“Bruce has got a very dedicated group that has been behind him all these years,” Oliver said. “It will be a challenge for me to fit in – to find that same level of acceptance, but I am up for the challenge.”
— Ephrata Mayor Elect Steve Oliver regarding incumbent Mayor Bruce Reim. 

EPHRATA — The initial Nov. 4 ballot count shows Steve Oliver winning the Ephrata Mayoral election with 630 votes, or nearly 55% of the vote. Incumbent Bruce Reim had 516 votes, or about 45% of the vote. The election will be certified Nov. 20. 

“I've had people telling me all day long – because my phone's been blowing up. What tipped them off was that they are tired of what's been done over and over and over. They desperately want something to be different. They don't know what kind of change they want, but this is a good start,” Oliver said.  

Oliver, a long-time local business owner, has owned Tarot Tattoo for nearly 25 years. His focus throughout his campaign was working on removing the flood zone designation, expanding businesses in the city and getting Ephrata out of “the rut it has been in.”  

“The first steps I will do is make sure when I get into City Hall, I learn who everyone is there, what they do, what their job titles are and the specific details on their jobs. After I get that, I can assess where we need improvement, or where we can do some change, or how to help people become more efficient,” Oliver said. “After that, I will need to see what is already in the works and see how I fit in with how that is progressing so far, including where I can add my input.” 

Oliver said he plans to work with city employees, an insurance agent and a surveyor to begin talking about how to get the city out of the flood zone designation. 

“I really think that having the right people in the right positions will help us get things done quicker than wondering how we can do this for all these years, as opposed to going to the people that deal with this daily,” Oliver said.  

Oliver said he also plans on trying to bring more industry and businesses to both Ephrata and the Port of Ephrata.  

“I think figuring out what things can be done is important. We need to find people that need space, the land and the location, and we need to attract people that want to plant roots here and want to hire many of our local residents,” Oliver said. “Boeing, for example, I think it would be a great fit here because of our airport. I think an Amazon fulfillment center wouldn’t be out of the question due to the size of our airport, as well.”  

Oliver said his goal for his term is to make Ephrata brighter and more vibrant.

“I know for beautification projects, I would love to work with the chamber to make a lot of those happen. I will suggest a lot of ideas to them,” Oliver said. “I really want to improve just the look of downtown. I think we all need a brand-new coat of paint on many levels. I want to be involved in that and help facilitate that.”  

He said another goal of his is to improve the city's online presence.

“The city has done a great job in improving its online presence, but if you look at its numbers, the traffic still isn’t there,” Oliver said. “We need to find something that creates excitement to visit the websites daily to get more updates. That is what I will be working on. I know my website for my campaign was very successful due to a lot of personal interactions and I know I can add some input to making the city’s website more successful.”

Oliver said he has very big shoes to fill.  

“Bruce has got a very dedicated group that has been behind him all these years,” Oliver said. “It will be a challenge for me to fit in – to find that same level of acceptance, but I am up for the challenge.”  

Mayor Bruce Reim said he is proud of the work he has done in his eight years as mayor and the campaign he ran this year. He said during his time as mayor he helped the city spend money in an effective manner, was a part of hiring several quality employees and assisted in getting several capital projects going or completed.  

“I think I am very proud to continue with the moral and value system that we have developed here in Ephrata with the relatively conservative attitude and the wisest use of resources without going into the hole,” Reim said. “We have been very good at spending money in the right place at the right time and I think a lot of that has really benefited the city for years to come.”

Reim said voters seemed to be focused on someone new for this election. Nonetheless, he said he wants to say thank you to everyone who has supported him throughout the years. 

“I have absolutely been blown away with support and love from the community,” Reim said. “I am forever grateful for that; it has been a blessing.”  

Reim says his advice for Oliver as he takes over the office is to “be prepared to be open to all options.” He said he is excited to spend more time with his wife and family and actually experience retirement.  

“I am going to spend more time with my wife, Bev, and family, as they may have neglected a little bit over the last handful of years,” Reim said. “We are probably going to stretch our boundaries a little bit and spend time doing other things, like retirement, for example.”  

Oliver and Reim wanted to thank the people who decided to vote. 

“I could not care less about who you voted for,” Oliver said. “Just voting is a right, and you need to exercise that right. If you take it as a privilege, then you are looking at it absolutely wrong. It is a right. You need to be involved in how you live in your community.”  

    Ephrata Mayor Bruce Reim said he has enjoyed his time as Ephrata’s mayor. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family.