It’s a no-drama election this fall on the Philomath City Council.
With no contested races, Christopher McMorran will become the city’s next mayor and incumbent Diane Crocker along with newcomers Spencer Irwin and Brent Kaseman will be sworn in as city councilors come January.
Folks will notice current mayor Chas Jones’s name on the ballot and in the Benton County Voters’ Pamphlet but he withdrew from the race after those had already been printed. Thus, McMorran should be a slam dunk to take over the position.
Crocker will retain her seat on the City Council after an initial two-year term. Irwin and Kaseman will take a seat at the table in place of McMorran and Ruth Causey. They will join Jessica Andrade, Matt Lehman and Teresa Nielson, who have all completed the first two years of four-year terms.
McMorran is a 26-year-old who works as a staff member in the State Legislature with duties that include policy development, legislative strategy, office supervision and communications planning. He also occasionally does freelance filmmaking and communications work.
Crocker, 65, is a retired Philomath school teacher. Irwin, 46, is a small business consultant at Thirteen Points Consulting and owns All Pro Property Services. Kaseman, 43, is the vice president, branch manager and commercial loan officer at Citizens Bank in Philomath.
Although there are no contested races, the Philomath News invited all four candidates to participate in a question-and-answer feature in an effort to familiarize themselves more with local residents.
The News asked each candidate the same five questions with each response limited to 150 words. Responses were edited only for grammar and newspaper style guidelines.
1. Does your interest in serving on the City Council stem from a personal interest or goal? Is there something in particular you hope to accomplish while serving? Please elaborate.
McMorran: “My interest stems from my deep-seated love for my hometown. My vision is to make Philomath the best place in Oregon to grow up — and I want to be clear about what that means: It means infrastructure that is safe for walking, biking and recreating. Safe, accessible sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, bike lanes and well-maintained parks are all a part of that. It means ensuring enough affordable family-sized housing — not just studio and one-bedroom apartments. If you’re going to raise a family here, we need to have housing where you can do so. This housing should be infilled as much as possible, keeping residents close to existing services and infrastructure. And it means city government that is accessible, proactive and budgeting for the future. All of these things help our kids and future generations but they also benefit our current residents of all ages. Oh – and a grocery store!”
Crocker: “My interest in serving on City Council is twofold. 1. I love this community, have chosen to live here, raise my family here and complete my entire professional career here. I like to give back and this is a small way to do so. 2. In serving my community, I have a goal of working to make it a safe community for all. I serve on the Police Committee and am happy to report our crime is at a very low level. I am interested in not allowing cannabis and psilocybin to be distributed in our community because I also think that is a way for us to keep crime down and keep the community safer for our children.”
Irwin: “I don’t have a single personal issue or goal. I just love Philomath and want to have the strongest community we can. I strongly believe in the power of cooperation. That power begins with participation. So, I started helping where I was able and have continued. Serving on the council seemed to be the next step forward in doing my part to cooperate. I am motivated by the idea that we have a great community going and with effective leadership we can continue to build on our wonderful foundation.”
Kaseman: “I live in Philomath, and I think it is an amazing town with so many good people and places. I want it to flourish and I’m happy to volunteer to serve that end. I work in Philomath as a community banker and so involvement in community life is my focus. I am (and have been) involved in Philomath Community Services, Rotary, City Budget Committee and beyond. If my service as city councilor plays a role in Philomath’s continued safety, prosperity and goodness, I will consider it a success.”
2. If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
McMorran: “$1 million is tricky — it’s enough to make a real difference, but not enough to take on some of our bigger projects like building a community center. I’d split it up — I’d spend about half to purchase a large chunk of land on the northern edge of town to set aside as park and green space. Almost all major public infrastructure and our largest parks are south of Main Street but our urban growth boundary is almost completely north of Main Street. We need to plan ahead to preserve green space as the city grows north. I’d spend the other half on relatively inexpensive but very meaningful safety and quality-of-life improvements: installing speed radar signs on the highway, renovating park bathrooms to ensure year-round operation, beautifying the medians on the east end of town, adding pedestrian paths to boost neighborhood connectivity, and striping bike lanes in front of the schools.”
