Jimmy Bogroff For Mayor
City of Banks
Hey Neighbor!
I'm glad you're here today. All of my life I've been rooted in the Banks community. As a 1995 graduate, I am a product of the Banks school system, where I competed on the field and worked hard in the classroom.
Now I want to be your Mayor.
The campaign is off to a great start! I am so encouraged by your support.
Since announcing that I am running for Mayor of Banks, I have been meeting with business owners, city residents, and neighbors across our broader community. No matter the political affiliation, age and stage of life, or background, you have all voiced the same question: how do we maintain our community identity as we grow?
I see this challenge as an opportunity, and I am ready to represent the City and Community of Banks as Mayor during the next 2 years.
Uniting Our City and Our Community
Why I want to be your Mayor
To Welcome New Families To Banks
New families and new businesses are choosing Banks. Let us greet them well, make it easy to put down roots here, and give them a reason to invest in this place the way we have. Without the Arbor development, I could not have returned to my hometown to raise my family. As new families join our community (or return to their roots), we can help them to feel at home.
To Bring Our Legacy Forward.
Growth does not have to cost us who we are. The traditions, the neighbors, the small-town character that made us want to stay here can carry into the next chapter of our City. We can still carry our time-honored traditions into the future.
To Meet Community Challenges Together.
Every conversation I have had, across every affiliation and every stage of life, has landed on the same concern. That common ground is exactly what we build on. We are a hardworking community, with strong families, and a sense of volunteerism. We've got this, Banks.
We have an amazing town. The people are hard-working and friendly. Families are active in the community, and strong schools instill a sense of pride.
This is a special community, and it would be an amazing honor to be elected Mayor.
In the early 2010's I had an opportunity to start getting involved through coaching and volunteering. A broken-down high school felt like just the right opportunity to problem solve. After several attempts, a dedicated group of volunteers found the right timing to bring a solution to the community, and now we are building a new high school that we can all be proud of. When we began organizing a privately funded effort to renovate Kelly Field, I knew that this was another project that I wanted to be part of. And because I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the long-range planning committee, I also stepped forward to serve Banks on the Planning Commission. In this role, I was able to continue to working on important community issues. I read every page of analysis, asked challenging questions to stakeholders, and looked for opportunities to support the businesses in our town.
Now I want to do the same as Mayor of Banks, and I am asking for your vote this November.
A Vision For Banks
What I'll Do As Mayor
Six things that I believe are important to our community, and that I will pledge to prioritize in office.
Partner With Our City Councilors and City Employees
City council is listening to you. They have a wealth of experience, and they serve our city with experience, integrity, and knowledge. This is a strong City Council. Our City employees are dedicated to our community and are working for you. We can trust them to represent us well. They want a strong future for Banks and the surrounding community.
I support our City employees, councilors, and other committee participants.
Allow Businesses to Grow
We need a strong business climate in our community. Banks is a residential community that is in danger of becoming simply a commuter community. We need to support our entrepreneurs, and to find local community-oriented solutions to keep our hard-earned dollars in the community.
The City's Vision 2037 plan with designated investments into Urban Renewal Areas (URA) is a great example of how our city is investing in itself.
I am committed to our small businesses, and to keeping local dollars local.
Encourage Our Community To Volunteer Its Time, Talents and Treasures.
We have amazing volunteers. We still need more. Have an opinion? Passionate about our community?
I'll be asking you to join me in resourcing our town and filling the empty chairs on councils and committees.
Plan Our Future Together, Proactively.
As we consider zoning changes, historical inventory, and the future of our shared spaces, we can work on a proactive and collaborative approach. Embrace disagreements to shape perspective.
I'm ready to plan our future together.
Provide A Place Where Disagreements Provide Clarity.
Listening and agreement. Two terms that seem hard to identify and differentiate in today's local political climate. I believe you can listen and disagree with respect. And I believe that disagreements provide the perspective and clarity we need to make well-informed decisions. Let's disagree with respect. We're all neighbors, and we chose this city for many of the same reasons. I find that we often have much more that we all agree about than what we disagree about.
Don't agree with that? I'd love to listen.
Encourage Our Larger Community To Be Involved.
The residents of the city are the ones who vote on issues. Many outside of city limits are frustrated and feel left out. And while this is exactly how local government works across the State, we feel the pinch a bit more because we live in a low-population community with nearly twice as many residents in the surrounding community. Over the next 10 years, this will change to be about 50-50. How do we include the broader community? I know many of you personally, and as you’ve learned about my candidacy, I’m hearing about the issues that are important to you firsthand. Keep sharing with me. I’m listening.
This is an important issue to me and one that I will be exploring in office.
What I've Heard
Two issues I'm tackling first.
1. Keeping the Banks Identity
Banks is a small town. I can vividly remember pulling into town on 47, reading the population sign: 490. The sign stayed that way for a long time. My classmates had parents who were loggers and farmers. Others commuted to Hillsboro, Beaverton, or Portland for work. Maybe they worked for Tektronix or Nike, but this was well before the Silicon Forest.
We're still a small community. And even with growth, we'll continue to focus on being good neighbors, involved in our community, and supportive of the schools and businesses in our city.
What I've Heard
2. Concerns About Business Opportunity
We've seen a lot of businesses come and go over the years. We've seen different restaurants occupy the same building, and we've watched local entrepreneurs start new coffee shops, delis, and restaurants.
Many of us share a concern about the City's ability to support businesses.
Our current city council and local government are actively working on this issue through zoning, coding, urban renewal, and thoughtful planning. I support their efforts and believe that they are on the right path.
My Experience in Our Community
A look at the years, schools, teams, boards, and neighbors that shaped a life in Banks — and the community legacy I want to carry forward.
Born at Maple Street Clinic in Forest Grove
Parents moved to Banks
Parents built home on Green Mountain Road
Attended kindergarten in the current American Legion building on Main Street
Attended 1st grade at Manning Elementary School
Attended Banks Elementary School
Attended Banks Junior High School
Attended Banks High School
Senior Class President. Four-year letter winner and captain of the soccer team, two-year letter winner in basketball, and two-year letter winner in baseball.
Job shadowed the City Manager, City of Hillsboro
Graduated from Willamette University with a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Bachelor’s in History
Senior thesis on the effects and impacts of the urban growth boundary.
Moved back to Banks to raise my family
Volunteer coach, BYSA
Youth soccer coach for fall and spring seasons.
Served on the Banks School District long-range planning committee
Evaluated bond options for district facility needs.
Hired as Banks boys JV2 basketball coach at Banks School District
Joined the BYSA board
Volunteer coach, BYBA
Youth basketball coach for girls and boys classic teams — multiple state playoff finishes.
Served on the Banks School District long-range planning committee
Evaluated bond options for district facility needs.
Founded Fearless Influence
Hired as Banks varsity soccer coach at Banks School District
Six-time Academic All-State; 2023 League Sportsmanship Award.
Hired as Banks boys JV2 basketball coach at Banks School District
Returned for one season at the request of the staff.
Served on the Banks School District long-range planning committee
One of three initial co-chairs, then a member of the committee to strategize the 2024 bond and the implementation of the long-term 2040 plan.
Hired as Banks boys JV2 basketball coach at Banks School District
Returned for a third stint. Part of back-to-back league championships and a fifth-place state finish.
Joined the City of Banks Planning Commission
Evaluated development agreements for Sunset West, Holt and Banks School District, with in-depth analysis.
Cabinet member and volunteer marketing & communications, Kelly Field 365
Private fundraising effort to improve Kelly Field to a multi-use turf playing surface.