Brad Lunt: Kent Taylor was one of the good ones
About the writer: Longtime McMinnville resident Brad Lunt retired five years ago from a career in banking, most recently as branch manager at Columbia River. He has an extensive record of public service, including 30 years through the Sunrise Rotary Club and five, post-retirement, on a Habitat for Humanity building crew.
I went to get a new phone a couple of months ago and endured a conversion process that keeps getting harder the older I get.
When I got home, I started looking to see what was new, and noticed a voicemail from 2021 showing up as unopened. Very strange.
I opened it and was stunned! I had to listen to it several times in disbelief.
It was a message from Kent Taylor, asking me to send a retirement card to a former member of his city hall team.
To those who don’t know, Kent served as McMinnville’s city manager for about 25 years, give or take. He died this last spring.
I got to know Kent from the times we met at the swimming pool, at the golf course or around town. I also served on the city budget committee for several years.
What struck me about Kent was how he connected with people in a quiet, unassuming way. He would always ask questions, listen and remember the conversation the next time you met.
He took that same approach to running the city.
He built a strong and loyal team of managers who were able to collectively look at the big picture and prioritize how money was spent in the face of all the conflicting needs. They all worked as a team, and the city always operated with a substantial financial cushion as a result.
If I recall, one year he either didn’t take a salary or didn’t take his annual raise, aiming to help the city during a difficult economic time. He really cared deeply about this city, as well as the employees who worked for him.
I forwarded that voicemail to the person I was supposed to have gotten a retirement card for. I really wanted him to hear the voice of his former boss and for him to know that even from the grave, Kent was still looking out for him.
He got back to me with his conviction about Kent truly being “one of the good ones”
As we look for a new city manager today, I hope we take the time to find someone who is a good listener, demonstrates proven team-building skills, understands the importance of balancing a budget and loves this town. I hope we can find someone else like Kent Taylor, who was truly one of the good ones.
I see they are having a memorial for Kent on Sept. 20 at the city hall. I encourage anyone who loves McMinnville to come pay his or her respects and gratitude.
If you can’t make it, you can always stop by the entryway at the city pool and rub the nose of the bronze fox that was dedicated to Kent by the city. I do that now that Kent is no longer with us.
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