Stram
CRESWELL – A three-person council tonight appointed the new – yet familiar – mayor of Creswell. Former three-term mayor Dave Stram won over council tonight with the message that he will bring unity back into the community.
Stram beat out council president Kevin Prociw for the position, who had been serving as interim mayor until the position was filled. It was an unanimous vote made by councilors Misty Inman, Shelly Clark and Alonzo Costilla. Councilor Jeri Hutchinson was absent.
Prociw, who will now resume responsibilities as council president said after the appointment that: “The results are what is best for Creswell. I trust all of our councilors together to make the appropriate choice. For me that’s what happened here tonight.”
Prociw
Stram, a pastor for nearly three decades in Creswell, also served as mayor from 2013-18, during which he is credited for helping the community heal during hard times. He received an Oregon Mayor’s Leadership Award for a small city in 2017 through the Oregon Mayors Association.
76 owner Bill Spencer, Creswell School District budget committee member Lonn Robertson, former mayor Richard Zettervall and businesswoman Debbie Cuddeback, all spoke in support of Stram tonight, who said, “I work in the area of religion and politics to try and bring people together. It has happened before in Creswell and it can happen again,” he said.
Nearly a full house tonight at Creswell City Council’s meeting. ERIN TIERNEY/THE CHRONICLE
The appointment comes after the resignation of two mayors and two city councilors in less than a year. Stram will complete former mayor Amy Knudsen’s position, which will run until November 2022.
Prociw said after the meeting that he’s “excited to work with Mayor Stram and to get together to start doing the business on behalf of the City.”
Stram said he pledges to “use my hands, my mind and my heart working with all of you to fulfill the vision of bringing people together and Creswell.”
“And away we go!,” Stram said after the appointment.
Read the full story in this Thursday’s edition of The Chronicle.
