CRESWELL – In keeping with the spirit of Creswell, swearing in incumbent and new council members on Monday night was echoed by fond sentiment for the community.
“I am moved by the simplicity and the absolute magnitude and grandeur of what we’re doing and what we have here in Creswell … the energy and optimism here at the local level permeates our public business and temperament,” said R. Scott Palmer, Creswell Municipal Judge.
During the first council meeting of the year, mayor elect and three councilors were sworn into their seats: Dave Stram, Alonzo Costilla, Staci Holt, and Nicholas Smith. These seats will be replacing previous council president Kevin Prociw and councilor Misty Inman.
During the ceremony, both Prociw and Inman were awarded for their years of “outstanding service and dedication” to the city, with Prociw having served for four years and Inman five.
In the Nov. 8 election, mayor Dave Stram garnished 80% of the votes and will continue serving as mayor. Stram was originally elected in 2013 and served as mayor until 2018. With 3 years in between, Stram was re-elected in 2021 to complete former mayor Amy Knudsen’s position.
Costilla has served on council since 2019, and was elected council president on Monday.
New to McClusky Chambers are councilors Holt and Smith, who were both elected by write-in nominations on the ballot.
According to the city recorder Grace McNeil, write-in votes are counted by amount of votes and not by majority. This means that of all names written in, Smith and Holt garnished the most.
Accompanying Smith to his first meeting was his wife of 15 years, his children: Lincoln and Ryder and 11-day-old Raylynn, as well as his parents.
In other business, Bill Spencer, owner of the Creswell 76 Station, was elected to the Planning Commission saying, “I want to stand up for Creswell as a unique place. We are not Eugene and we are not Portland … Most people live here because they like what we have. I want us to continue to be unique … I would like to keep Creswell unique and beautiful.”
