FILE- Redmond City Councilor Jay Patrick appears with Mayor George Endicott at a 2018 council workshop.

After a lifetime in Redmond and 23 years on Redmond City Council, Jay Patrick’s story is baked into the bricks of Redmond.

From Centennial Park and the Maple Street Bridge, to the Redmond Airport and the new location for the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Patrick’s fingerprints rest on nearly every major decision the city has undertaken over the last two decades.

But, as the new year begins, a new beginning will start for Patrick after he finished a close third in the race for mayor. He will now be without a council seat for the first time since he was elected in 1999 — the same year the euro was introduced and Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial began.

Patrick was blindsided during the 2022 election by former mayor George Endicott, who endorsed newcomer Ben Schimmoller. The endorsement split the vote and gave council member Ed Fitch a path to the top seat.

“It’s been a little painful going through the election process,” Patrick said. “Right now I’m going to take a deep breath and regroup.”

A soft-spoken man, Patrick wields a practiced hand in local politics and deftly balances his honesty with humility — preferring to credit others rather than announce his wins.

During his time on city council, Patrick served as council president and watched the city grow from a population of 12,408 people in 1999 to 39,576 in 2022. He attended more than 1,600 city council and urban renewal agency meetings where 440 ordinances and 1,061 resolutions were passed.

Patrick attributes that longevity — and the success that resulted — to city staff and the community.

“It would be really cool to say I did everything,” Patrick said. “But I’m not. I’m just a part.”

Many voters, he said, think city council drives everything. But this isn’t true. Instead, they’re just a piece — a cog in that wheel.

“I’m glad to have been a piece of the train that built this whole thing,” Patrick said.

Others have recognized Patrick’s engine.

“He’s got a great heart for the city of Redmond and he’s got a great heart for people personally,” said Ron Bryant, who served as mayor of Redmond from 1972 until 1978.

Bryant has known Patrick since the 1970s, when Patrick and his son went to high school together.

“He’s as honest as the day is long,” Bryant said. “He’s just a great person.”

History

The son of a nurse and retired Army man who worked downtown, Patrick came to the city when he was six years old.

He remembers the old Redmond — the one where potatoes were king and everyone would gather together during the Fourth of July to eat ice cream.

“It was a real community and you knew everybody in town,” Patrick said. “The whole culture was great. It was a fantastic place to grow up.”

They never had to worry about anything, he said, and they’d leave all their doors unlocked.

Through his time on city council and the rapid growth of the city, Patrick said he tried to keep the old, small-town Redmond alive where everyone was as friendly and helpful as they could be.

“For the most part, that’s been the number one goal,” he said.

He’s tried, he said, to keep it growing in a smart way.

Bryant said that while Patrick has had to fight an uphill battle on some issues, he was always pushing.

“When he thinks something needs to be done, he’s all in on it,” Bryant said. “Even when it looks like an uphill battle, he’s still there.”

This history — of a smaller, simpler Redmond — is the common thread Patrick used to knit the city together during his time on council, even if at times it came at odds with the growing population.

“If you look back, you never want to forget history. You never do. It’s important,” Patrick said. “You should always remember it and keep it in memory so you don’t repeat the bad stuff. But celebrate the good stuff.”

Giving back

It’s not just his memories of a smaller city that tie him to Redmond. It’s also his personal history.

In eighth grade, Patrick began noticing the symptoms of dystonia — a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions. During his junior year, he was officially diagnosed and the city and community came together to fund two brain surgeries for him in New York in June and December 1974.

“The city just stood behind me,” Patrick said. “It just helped make the city special.”

Redmond, Patrick said, has always been there for him and all he’s wanted to do is to give back to the city that raised him and supported him.

“I’m thankful that there’s good people in the world,” he said.

The same year he began noticing the dystonia, Patrick was elected to student government in eighth grade and was class president during his freshman, sophomore and junior years at Redmond High School. As a senior in 1975, he became student body president.

He said he wanted to be a voice that could mold his school or the city.

“I think I just enjoyed being a part of the process rather than just sitting back and complaining about things or wishing that things would happen,” Patrick said. “(I) try and help out wherever I can.”

Advice for incoming council members

While Patrick doesn’t know how many different councilors have come through the city council during his 23 years, Patrick has some sage advice for the future council and newly elected members John Nielsen and Kathryn Osborne.

“Take it slow and absorb the information and ask questions,” he said.

He said councilors have to be unafraid of questions and humble enough to ask them. Sometimes, he said, the questions are for the audience so people can understand the issue council is facing.

He asked city councilors to meet with experts before votes and to try to read every document that comes through, even if it’s long and tedious. Councilors should have plenty of time to review and talk about items and then make intelligent decisions.

Rushing can lead to cutting corners. And, when you cut corners, it can create real problems.

“It seems like way too often, things happen at the last moment,” Patrick said.

He also urged councilors to listen to each other, city staff and to the community and to use the other councilors’ specialties and strengths and build relationships and trust with each other. He said the way the council operates is for the community, not for a particular ideology of the council member.

“We were elected to be there and to represent the city,” Patrick said. “We need to listen.”

The future

While Patrick said he still wants to be involved, he likely won’t be going for Ed Fitch’s empty council seat when Fitch assumes the mayorship. While he’s tempted, he said he doesn’t want to step on Fitch’s toes and wants to give him space to lead.

He mentioned that Fitch may be looking at term limitations as well and is not sure he’d be up for Patrick filling the empty seat.

If council asks him back, then he may apply for the seat. But, he said he may step away for a couple years and run again. By then, however, he may be closer to thinking about retiring.

“But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens,” Patrick said. “Never say never.”