 years can wear
on a person, Oberst said.
“It takes exactly as much
time as you allow it,” he said.
“I thought, I want to put my
energy into other things.”
Photo courtesy of JOHN OBERST
Mayor John Oberst has served in the seat for 10 years. His final term will end Tuesday, when newly elected Steve
Milligan will move from his seat as city councilor to take the seat of Monmouth’s mayor.
Oberst has been key in
many benchmarks in Mon-
mouth. He is the one who
started the ball rolling to
turn the city from the last
dry town in Oregon to allow-
ing beer and wine sales.
“I was the one who asked
the question,” Oberst said.
“When Marketplace (Mon-
mouth grocery store) shut
down, someone had to ask
the question. The s-curve
would have been filled long
ago with Waremart, but
when they found out we
had a dry law, they moved
right across the (city) line so
they could sell beer and
wine.”
Oberst and others collect-
ed enough signatures to put
it on the ballot. The measure
passed by 57 percent.
He saw it as economic de-
velopment.
“We were shipping money
out of town — literally mil-
lions of dollars a year just on
food purchases at places
that also happened to sell
beer and wine,” he said.
Once he took the mayoral
seat, Oberst joined commit-
tees with the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation,
which created contacts that
came in handy for the city of
Monmouth.
“We have two state high-
ways in town, and someone
needed to know how to work
with ODOT, and that was
me,” Oberst said.
Not all of Oberst’s plans
for streets and infrastructure
have come to pass — plans
to build out the rest of the s-
curves on Highway 51 were
pushed back. But his con-
nections with ODOT’s Mark
Garrett have paid off.
The work ODOT had
planned on Highway 99
through town went from a
simple repaving project to
include an entire streetscape
and redesign of intersec-
tions.
“That’s stuff that’s been a
direct result of stuff I’ve
done,” Oberst said.
Oberst said he is proud
of everything the city —
employees and councilors
alike — has accomplished
for the betterment of
Monmouth in the last
decade.
“I give huge credit to
councils and staff for all the
projects, and the citizenry
for getting the citizen en-
gagement off so beautifully,”
he said.
He is particularly proud of
Monmouth Engaged, just
completed this year.
“Monmouth Engaged, to
me, is a huge thing, because
we reached out to the citi-
zenry and said, ‘what do
you want,’ in a way that we
had never done,” Oberst
said.
It’s not the end of public
engagement for Oberst, who
may apply to be on the
restaurant and retail com-
mittee through Monmouth
Engaged.
“I might have something
to offer to that group,” he
said. “I’m sure I’ll be around:
You can’t keep a good loud-
mouth down.”
RAiN
.43
.00
.07
.14
.00
.00
.31
Rainfall during Dec. — 4.84 in.
Rain through Dec. 26 — 46.69 in.
LUCKIAMUTE
DOMESTIC WATER
COOPERATIVE
BOARD MEETING
Monday 7:00 p.m.
January 9th
503-838-2075
Location: Business Office
8585 Suver Rd. • Monmouth
Sunday, Jan. 1 • 9-3
www.polkio.com
Early Admission Sunday 6am-9am $5
Regular Admission $1 ★ Free Parking
Espresso Bar provided by
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polkproduction@minetfiber.com
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CALL TODAY FOR A NO-CHARgE EvALuATiON.
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OPEN WEEK!
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7 DAY r S i 9-6 • Sat 9-5
Mon-F un 10-4
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Rick 503-437-5398
Ruben 503-915-2080
4075 NE Three Mile Lane, McMinnville, OR
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $8.00
Children $7.00 • Senior $7.25
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
Friday - Monday • Dec. 30 - Jan. 2
WHY HIM? (Digital) (R)
(1:40 4:15) 7:05 9:40
MOANA (Digital) (PG)
(11:15 1:50 4:25) 7:05
OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY (Digital) (R)
9:40
PASSENGERS (Digital) (PG13)
(11:10 1:50 4:30) 7:15 9:55
SING (Digital) (PG)
(11:25 1:25 2:00 4:00 4:35) 7:10 9:45
*ROGUE ONE
(10:00 12:30 1:00 3:30 4:00)
(Digital) (PG13)
6:30 7:00 9:30 10:00
ASSASSINS CREED (Digital) (PG13)
(12:35 3:40) 6:45 9:50
FANTASTIC BEASTS
AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (Digital) (PG13)
(10:20) 6:35
COLLATERAL BEAUTY (Digital) (PG13)
9:25
Tuesday - Thursday • Jan. 3 - 5
WHY HIM? (Digital) (R)
(1:40 4:15)
MOANA (Digital) (PG)
(1:50 4:25)
PASSENGERS (Digital) (PG13)
(1:50 4:30)
SING (Digital) (PG)
(1:25 2:00 4:35)
ROGUE ONE (Digital) (PG13)
(1:00 3:30 4:00)
ASSASSINS CREED (Digital) (PG13)
(3:40)
COLLATERAL BEAUTY (Digital) (PG13)
(4:15)
FANTASTIC BEASTS
AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (Digital) (PG13)
7:05
7:05
7:15
7:10
6:30
6:45
7:00
6:35
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EARLY DEADLINES Our office will be CLOSED Jan. 2
News Department:
Social News Wedding, Engagements, Births, etc. ............Wednesday, Dec. 28, 4pm
Community Events Business, School, Community News ...Thursday, Dec. 29, Noon
General News .......................................................................Thursday, Dec.29, Noon
Letters to the Editor/Obituaries.............................................. Friday, Dec. 30, 10am
Advertising Department:
Legals...................................................................................Thursday, Dec. 29, Noon
Display Main news advertisements/inserts ..........................Thursday, Dec. 29, Noon
Classified Display.................................................................... Friday, Dec. 30, 11am
Classified Line Ads ................................................................. Friday, Dec. 30, Noon
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