By Rebecca Wallis
MCMINNVILLE, OR – October 3, 2024
Below are the 15 complex questions asked of Mayor Drabkin on a variety of multi-layered subjects. Mayor Drabkin chose to answer 15 of the 15 questions. Our editorial team did not throw softballs. We threw hardballs. Our complex questions are relevant, provocative, and essential to understanding the person who is running for city council. All answers provided by this candidate have been printed in their entirety, without editing, exactly as provided.
1. Economic Development and Diversification: McMinnville is growing, and with that comes economic opportunities and challenges. How do you plan to support local businesses, promote economic diversification, and ensure sustainable economic growth, especially in the face of potential downturns in key industries like agriculture and wine tourism?
I am committed to fostering our local economy and have spent 15 years advocating for local businesses both as an elected leader and a volunteer. I successfully pursued grants that brought millions of dollars to McMinnville businesses. I work closely with growing companies to connect them with employment resources and advocate for their needs. Additionally, I’m focused on reducing infrastructure costs for our 140-acre Innovation Campus, which aims to create high-wage jobs for the region. I’m also planning an event that will connect local businesses with financial and technical resources. I am running for re-election because I want to continue advocating for the success of our local industry and find the best resources for our community.
2. Affordable Housing: Housing affordability is a concern for many in McMinnville. What specific policies would you support to increase affordable housing options in the city?
My answer on how to address housing affordability is broken down into three sections: what I have supported, what I am currently working on, and what I plan to pursue in the future.
I backed the development of a successful motel program known as Project Turnkeyfor emergency shelter and helped establish a navigation center in McMinnville to connect individuals transitioning out of homelessness with the resources they need. I also collaborated with the housing authority to secure $7 million for a major subsidized housing project, which will provide 175 units of affordable and accessible housing to our community.
For workforce housing, I supported House Bill 4134 to fund infrastructure improvements, removing barriers to housing development. I’ve worked to improve our city processes, ensuring new development projects meet diverse needs and create access to housing for people and families at all income levels.
Looking ahead, I’m committed to completing these projects and enhancing our community development center to make permitting easier. I’ll explore creative solutions for unused lands and work to reduce infrastructure costs that drive up housing prices. By addressing all levels of housing—from emergency to luxury—we can create a thriving community that meets everyone’s needs.
3. Public Safety: How do you plan to address the community’s concerns regarding public safety, and what initiatives would you propose to enhance cooperation between law enforcement and residents?
Public safety has always been a top priority of mine When our Police Department was underfunded I voted to increase funding so we could get to full staffing levels. Currently the city council is fully funding the police department though we haven’t been able to hire for all of our open positions. I’ve supported public safety by advocating for the creation of a new fire district so we could improve our response times, update our fleet, and improve morale for firefighters who were often overworked and stretched too thin with multiple day shifts.
Public safety to me also means ensuring our community has the mental and behavioral health supports it needs. I was able to increase this resource in McMinnville by directing some of our opioid settlement dollars to the county’s Behavioral Health response team. I h ave also supported both business and public safety infrastructure by helping fund the Third Street Redevelopment project becuase awell-lit and well-designed space creates accessibility and safety for all users. As we look towards growing concerns regarding homelessness and some of the associated stigma around safety, I’ll continue to ensure that we fully enforce our laws while also providing pathways to stability and housing. My primary goal will be to help move people out of homelessness with compassion and not tolerate behavior that has a negative impact on the community as a wholein the meantime.
4. Environmental Sustainability: With the growing emphasis on environmental responsibility, what steps should McMinnville take to become a more sustainable and resilient community?
As a small business owner, I have been a leader in finding innovative ways to improve sustainability and meet our needs in this rapidly changing environment. If re-elected, I will continue to bring this same creative drive to the city. As a city, the biggest environmental impact we can make is by improving our infrastructure. To make McMinnville more sustainable, we’re currently reviewing our waste management systems to identify effective solutions. For example, a recent report suggested that recycling construction materials could have a big positive impact. I also believe we can improve our sidewalks and streets by adopting higher environmental standards while supporting our local businesses. Additionally, McMinnville has already invested in our water system and is exploring regional solutions, which I fully support. We must work together with surrounding communities to build a more resilient future for all of us.
