Rogers, Bill J
From Lane Co Oregon
Bill "B.J" Rogers had a bachelor of law degree from Missouri Institute in St. Louis. At the time of his election to Mayor, he was a sales manager for Willis H. Small Feed Company. He served in World War II and was in the Air Force Reserves. He was married to his wife Winnie and they had one daughter.
B.J. worked for the Oregon Broiler Association in the '50's and was instrumental in starting the Oregon Broiler Festival. The Springfield Broiler Festival held by the Jaycees every year until the late 1980s was one of our most popular Springfield Events.
He was long active in civic affairs serving on the Planning Commission, Recreation Council, Citizens Committee for Urban renewal prior to his election to Mayor from 1961 to 1964.
He was mayor when the election approved the annexation of Eastern Springfield under Ed Harms was challenged and had to go to the Oregon Supreme Court for a ruling. As a rresult of a positive ruling, B.J. oversaw one of the largest public infrustructures of the newly annexed area. He led the campaign for approval of a $3.5 million bond issue for sewers and storm drains. This issue continued to dog hiim throughout his term as rresidents unhappy with the annexation and the bond issue tried to recall him from office. He successfully fought off the recall election in 1962 but the voices of discord eventually caught up to him, resulting in his defeat when Rogers ran for a second term.
[edit] Springfield News October, 1960
Rogers Objects to Invitation To Meeting Without Full Facts
Mayor Candidate Bill Rogers stated his displeasure at being invited in a "non-partisan" meeting tonight (Thursday) without being told that the person and organization inviting him had already endorsed his oponent.
His objection was made at the regular meeting of the Springfield Realty Board on Tuesday noon of this week to watch Rogers and Leslie Fleming had been invited as speakers.
The candidates' talks followed a brief business meeting conducted by Board President Mrs. Marcella O'Bryant which endorsed by resolution, ballot mesure No. 13, the War Veteran's Bonding and Loan amendment.
Frank Kephart, program chairman, introduced the candidates with Rogers first on the program.
Rogers opened his talk with a brief comment of his being asked to appear at a meeting Thursdsay evening by the secretary of an organization, a city candidates' open forum, which he thought ws to be a non-partisan meeting. He was surprised, he stated, to discoer in the same paper as the notice of the meeting an advertisement for his opponent and two councilmen signed by the same organization and person who contacted him for the meeting. He did not feel this was above-board tactics but stated he would attend the meeting, as he would any meeting to which he was asked by the voters.
He went on to outline his beliefs in what the city nees and how these needs should be met, adding from former comments his view that no additional arreas should be annexed to Springfield unless they asked to be annexed by petition to the proper authorities.
Leslie Fleming re-stated his primary objectives of bringing limited government to Sriingfield and reducing taxes. He went into some detail on previous statements on extending his influence to school and park district matters by pointing out that if he reduced taxes for the city, he would be derelict in his duties as mayor if he allowed other taxing districts to negate the savings by raising their mill levies without his doing everything in his power as a citizen to stop such raises.
[edit] City Officials of Springfield during B.J. Rogers' term
City Manager - Frank R. Smiley
Councilmen John D. Danielson
Recorder Treasurer William E. Mansell
Police Chief Floyd L. Clower
Fire Chief Harry R. Krieger
City Engineer - L.T. Eison
City Attorney - Robert B. Carmichael
Librarian - Veva Morgan
Street Superintendent - J.H. Fleck
Building Inspector - Walter B. Van Orden
Municipal Judge - Leigh J. Monson
[edit] Springfield News, October, 1964
Candidates Statements
| B.J. ROGERS
Four years ago I ran for mayor of Springfield, and now I'm again running for the same office, but this time there is a significantdifference. The results of the election four years ago did not change my desire to serve the city as mayor, but it did cause one to take a seond look at my qualifications. After taking this second look, I decided to lay out a program to educate myself in municipal affairs so well that at this year's general election I would be the best qualified candidate this city has ever had. I started to run for mayor of Springfield the day after the general election four years ago! On that day I started putting into effect the plan that would train me for the responsibility. The morning after the election I phoned Mayor Harms to congratulate him on the fine compliment the popel of Springfield hd given him and to offer my services by what ever cpacity my special talents could be used. Mayor Harms was most gracious and appreciative of my offer and since that time has called on me many times to serve the city. The first of these responsibilities was as a member of the Mayor's Committee on Urban Renewal and later as chairman of that committee. This was followed by service as chairman of the Citizens Committee on Community Development, chairman of Springfield's participation in Oregon's Centennial celebration, and my present responsibililty as a member of the Springfield Planning Commission. There were others, but these were the ones that acquainted me with the vairous city departments, the heads of each department and the special problems that each department has. During the past four years I have attended many council meetings, have received the minutes of each council meeting during this period, and as a result of this continued interest I have accumulated a gread deal of knowledge of the affairs of this city. I want to see the City of Springfield grow and prosper. No city can grow and prosper without responsible trained leadership. Becuase I cared enough to carefully train myself for these responsibilites, and proved that care through public service, I feel that I am best qualified to receive the vote of the people of Springfield. | LESLIE FLEMING
In an attempt to answer the question "why the people of Springfield should vote for me November 8," I must ask the voters to answer the question "How much government do you want?" The program I advocate is one of restricting the functions of government to those problems that people, living close together, have created. These are in order of importance, seewage, drainage, streets and street lighting, fire protection and police protection. I would resist all efforts in the direction of trying to legislate goodness in people such as prescribing the ambient of floor space or head room you should have in your house or the kind of tree you might plant on your property. I think it is a fundamental duty of the elected official to see that the people get all the facts and to run the city government as economicly as possible. The problems we have are mutual ones and can be solved only by all pulling together to make the whole city one that will attract all forms of human endeavor. This, however, cannot happen if we restrict individual initiative by weird ordinances or adopt such grndiose spending program that our combined tax rate far exceeds that of the surrounding cities. To make any seven million dollar positive program work, one must rrealize the taxpayers will have to pay the bill. The only people I want to support me are those who are willing to become self-responsible and want as little government as possible. For it is only if these people are in the majority can I fulfill any promise that taxes can be lowered. |
| Mayors of Springfield | |
| Albert S. Walker (1885-1886) • S.I. Lee (1887) • Albert S. Walker (1888) • Simon Tuttle (1888-1889) • T.O. Maxwell (1889) • Albert S. Walker (1889-1890) • Albert Wheeler (1890-1892) • L. Gilstrap (1892-1893) • Albert Wheeler (1893) • J H Van Schoich (1893-1894) • Albert Wheeler (1894-1895) • Eugene C Martin (1896-1899) • John B. Innis (1900-1902) • H.A. Skeels (1902-1903) • R.A. Jayne (1903-1907) • Mark M. Peery (1907-1909) • W.M. Sutton (1909-1911) • Welby Stevens (1911-1913) • Charles L. Scott (1913-1915) • Elmer E. Morrison (1915-20) • Charles F. Eggiman (1921-1924) • George G. Bushman (1925-1929) • Charles O. Wilson (1929) • Wilfrid P. Tyson (1930-1934) • Ernest H. Turner (1934-1935) • W.A. Taylor (few minutes, November 27, 1935) • Ed Waltman (1935-1936) • William H. Pollard (1936-1940) • Charles Chandler (1940-1945) • Claude T. Gerlach (1945-1949) • B.P. Larson (1949-1953) • Edward C. Harms, Jr. (1953-1961) • B.J. Rogers (1961-1965) • David L. Scofield (1965-1967) • John E. McCulley (1967-1970) • William Morrissette • Maureen Maine • Sid Leiken |  |
