Mayor Peter Edison speaks at the Banks state of the city address on March 5, 2019. Photo: Chas Hundley
BANKS – Current city of Banks Mayor Peter Edison, 62, is running for city council position 4, while the current city councilor in that position, Stephanie Jones, is running for his seat as mayor.
It’s a step, Edison said in an email interview with the Banks Post, made necessary due to the pressures he’s facing in his workplace due to COVID-19.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 has put tremendous pressure on the profitability of my company. I find myself working longer hours and focusing the majority of my energy on my business and it doesn’t look like that will decrease any time soon. I simply don’t have the time to devote to the duties of Mayor. I do however, want to stay involved in the City and continue the work that we have started,” he said.
Edison says he believes that Jones was aware of his desire to run for her seat; Jones said she had also discussed running for Edison’s seat prior to filing.
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Edison is one of three shareholders and the vice-president of purchasing and sales at seafood wholesale company Ocean Crystal Seafood, a company that largely does business in the southwestern U.S.
With the filing deadline closed, Edison is running unopposed for the position.
Edison is a graduate of Astoria High School, received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Portland.
Currently serving as mayor since 2013, and as a city councilor from 2003 – 2013, Edison has been an elected official in Banks for many of the nearly 21 years he has lived in Banks. In addition to serving as a councilor and as mayor, Edison served as the president of the Arbor Village Homeowners Association prior to being elected to city council.
He and his wife Kathy Edison have raised three sons, all of who were educated in Banks, Edison said. They’ve since grown, graduated, and are pursuing their own careers.
“We have a relatively harmonious, dedicated, and professional City Council that has the City’s best interests and prosperous future as it’s focus,” Edison said when asked about his accomplishments during his tenure as mayor. “ I am also very proud of our Vision 2037 plan, the establishment of our Urban Renewal District, the creation of the Economic Development Commission and the upcoming replacement of the water transmission line from the springs to the City.”
With his election to the council all but a certainty, Edison’s priority, he said, will be to continue the work the council has already established, including the city’s fight against COVID-19.
“The City has been great to me and my family. I look forward to being part of the future of Banks,” Edison said. “If anyone has any questions they can always call my cell at 503-702-1714 or email me at [email protected].
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