5. Transportation and Infrastructure: McMinnville has a mix of urban and rural infrastructure needs. How would you prioritize road maintenance, public transportation, and infrastructure improvements?
I believe in completing projects effectively, and we’re currently working on a transportation system plan that voters approved. We’re also applying for federal and state grants to create safer routes to schools and improve our roads. It’s important to identify and prioritize neighborhoods that need infrastructure upgrades, since some areas haven’t been updated since the 1940s. Many have broken or no sidewalks, affecting accessibility and drainage.
I see it as the city’s job to provide the infrastructure we need to build our lives, homes, and businesses.
6. Economic Inequality: Income disparity is a growing issue in many communities. What role should the city play in addressing economic inequality, and what programs would you advocate for to support lower-income residents?
Economic inequality is an important issue for all of our communities. The city has a key role in addressing this problem. To grow our economy, we need to ensure that our workforce can afford to live here. This means that everyone should have access to good jobs and services.
One challenge we face is that property owners are responsible for maintaining things like sidewalks. In low-income neighborhoods, this can lead to broken sidewalks and a lack of resources to fix them. To tackle this, we are currently applying for grants to start pilot projects that focus on improving infrastructure. I want to turn these projects into long-term programs that benefit our community.
There are practical solutions we can implement to reduce economic inequality. By improving economic development and our infrastructure, we can help lower-income residents thrive.
7. Parks and Recreation: How important is the expansion and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities to you? What new amenities or improvements would you prioritize for McMinnville’s parks?
I am very committed to ensuring that safe, open parks and recreational facilities are a priority in our city. A public park was one of the very first community investments in McMinnville’s history and we ensure they remained open even throughout the pandemic.
As someone born and raised here, I know how important our public spaces are for residents of all ages. As cities grow, open public spaces are important for us to be able to interact with one another as well as to experience recreation at no cost. Investing in the long-term health of our parks is a priority for me.
If re-elected as mayor, one of my priorities will be to complete a new parks recreation swimming pool and cultural center I will work to make this space flexible enough that we can meet other community needs as well. I believe the community should drive the project so we can be sure we’re having conversations about childcare, river access and how our programs can be accessible to all families.
8. Diversity and Inclusion: How do you plan to ensure that all voices in McMinnville are heard and represented, particularly those of marginalized and underrepresented communities?
As someone who comes from an underrepresented and marginalized community, I understand how important it is to work with trusted community messengers to listen to community needs. In the city of McMinnville, I’ve already started to reform how we do appointments and recruitment for our committees. Spanish language materials are the norm, and we’ve established a diversity equity and inclusion advisory committee to help us create and implement a plan. I know that as a leader it is often my responsibility to ensure that we are including and hearing voices outside our own and I am committed to ensuring our city government is open and accessible to all our residents.
9. Homelessness: Homelessness continues to be a critical issue in many Oregon cities, including McMinnville. What approaches do you believe will be most effective in addressing homelessness in our community?
I believe a housing first solution is almost always the correct answer. That doesn’t mean that we have the ability to house everybody all at once and that other polices are not important. We need to respond to our McMinnville residents and surrounding area residents that have lost access to housing due to the full scope of issues facing our community today – from home fires and domestic violence to substance abuse and loss of income.
I’m not into chasing problems, I’m into chasing solutions. Solutions like Project Turnkey and navigation Center in McMinnville are, in part, a result of my advocacy at the city. I helped establish a safe overnight parking program in which private property owners can partner to provide shelter with some restrictions. It is a proven, successful program that’s provided thousands of nights of shelter and it prevents people from being forced to sleep on the street.
10. Business Development vs. Preservation: As McMinnville continues to grow, how would you balance business development with preserving the town’s historic charm and local character?
I think we need to uphold high standards in our Historic downtown district and for our historic buildings. Part of the character of McMinnville will change as the city grows, however we need to be steadfast in protecting what the community has told us is important to preserve our town’s legacy. When there was a proposal at the city to replace three historic buildings with a new luxury hotel, I was the tie breaking vote to preserve our downtown’s historic structures. I did not see justification for taking down a building which the community has worked so hard to preserve. Even when there is an enticing development in front of us, I believe we have to think about how the decisions we make now will also impact the future of our city. We can adapt to the changing needs of our town while protecting our local history.