Crocker: “If we received a $1 million grant for our community, I would like to see it put as a down payment for a new Philomath Community Services (PCS) facility. The current one has served us well thanks to the donations of many community members. The need for food and children’s clothing has grown each year and the needs are now exceeding the current location. As a way of our community helping others in our community, I see this as a worthy use of a grant of this size.”
Irwin: “This is a tough one, there are a ton of great ways to invest in our community. I consider myself a champion for supporting children and families and believe strongly in supporting people to be as strong and independent as possible. A couple of quick ideas that come to mind are a community center that could provide space for classes and activities to further help us develop as a community. I think having a place to gather encourages cooperation. If that’s not a practical choice I would be completely comfortable investing in the amazing community agencies we have now, Philomath Community Services, Strengthening Rural Families, PYAC and the Gleaners — I am sure I’m missing someone.”
Kaseman: “I want to make sure that we provide necessary/basic things: water, sewer, streets, policing. If there was a need in those areas, I would vote to move the grant in that direction. I am a ‘stick to the basics’ kind of guy. If those things were well covered, I would focus on commerce. If the city could direct this grant towards a nonprofit, I would love to see it go to Philomath Community Services and a new building in which it could better serve those in need through its food pantry, clothes closet and other programs. PCS provides the basic necessities of life, and, as I mentioned, I am a ‘stick to the basics’ kind of guy, so I support its work.”
3. What do you believe is the single most compelling issue facing the city of Philomath?
McMorran: “I like to say that Philomath is in our “teenage years” right now. For a long time, we’ve been a small, rural town with a strong base in natural resources like agriculture and forestry (as well as education, of course). Recently, we’re seeing more growth and a shifting economy with a focus on engineering and technology. I think this presents us with a significant challenge and a big opportunity: to grab the bull by the horns and manage this next chapter well. Ignoring it or pretending like it isn’t happening won’t help us. In the same breath, abandoning our history and our small-town culture would be a real mistake. The most compelling issue for me as mayor is steering the ship in a way that preserves the parts of life in Philomath that everyone loves while taking advantage of the opportunities that a growing and shifting economy presents us with.”
Crocker: “I think the single most compelling issue facing Philomath is the lack of affordable housing. I know most of us are shocked to find out the average rental and home ownership costs here in Philomath, not to mention a lack of suitable inventory. I am not talking necessarily about bringing new people into our town, but many of Philomath’s workers cannot find housing to fit their budget or needs. I am thinking of teachers, firefighters, police officers, mill workers and the like. We need to be able to offer affordable housing to these great people who serve our community so well.”
Irwin: “Great question, I think that because of Philomath’s physical proximity to Corvallis and their explosive growth, there could be significant challenges for Philomath if we slip behind the wave of growth. I think it’s critical to use meaningful planning and thoughtful application of our code, zoning and incentives to shape a community that supports all of our residents and keeps Philomath its special community.”
Kaseman: “I think it is the management of growth. Philomath is such a great place to live and so we have many people that would like to live in this area. This raises the question of housing, resources and more. I think this requires careful management. We want to retain Philomath as a small town, and we want to grow and thrive. There is a balance there and if we approach this issue with goodwill and good stewardship, we will ensure that Philomath continues to be a great place to live and work and volunteer.”
4. What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues?
McMorran: “While many people picture the mayor giving speeches, presiding at council meetings and addressing the public, the most important role of the mayor is the opposite: to listen. This is never more true than when faced with controversial issues. My approach is first to listen and work to gain a full understanding of the situation. Jumping to conclusions or acting without all the information is dangerous. Next, I want to center what I love most about Philomath: that people genuinely do love living in our little town. While we may disagree on the details, we share a common value and purpose for making Philomath the best place it can be. Remembering that everyone on any side of any issue is coming at it from a place of passion for their home reminds me to see everyone as human and helps us find common ground to move forward together on.”
