Councilmember Davis leaves Ephrata seat

EPHRATA - Outgoing Ephrata Councilmember Ben Davis was recognized for his eight years on the council during a recent meeting.

Davis chose not to run for re-election and his term ends at the end of the month. He is being replaced by Valli Millard.

Mayor Chris Jacobson has known the councilmember for 50 years, he said. When the mayor approached Davis about getting on the council, a few people in the community felt like he was trying to get his friend on the council.

"What everyone discovered was that Davis has a mind of his own, and even though I sign his checks at work, and even though I've been a friend for 50 years, he seems to be able to think for himself, and one of the disappointments is he's agreed with me about 10 percent of the time," Jacobson said. "It's probably been a good thing for this community."

The mayor and Police Chief Mike Warren commended Davis on his work for the council.

Davis thanked the present and former councilmembers for being such gracious and respectful people, he said.

"I don't think that was always the case here. Before my time, not too long before my time, there seemed to be one or two individuals on the board who seemed to be more interested in showcasing their personalities than they were with dealing with the business at hand," he said.

The members haven't always agreed, but he said the disagreements are a good thing. If the council always agreed, then they wouldn't be thinking about their decisions.

"I can say that nothing has ever been brought back as though somebody didn't appreciate somebody for their opinions," Davis said. "Frankly, in my opinion, most of the time when we had split votes both of the results were right. It was just a matter of which way to go."

In his about 200 meetings, Davis felt the councilmembers always acted for the good of the city.

Davis complimented the mayor, saying he doesn't know if Jacobson is the best mayor in the city's history, but there is a good chance he is.

"Nor do I believe there will be a better one in the future than him," he said. "I don't think many of you realize what a busy schedule this guy has. His days are pretty well planned out and I get very little of his time ... But I've seen him time and time again, drop everything to take care of city business."

He praised the city's staff for preparing the council for its meetings.

Davis continued, saying he doesn't think the city is perfect. He pointed to concerns with people living in residential areas.

"Forty years ago, it seemed like most people took pride in home ownership. They cared about the appearance of their neighborhood. They followed the laws of the land. If there were ordinances, they respected those ordinances," he said. "I think those are qualities that give a person the definition of being a citizen."

If the city was filled with people who cared and followed the rules, than the police wouldn't have problems, Davis said. Instead some people, whom Davis called inhabitants, can ruin how a neighborhood looks.

"I'm concerned about that because, you know, we sit here and work towards beautifying the downtown area, and have done a great job," he said. "We're always trying to do what we have control of ... We've got a master parks plan out here. That's extravagant. It's wonderful. We're excited about it."

When it comes to residential areas, it seems like the city is close to dropping the ball, Davis said. He pointed out yards without any grass, fire and health hazards in people's yards.

"It's not a criticism ... It's a matter of manpower," he said. "This is a sensitive issue. People have a right to live here. They have a right to own a home, and they should have right to decide how to manage their property ... However, I also believe if somebody is going to live within the boundaries of an incorporated area like we're in, there ought to be a little bit of responsibility towards maintaining property."