By Dora Totoian • Of The News-Register • 

Ward 3 councilor Garvin wins second term in McMinnville

Rusty Rae/News-Register##McMinnville City Councilor Adam Garvin checks the initial results Tuesday night with his fiancée, Trish Williams, during a small election night gathering with friends at the Blue Moon.
Rusty Rae/News-Register##McMinnville City Councilor Adam Garvin checks the initial results Tuesday night with his fiancée, Trish Williams, during a small election night gathering with friends at the Blue Moon.
Adam Garvin
Adam Garvin
Tynan Pierce
Tynan Pierce

[Updated Wednesday 3 a.m.]

In Ward 3, McMinnnville Councilor Adam Garvin has kept his seat for another term.

In unofficial results, Garvin's vote count was 2,585, or 61.64%. McMinnville community organizer Tynan Pierce, who works in the wine industry, received 1,592 votes, or 37.96%.

Councilors are elected to four-year, non-partisan, unpaid terms. Councilors approve the annual budget, establish long-term and short-term city goals, pass ordinances and resolutions and more.

Garvin, 34, a lifelong McMinnville resident, emphasized ensuring people can comfortably live and work in McMinnville and preserving the city’s small-town feel as it grows. In his second term, he wants to focus on service levels at the fire department, a way to provide affordable housing and finalizing a long-term funding model for an after-school child care program.

Garvin, who owns Garvin Auto Spa and Garvin Auto Dealership, ran four years ago because he saw a lack of transparency and connection between the council and residents. He described some of his most significant accomplishments in his first term as stemming from his service on a downtown safety task force and as the council’s liaison to the airport commission.

Pierce, 38, works at Antica Terra Winery in Dundee and has lived in McMinnville since 2015. His background is in community organizing, education and nonprofits. His candidacy focused on racial equity, workers’ rights and climate justice, with a focus on intersectionality.

He ran as a delegate of the newly created McMinnville People’s Collective, a group seeking to support less privileged residents’ participation in the democratic process. Pierce established a contrast between himself and Garvin, who he characterized as overly focused on preserving McMinnville instead of embracing change.

Garvin has received endorsements and donations from the McMinnville Professional Firefighters and Yamhill First, the pro-business PAC Yamhill First that has supported more conservative candidates in this election, along with varying amounts from individuals. He raised $5,098. Pierce did not form a candidate committee and encouraged supporters to instead donate to local nonprofits.

Comments

Hibb

I think Mac missed out on this ticket by not voting for Tynan Pierce, a relative newcomer to Yamhill/Oregon politics, but a seasoned veteran at getting the job done. I hope that Tynan will consider offering his services in the next available election cycle. Maybe by then, citizens of Mac will not be blinded by the "home-grown" label and accept that even those without an Oregon pedigree can be a viable choice in the near future going forward....

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