Mayor Stephanie Jones is running for reelection to a third mayoral term in November.
“I am not done with the job,” Jones said in an email to the Banks Post. “I enjoy being Mayor and want to keep representing Banks,” she added.
Terms for mayor in Banks are for two years; Jones was elected to her first term in 2020.
Jones, 49, moved to Banks with her husband in 1999.
Jones has held a number of volunteer and elected roles in the city since then.
(A note about our process for publishing interviews: We publish candidate interview stories in the order they are received. We will publish the rest as soon as our candidate interview and questionnaire process is complete. Previously in this series:
Marsha Kirk)
Prior to her election as mayor, Jones served on the city council from 2016 to 2020.
Jones has served for around two decades as the president of the Friends of the Banks Public Library, a nonprofit that supports the city-owned Banks Public Library.
Other roles she’s held include chair of the city’s budget committee, terms on the city’s library board, stints volunteering with groups that advised the new superintendent search and school district strategic plan for the Banks School District, among other positions.
As mayor, Jones also serves on the Washington County Coordinating Committee, Washington County Transit Committee, Public Safety Coordinating Council, and as chair of the Public Advisory Board.
Jones has plans for her third term if elected.
“I want to see a Community Center started, convert the Citizen’s Academy into a series of videos, and prepare for new residents,” Jones said.
The city is expected to grow, with two proposed developments expected to bring hundreds of new homes to Banks.
“I am hopeful about it, the development agreements were a long process,” Jones said of the city’s anticipated growth. “Each project is planning to develop in phases, so that will allow a transition time. The increases in tax revenue to the city will help the budget and let us expand services as needed. The Westside is in the Urban Renewal District which is how the community center can be funded. On the Eastside the development agreement includes a massive City Wide park with two soccer, a baseball and a softball turf field.”
Jones noted that her opponent, City Councilor Marsha Kirk, had voted to approve development agreements for both developments.
“Oregon land use laws are designed to avoid sprawl by concentrating growth in cities. We had a delay in growth as we fixed our 60 year old steel transmission line,” Jones said. “With that replaced and the city requirement to provide a water source when building more than three homes Banks has plenty of water to serve growth.”
Asked what she would like to see changed in how the city works, Jones said she wants more community involvement in the city.
Jones said she was recently able to fill the final open seat on the city’s planning commission, and that multiple times while serving as mayor, the city council has had open seats.
“This was not due to being picky, but that we couldn’t get volunteers,” Jones said.
Jones praised the work of the city’s employees under her tenure as mayor.
“We have a complete and customer oriented Public Works department, our Library director agreed to reduce her hours to balance the Library budget, and our City Manager has been handling the flood of development applications,” Jones said.
“You can’t be mayor without a great staff,” she added.
“All of the Banks elected positions are nonpartisan,” Jones said. “Those who serve are from both sides and the middle and we work together to make the best decisions for our city.”
Asked if she would have any campaign events, Jones said she would be at the September 8 end of summer celebration at Greenville City Park.
Jones’ candidacy is not supported by a Political Action Committee.
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.
