Seen off to one side of the Moreland Gallery stage Tuesday was an easel with a blank canvas on display. The visual served as a backdrop to comments by Philomath Mayor Christopher McMorran on an evening when he and three councilors were sworn in.
“We’re starting today with a blank canvas — an incredible opportunity to paint the vision of our town’s future,” McMorran told a crowd that had mostly filled Philomath Museum’s second floor for the event. “And while the people on this stage and the people in City Hall will play a big role in that effort, we will only be a piece of the puzzle to be successful. We need the input and engagement of everyone in our community.”
Moments before his first speech as the official mayor, McMorran had been sworn in by City Recorder Crystal Weber. Councilor Diane Crocker also recited the oath to begin her second term. New members Spencer Irwin and Brent Kaseman were sworn in for the first time.
“I invite, in fact, I ask you to please stay engaged as we embark on this next chapter,” McMorran said. “We quite literally cannot do it without you. What do you want Philomath to be? Envision it on that canvas. How do you want Philomath to feel? Picture what it would look like here. That blank canvas is our window into the future and it’s up to all of us what it will look like.”
McMorran provided a brief reflection on the road that Philomath has traveled over the past few years with mentions of the downtown streetscapes improvements, businesses that have come in or building up, the opening of the veterans memorial park, the water reservoir and treatment plant set to come online within the year and the recent road extension of South 16th.
He also brought attention to efforts related to rebuilding and expanding the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo grandstands at Skirvin Park, the work being done underground to replace antiquated water and sewer lines, and the new backup power generator that was needed at the Starlight Summit subdivision. And then there are future endeavors with a redesign of Philomath Community Library and future park upgrades.
“These are amazing achievements, especially for a town our size, but the reality is many of these projects have been years, if not decades, in the making,” McMorran said. “My time on the City Council has been largely spent fulfilling the promises, plans and visions of the councilors and mayors that came before me. The picture of Philomath that we see today has been painted by thousands of hands over many years.”
McMorran paid homage to the individuals that helped build the Philomath seen today. And he stressed the importance of moving forward in the best interests of the community’s future.
“In the same way that the councilors and mayors before us envisioned the projects that we can see and touch today, we now have a responsibility to start sketching out the blueprints for tomorrow,” McMorran said while Crocker, Irwin and Kaseman looked on. “What do we want our community to look like 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and what projects will we undertake? What problems will we solve?”
During his speech, McMorran thanked several, including city staff, partners in government at the local, state and federal levels, outgoing Mayor Chas Jones and engaged community members that he was seeing in the audience.
McMorran also mentioned that “it is impossible to do this work without the support of our families, our friends and our loved ones.”
City Manager Chris Workman opened the event with comments on local government and its importance to the community. In addition to those who were sworn in Tuesday, councilors Jessica Andrade and Teresa Nielson were in attendance.
“More than local government, they care about their community, they want to be good, they want to serve you the people,” Workman said about the City Council. “I just think that’s commendable beyond measure. We can never give them enough thanks for the work that they are volunteering to do, for the work that they’ve already done and will continue to do.”
Workman illustrated his points by sharing own story about how he got into city government. In short, he mostly enjoys one-on-one interactions with residents who care about where they live.
“In local government, you get to look in the eyes of the individuals that you’re having an impact on,” he said.
The first Philomath City Council meeting with McMorran on the gavel and Irwin and Kaseman occupying seats for the first time will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Philomath City Hall. One of the council’s early decisions that could come this month will be who to appoint to a seat that was vacated after the November election.