Crocker: “I am not afraid to deal with controversial issues head on. I will speak up when the need arises. I am passionate about this community and want what is best for it. Sometimes this passion causes me to speak out and it can raise the temperature of the room, however, I am trying to learn to listen to other points of view because I realize others have important things to say and perhaps a better way to solve a problem. If the complicated issues are new to me or our area, I will study and research to help guide my thoughts and actions. I will always advocate for what I think is best for Philomath and its citizens.”
Irwin: “I like to begin by first identifying exactly what the issue is. Often there is confusion and controversy because we think we’re discussing the same thing, but we aren’t when it gets down to specifics. Secondly, I want to get as much expert information as possible. Opinions are great and I respect everyone’s right to have one, but everyone has one. I think it’s important to use experts to get facts. This way we can make informed decisions. Finally, I think it’s important that every stakeholder’s voice is heard and if a consensus is not reachable, we can begin making serviceable concessions to come to a path forward.”
Kaseman: “Open, honest and respectful communication. The gospel lesson from Christ “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” applies in every area of life and I will try to bring that into difficult issues. I tend to have a very ‘cool head’ and I favor logic; I find great value in open, rational communication, with goodwill, and many times issues can be resolved through dialogue. However, life is complex, and sometimes full agreement is not possible. In those times, in the context of city government, we will follow the prescriptions of our governing body through voting, with trust that everyone on the council truly wants the best for our town.”
5. Please list three areas you believe the city of Philomath could improve upon?
McMorran: “1. Engagement and outreach. I’ve championed meeting residents where they are, rather than constantly expecting them to come to us. That means tabling at community gatherings, hosting Councilor Coffees and more. I want to increase this through increased mail notification on important decisions, fostering better relationships with community organizations and targeted neighborhood outreach. 2. A strong, clear vision that our community is invested in. Our strategic plan articulates 64 objectives for the city. When you have that many priorities, nothing is a priority. I want to use the outreach mentioned above to narrow our focus and deliver what’s most important for residents. That also means ensuring effective council oversight and not simply rubber-stamping what’s presented to us. 3. Businesses and retail here — not just in Corvallis. This includes a grocery store. We need to get people out of their cars driving through town and get them into our stores and restaurants.”
Crocker: “Philomath is pretty awesome and I am proud of some of the improvements we have made during my first term, such as: 1. Streets/sidewalks. 2. Safety for school drop-off/pick-up through the cones on 19th and the thruway of 16th Street. Some areas I think we still need to improve are: 1. Affordable housing: rentals and purchases. 2. Re-location/expansion of the Philomath Community Services facilities. 3. Expand our Library facility for use of all ages. Our inclusivity team has been working towards some great ideas for our senior citizens and I think an expanded library would help that along.”
Irwin: “This year’s Citizens Academy didn’t have enough interest to proceed. The City Council only has people when there’s a controversial topic. I think we can build common ground by working together on basic city services that make for a stronger community. Ultimately, we’re responsible for attracting participants. I would like to do better at disseminating information. It’s no small task but I’d love to see us have increased engagement with the information we make available to the public. I would love to see us continue to work on inclusion. Encouraging everyone to take their seat at the table is important. The small group of people we hear from regularly do not represent our diversity and I would like to get to know some new faces.”
Kaseman: ‘In the four-year term, I suspect my first year will be a lot of listening and learning. I will be very open to listening to the community about what it considers areas that need improvement. From my experience, having lived in Philomath for about six years, I am very pleased with my time here. Nothing jumps out at me as something that needs serious attention. That said, again, serving as a city councilor will be a new experience, and it will open up new spaces to listen to the community for feedback; I will take those concerns to the City Council for discussion and attention.”
