Mayor Says City is "Poised"

"Our city is poised," Mayor Shane Bemis said, delivering his annual state of the city speech.

"We are self-reflective enough to honestly assess our gaps and needs and self-reliant enough to put in the work and continue to invest with optimism."

Bemis, 43-years-old and serving his third term as the mayor of Oregon's fourth largest city, At times he spoke of the problems facing his city as if he was addressing the state and let some wondering if he might seek higher office down the road.

One example of that was when he spoke of the state of Gresham schools, which have been lagging behind in a state that lags behind much of the rest of the country.

"To my knowledge, not a single delegation has come to Oregon to learn about our approach to public education," he said. "Don’t you think that’s a problem? Oregon has abysmal educational outcomes. There’s no other side of this coin and no excuse for failure."

He also spoke of the growing homeless problem.

"It is unconscionable to me that we let our homeless subsist in shantytowns," said Bemis. "This is not the Gresham ethic. For years, Gresham has greeted this issue with compassion and solutions, in an environment short on both."

He did stress the many successes the city has had recently including expanding youth activities such as Friday Night Basketball and bringing in the Boys and Girls Club as well as attracting Subaru to the new Gresham Vista Business Park.

In the end, Bemis struck a hopeful note.

"We gladly answer our call to honor the responsibility of inheriting this great place and happily serve our shift as the stewards of this incredible community," he said.

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