11. Technology and Innovation: As technology evolves, how do you see McMinnville adopting innovative solutions to improve city services, create jobs, or enhance the quality of life for residents? What role should technology play in the city’s future development?
McMinnville is already home to multiple technology companies and I hope that technology continues to enhance our Economic Development over time. It’s certainly been an important part of our past. Readers of this may remember that Hewlett-Packard had a home in McMinnville for many years and our community was devastated when they left, taking hundreds of high wage jobs with them. On a community level, we’re starting to invest in some electrification projects while being very mindful of what our grid can bear. We have to have the infrastructure in place to be able to support technology and innovation. This is why I’m advocating to bring down infrastructure dollars for our Innovation campus from state and federal sources.
As Mayor, I have also worked with our City Council to update a lot of our systems at the city of McMinnville. We’ve improved our security policies and device policies so that our city is better able to defend against cyber attacks and hacking attempts. Technology is going to advance faster than local government, so it’s important that we continue to pay close attention while focusing on sound policy that unifies our local government.
12. Community Engagement: How would you engage the McMinnville community in decision-making processes, especially when it comes to major city projects and initiatives?
No single method for community engagement is perfect or accessible to all, so I am committed to providing a variety of engagement methods as mayor. It is important that we survey and that we have that data, but it’s also important that we go out and talk to people where they are. That means going to churches, going to parks, going to businesses and making every effort to get information out about what is coming before the community for a decision. With my leadership, we have really developed our communications and engagement in the city. The City of McMinnville has a community engagement and communications manager for the first time ever; we have centralized social media and we send out weekly newsletters. Still, nothing is better than showing up to a service club or a community Gathering to make sure people have the information they need to make informed decisions.
13. Public Health and Safety: How should the city prepare for future public health crises, and what lessons do you believe McMinnville can take from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The city recently hired an emergency management officer. This means the city of McMinnville’s plans will be aligned with County plans. I would commend all of those involved in the COVID-19 response and in the wildfire response. It was impressive to see so many people mobilize for the public good. Communication is essential in a public health crisis, and I think we experienced that and learned from that in recent years. Continuing to invest in how we communicate with the public so that there are many access points into the city is crucial. Staying in close partnership with the county health is also critical for our success. The county provides both emergency management and public health direction in instances like these, so making sure that there are good foundational relationships so that we can work regionally and in a unified way for the best outcome for the community is one of the most important things we can do.
14. Arts and Culture: McMinnville has a vibrant arts scene. How would you support the continued growth of the arts and cultural programs in the city?
First and foremost, I would support our local programs by showing up! We have such a rich and abundant collection of arts and cultural spaces in McMinnville. Between Gallery players, Linfield University, the high school, the Arts Coalition, the art Harvest studio tour and the multiple galleries that exist in downtown McMinnville we have so many programs deserving our support. I’m proud to have helped with the grant for the art alley that was recently installed in McMinnville and I’ve been working to help a local Art Gallery find a new home that’s bigger. Sometimes work doesn’t need to be policy, it just means rolling up your sleeves and showing up. I’m committed to making connections and working with the arts community on what my office can do beyond these efforts.
15. Fiscal Responsibility: With limited resources and competing needs, how will you ensure fiscal responsibility while still meeting the needs of the community?
Fiscal responsibility is so important to the success of our city. Our city has grown so much in recent years, and we must re-evaluate how we are meeting the changing needs of our city and its residents. I’ve been working to meet our needs by successfully bringing in outside money from the state, from the federal government and from other organizations. I’m also listening to the community, and what they say they want. I know our residents want parks maintenance and a new swimming pool. Carefully allocating our resources and creating a reasonable time frame so that plans can move to implementation without hitting our taxpayers with too much too fast is important. That said, we have infrastructure in the city from the 1940s that needs maintenance and upgrading. Ensuring our city can make fixes and upgrades to aging infrastructure before it is broken beyond repair is key to keeping our city’s costs down.
Yamhill County News would like to thank Mayor Remy Drabkin for providing answers to our questions.
Mayoral challenger Kim Morris declined to answer our questions. Tomorrow, we will feature Councilor Chris Chenoweth, the Ward 1 incumbent, and his full responses to our questions exactly as provided.
Photo Credit: Yamhill County News File
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