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NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Umatilla City Council candidates make their case By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Candidates for Umatilla City Council participating in a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 14, painted a rosy picture of Umatilla. All four candidates who participated touted the city’s recent growth and promised great things to come for the community. “This is a very exciting time to be involved,” incum- bent Roak TenEyck said. “We have so many things teed up that we’re ready to smash down the fairway.” TenEyck has been on the council since 2013. He is being challenged for Posi- tion #6 by Ivan Gutierrez, who was not present at the forum. Incumbent Ashley Wheeler’s challenger, Isis Ilias, who is running against Wheeler for Position #4, was also absent. In her clos- ing remarks to the audience, Wheeler said that Umatil- la’s growth has meant much more of a time commitment as a councilor, with one city council meeting a month turning into two or three and executive sessions that sometimes go past 10 p.m. She said she asked herself whether she was ready to “wholeheartedly” make that commitment again. “I’m here today because I answered yes to that,” she said. “I want to be able to remain on this. It would be an absolute joy. I know that this train is moving fast and I’m really excited to be a part of this and of this community.” Daren Dufl oth and Devon Mitchell are both running for Position #2 on the council, currently held by Michael Rox- bury. Dufl oth is a for- mer city councilor who was appointed to serve as an interim mayor in May 2017 but then lost a reelec- tion bid in November 2018. Mitchell, who works for Eastern Oregon Tele- com and the Oregon Army National Guard, has lived in Umatilla since 2014 and has not previously run for the council. Mitchell said he thinks Umatilla is going in a good direction and he would like to have a hand in continu- ing that direction, through the city council and other community involvement. He said he wants to see Umatilla become a desti- nation, where people travel from the Tri-Cities and other surrounding areas for recreation. He described himself as a “history buff” and said he wants to help the city fi gure out how to work hand in hand with its partners to fi nally open up the Old Town site so that people can learn the site’s history. In response to a question about how to get neglectful property owners to clean up eyesores, Mitchell said façade grants have already improved the look of down- town and he thinks incen- Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Umatilla City Council candidate Devon Mitchell speaks during a candidate forum at Umatilla City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Umatilla City Council candidate Ashley Wheeler speaks during a candidate forum at Umatilla City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Heraln Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Umatilla City Council candidate Roak TenEyck speaks during a candidate forum at Umatilla City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Umatilla City Council candidate Daren Dufl oth speaks during a candidate forum at Umatilla City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Joe Franell (left) asks a question at the Umatilla City Council candidate forum tives are a good way to get businesses to purchase and improve run-down properties. “Part of that is an incen- tive and whether we extend a hand to help them out, whether it’s with grants or other promotions,” he said. Dufl oth, who owns The Bridge (formerly known as Riverside Sports Bar and Lounge) with his wife Pau- lette, said his previous years on the council and his more than 20 years of experience as a local business owner have given him a “10,000- foot view” of the city. He said for many years, Umatilla went along with little planning, but now he credits much of its recent growth and improvement to the strategic planning that has taken place for vari- ous departments. He said the city needs to continue with those efforts, includ- ing a current strategic plan- ning process for parks and recreation. “When I fi rst got on the council many many years ago there was really no plan,” he said. “We didn’t have an economic plan, we didn’t have a strate- gic plan, we didn’t have a 40th Anniversary Sale! COSTUME CONTEST! The Residents at Sun Terrace Hermiston will be the judges! Deadline to submit photos: Wed. Oct. 28, 3PM and will be shared on our Sun Terrace Hermiston Facebook page. Email Photos to: PRIZES AWARDED MSRP $26,090 - $2,112 Swain Discount - $1,000 Customer Cash 22,978 Stk #B7899 VIN #KL4CJAS68MB313218 “PHOTO” lyeager@regency-pacific.com 2021 BUICK ENCORE Your $ Price vision. It was a completely different city.” When asked what he would do if given $1 mil- lion to improve Uma- tilla, Dufl oth said the most important investment the city needs to make now is in information technology, to increase the number of residents who have reliable internet in their homes. Wheeler, who has served on the council since 2018, said councilors need to “put our feet to the pavement” to connect with residents, and said she supports making more events like Wednes- day’s forum accessible on the internet for people who have a diffi cult time mak- ing it to meetings in person. She said Umatilla’s big- gest challenge right now is being strategic about how it uses the additional money fl owing in from data cen- ters, new subdivisions and other growth of their prop- erty tax base. She said it is exciting that so many peo- ple want to live in Umatilla, new homes are sold as soon as ground is broken. She credited the community’s people and the way they work together. “More and more people are seeing that and saying, ‘I could see myself living there,’” she said. TenEyck said called Umatilla a “warm, inviting, wonderful place to be” and said one of Umatilla’s big- gest strengths is its loca- tion at the confl uence of the Umatilla and Columbia riv- ers. He wants to see initia- tives that help draw more people to that area for rec- reational opportunities, and said if given $1 million to help Umatilla, he would likely use it on a parks and recreation initiative, such as a splash pad or swimming pool. He said he wanted to con- tinue with initiatives like the annual Slam Dunk the Junk spring cleanup event, and to make sure Umatilla is an inclusive city where every- one can be involved. “I want this to be an excellent place to raise a family,” TenEyck said. “A safe place to raise a fam- ily. Somewhere where you can rely on your neighbor when you need some help. 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