Engelke kicks off second mayoral campaign in North Bend

Aug. 31—North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke kicked off her campaign for a second term as mayor with a meet and greet with friends and supporters last week.

Engelke hosted the event to officially begin the campaign for a second term, saying her work as mayor is not done.

"In two years, you barely get your feet wet," Engelke said. "It's just not enough time."

Engelke became the first female mayor in North Bend when she was elected two years ago, two years after winning a seat on the city council.

She said she is proud of the work the council has done over the last two years and believes progress is being made in the city.

'The very first thing we did as a council was we established our strategic goals," Engelke said. "We have worked very hard with city staff and did a lot. But I want to see them through. I knew the vision I had for North Bend was going to take a few years to develop."

Engelke cited things such as the city's Urban Renewal Agency buying the old county annex downtown, with plans of demolishing the building and having a mixed-use development built in its place as a project she wants to see completed.

Only one challenger, former Mayor John Briggs turned in paperwork to oppose Engelke in the November election. While Engelke said nothing negative about Briggs, she believes she is the person to lead North Bend right now.

"I am so invested in this community being someone who was raised here and seeing firsthand with my own eyes the ups and downs the community has been through," she said. "It warms my heart to see all we have done. When the council came together right after the election, we developed four main goals we wanted to work on. One of those was to support, maintain and succeed in economic development for our local businesses."

Engelke said the city started a Main Street Program and began offering façade repair grants over the last two years, both which are making a difference.

"If you drive through downtown North Bend, you can see it and you can feel it," she said.

At her campaign kickoff, the crowd included Republicans, Democrats, business owners and friends. Engelke said the mix in the crowd shows the leader she can be.

"One of my strengths is bringing all the partners to the table," she said. "I work with everybody. This is a non-partisan position. So you'll see people from both sides of the aisle."

Reaching out for North Bend often means reaching past the city borders, Engelke said.

"I'm trying to really involved at the state level," she said. "I'm on the board of the League of Cities. I'm also on a task force for mayors and we will be lobbying the Legislature for $800 million to house the homeless."

Engelke said the mayor and council have made major strides in two years, but she said there was another group that deserved praise as well.

"I want to give the city administrator and staff credit for carrying out the strategic objectives we laid out as a council," she said. "We brought in $6 million (in grants). That exceeds by $2 million what we bring in for property taxes each year."

While Engelke has her eyes on unfinished projects in the city, she also has another major reason for running again.

"I have two daughters, and I want to be a good example to them," she said. "I'm a professor at the community college, and I want to be an example to them."

As she begins to campaign, Engelke said she would meet voters in place at any time to share her vision for North Bend.

"My goal is to meet with people and answer questions," she said. "I will meet with anybody. Tonight is the kick off."

Among the supporters at the event were State Rep. Boomer Wright, a Republican, and former State Rep. Caddy McKeown, a Democrat.

"I've had the distinct honor of working with the mayors of Florence all the way to Coos Bay," Wright said. "One of the things I appreciate about Jessica is she's willing to talk to me about her vision. That allows me, as money is available, to help them succeed. I really appreciate Jessica. She's a leader and sorely missing in a lot of places like Salem. we really need people like Jessica, who has a vision and will work hard for the community. That really helps me."

McKeown said she met Engelke through her job at the community college, when Engelke helped her find an intern, who turned into a full-time employee.

"She was up in Salem quite a bit when I was serving," McKeown said. "I appreciate her demeanor and her manner. She's very enthusiastic about her work and she does a good job. She has the right skills."