McMinnville has been under the same mayoral leadership for the last 24 years, which some credited for the stability in the council's approach to running the city every year.

This year, however, marked a change: Mayor Ed Gormley announced that the time had come for him to retire, in order to devote more time to running his family business, Gormley Plumbing & Mechanical.

He denied any plans to move into state government.

For the first time since Gormley first took office, the mayor's race was contested. Council President Rick Olson, involved with city government since1985 off and on, vied with former councilors Wayne Stocks and Allen Springer, and McMinnville school board member Stan Primozich for the job, and won handily in November.

Gormley was honored for his work for the city, which included creating the annual "Mayor's Charity Ball," with his wife, Candy, to raise funds for the after-school children's program, Kids on the Block. Today, it provides a major part of the funding.

Gormley first became involved with city government in the 1970s, when he was appointed to the planning commission, and later to the city council. He was elected mayor at the age of 36, and served six terms, longer than any other mayor in McMinnville history.

The council surprised him earlier this year with a resolution to name the plaza at the city's new civic hall now under construction "Edward J. Gormley Civic Plaza."