Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Jim Bean likes where the city is headed right now, and he’s got ideas about where it should go in the future.
“I’m going to say things are going well right now,” Bean said. “We work well together. When we deal with issues, we pretty much understand that when consensus is made, you go with the consensus, and the issue pretty much rests at that point.
“I would like to see Sweet Home really work on what’s going on right now with our downtown development groups. I want to see us really attract businesses here.”
That raises a couple of issues. Among them are the downtown sidewalks. Bean says he would like to see some enforcement of the rules against riding bikes or skateboards on Main Street sidewalks downtown.
It doesn’t happen constantly, but people sometimes get run over by bicyclists, he said. His wife’s toes were run over last week.
If people want to ride their bikes downtown, they should move over to Long Street, he said. Making that change is part of improving the downtown experience.
“One thing I see is this building we have of houses in Sweet Home,” he said. “We’re in that mix with the growth. We’re going to have people come to us. We are an older community. We have to focus on the services. We need to really work with those trying to invest in our community, (with) some allowances in code. We can be more flexible in dealing with people.”
A former police officer himself, Bean said he is happy with the direction police have gone running traffic patrols, he said. People are slowing down.
He is concerned about crime, he said. It’s not as bad as other communities, but it’s still a problem in the community.
He would like to run operations like crosswalk enforcement actions by the Police Department for theft, putting out a loaded pickup, he said. Based on credible sources, he said, Sweet Home is viewed by thieves as easy pickings. He would like to change that by adding risk to the crime, a risk that the police might be running a sting operation.
Police can only do so much though, he said. Right now, looking at the weekly police log, he sees people constantly cited and released on criminal arrests.
“This isn’t cutting it,” he said. There needs to be punishment to fit the crime.
Bean said he wants to promote the idea of “caning.” He isn’t interested in cruel methods such as cutting fingers and hands off or the back-shredding caning practiced in some countries, he said. He is talking about a “good old-fashioned whupping,” a real deterrent and real consequences.
When he was a child, he said, he threw rocks through the neighbor’s windows. When he was spanked, he learned not to do it again.
“All these laws don’t do much without enforcement,” he said. “I really want to focus on being proactive, and hopefully the justice system will improve rather than revolving-door them out.”
Probably the most controversial subject since the last election two years ago is the council’s decision to permit Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments in commercial establishments.
Bean supported that decision.
“The impact has been very minimal,” he said. Based on the information the council was provided on both sides, he is shocked there hasn’t been some kind of problem, but the fear of traffic, littering and corruption, all of the negatives “didn’t come to be.”
“Texas Hold ‘Em is so popular,” he said. “I was hoping it would draw more people (to town). I don’t see that having an impact (positive or negative).”
When hard times come, Public Works and law enforcement are Bean’s priorities for budgeting, he said. “I just see us being frugal and working within our budget.
“Most people have been through that route and know where to hack and cut. I think we’ve got good oversight on our finances. We’re in fair shape for what we’re doing.”
Bean said residents should support him because “I’ll listen to what your concerns are, and I’ll take action. Hopefully, it will be done to your satisfaction. I represent you, and I’m proud to do that. I love Sweet Home, and I want it to be a better place for my family and friends.”
People are welcome to contact him directly at home, 367-8467.
Bean, 66, has been in Sweet home for about 31 years. He grew up in Forest Grove and graduated high school there. He attended Portland Community College and earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice. He served in the Marines for 10 years, working as a utility crewman aboard a C-130 and then transferring to artillery. He served two and a half tours in Vietnam, 1965 to 1968.
He returned to the United States and went to work with his brother-in-law making booms for cranes. He also started a security company with a friend in Portland. Through that, he had the opportunity to go to work as a police officer in Cornelius. He moved from there to Drain and then to Sweet Home Police Department.
He has worked at Weyerhaeuser Santiam Lumber between Sweet Home and Lebanon since August. Before that he worked temporarily for Weyerhaeuser in Coburg after Bauman, where he worked for four years, shut down. Prior to that he worked at Triple T Studs in Cascadia for 16 years.
He has been married to Hiromi for 42 years. They have one son, James Jr., who is a teacher and coach in Carson City, Nev. They have three grandchildren, Jasmine, Jordan and Britany.