On a night when there was little on the agenda, all the news from the Hermiston City Council was made at the end of the meeting when Councilors George Anderson and Frank Harkenrider announced they would not seek another term.
Anderson read a statement at the end of Monday night’s meeting stating he would not seek a new term. Anderson, who represents Hermiston’s southwest ward, was appointed to his seat about two years ago to fill out the remainder of Harmon Springer’s term.
Anderson said he intends to spend more time with “the things I love – my family and the practice of law.”
Following his statement, Harkenrider said he, too, would not seek another term, ending one of the longest and most storied careers in Hermiston government history.
“It’s best to get new blood,” said the 87-year-old Harkenrider. “I’ve given 50 years of service to this community. That’s long enough.”
Anderson, too, said it was time for new blood on the council.
“Now is also the time for the best and brightest of Hermiston’s younger generation to step forward, get on the council, and lead this progressive city into the future,” he said. “There is an old saying, ‘You get the government you deserve.’ Hermiston deserves good government. But it does not appear out of the heavens on an outstretched hand. It takes good and committed people. I ask them to come forward and serve.”
Anderson has been an outspoken member of the council since his appointment. He has been a prominent supporter of the city’s Hispanic community and represents the city on its Hispanic Advisory Committee. He has also been a strong supporter of moving the fair and creating the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center.
Anderson said his actions while on the council were always geared toward making the city a better place to live.
“My tenure on the council has been interesting, and I have enjoyed working and debating with the members of the public, council, mayor, city manager and administration,” he said Monday. “Everything I did was for the betterment of this city and its people — all of them.”
Anderson said moving the fair will positively “change the face of this town forever. Twenty seven acres in the middle of town will be converted from a chain link fence restricted area into a wonderful expanded high school campus.”
Anderson thanked those involved in the decision to move the fair, including the Hermiston School District, the EOTEC Steering Committee, the city of Hermiston, the Umatilla County Commissioners and the Umatilla County Fair and Farm-City Pro Rodeo boards. He also thanked those “who laid the groundwork for this move over 30 years ago: Tom Harper, Joe Burns, Bill Wright and Bill Hansell.”
Anderson also spoke about his role in helping give voice to the city’s Hispanic community.
“Helping our Hispanic community has been especially enriching,” he said. “I am proud of how the council, mayor and administration have recognized and supported it, and gave it its own forum with the Hispanic Advisory Committee. I am also proud of the city of Hermiston receiving a National League of Cities Cultural Diversity Award for its efforts in promoting diversity. I will continue to assist our Hispanic community in being an integral part of our city.”
Harkenrider first joined the Hermiston City Council in the early 1960s. Like his father, George, Harkenrider also served as the city’s mayor. Frank Harkenrider served throughout the 1990s as mayor before stepping down. After a couple of years away from city government, Harkenrider was elected to the city council in the early 2000s.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes in 50 years,” he said. “When I first got on the council, there was only 800-plus people here. Now there’s over 17,000. I’ve always been for growth in Hermiston.”
