Mac Mayorship: Incumbent Remy Drabkin cites successes as she seeks another term
McMinnville Mayor Remy Drabkin faces her first challenge in the November election after being appointed interim mayor and running unopposed in 2022. Drabkin points to her experience and track record as reason for voters to select her to lead the city another two years.
“I’m bringing a lot of experience and a proven record of delivering for the community,” Drabkin told the News Register when asked about the difference between her and challenger Kim Morris. “I’ve shown that I’m a highly effective leader.”
Drabkin pointed to examples of her collaborative leadership, bringing groups together to find solutions. She worked with Rep. Lucetta Elmer on HB 4134, which brought $2 million in state funding for housing infrastructure, collaborated with the Tribes of Grand Ronde and Housing Authority of Yamhill County on $7 million in funding for the 175-unit Stratus Village affordable housing development and successfully lobbied for $850,000 in federal funding for the Third Street Redevelopment project.
Drabkin helped bring in lobbyists at the state and federal levels, which has paid dividends, she said.
“We invited in outside resources and that is bringing home $2 million and is unlocking land that will be built that will add to the city’s tax roll in the long run,” she said. “I feel like I have taken the city in a direction with state and federal government that it hasn’t been in forever and it’s bringing back a lot of great resources.”
Asked about residents’ concern that the city is spending and taxing too much under her leadership, Drabkin said growth has outpaced government resources and she is addressing deferred issues while also maintaining service levels.
“We’re pretty bare bones,” Drabkin said. “So I think it’s how do we deliver these services that are expected?”
Some plans and projects have been dormant for decades and Drabkin has made it her policy to address long put aside issues, such as replacing aging infrastructure.
“These are plans that have been on the shelf for 20 years,” she said. “I’m picking up the plans and I’m making them happen.”
Long-term projects include the recently completed master plan for Parks and Recreation, which lays out $80 million worth of projects for the next 20 years. Some of those projects will be funded through the city’s proposed $152.5 million municipal bond that will likely head to voters in May.
“Everything we hear is this is what the public wants and we’ll know that when and if the public passes the bond this spring,” Drabkin said. “I feel that my job is to help being the community vision to life, so that’s what I’m advocating for right now as we move forward.”
Homelessness has been an issue throughout Drabkin’s tenure and continues to be a main focus.
“Honestly I feel like that’s one of the biggest issues in front of us,” she said.
The city’s joint effort with Yamhill Community Action Partnership to open a 37-bed emergency shelter with wrap-around services will soon come to fruition, but that won’t be enough beds for McMinnville’s unhoused, she said.
She noted that all churches can have up to three people stay overnight and said there is more the community can do to help the problem.
“The city receives no money to address housing, drugs, mental health, those are not resources that come to the city,” she said. “So we need a collaborative response.
“I think directing the conversation towards what’s working, what’s being effective ... and investing there is so critical. Tearing each other apart doesn’t create solutions for us.”
She recognized the “nuisance” issue caused by a small group of the unhoused community and said it’s easy to criticize homeless response because the problem has many root causes, including drug and mental health issues, domestic violence and poverty.
She cited city steps including banning large vehicles from parks and changing city code to allow for faster enforcement as beneficial efforts.
“The city has dedicated time and resources in every aspect of this and has been very responsive as the situation has changed,” she said. “That more nuisance part of it ... the city keeps approaching from different angles.”
Drabkin said her first two years in office have been about implementation and she looks forward to seeing projects be completed while also tackling new ones.
“I really want to carry that work through, but new work is also starting all the time,” she said.
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