The swearing in on Jan. 8 of Yoncalla, Oregon’s new mayor was a small but historic affair.

At just 18 years old, Benjamin Simons became the town’s youngest mayor -- and though he turned 19 just a few weeks later, he still brings the average age of the Yoncalla City Council down by double digits.

Yoncalla, where the population hovers around 1,000, is a tight knit community.

“Everyone knows everyone, there’s not a lot of stuff going on all the time, which, that’s fine with me,” Simons said. “I don’t need the big city hustle and bustle.”

That doesn’t mean the teen doesn’t keep busy. He’s completing his certification to become a volunteer firefighter with North Douglas County Fire & EMS. He goes to school full-time at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.

And when he’s not fighting fires, conducting city business or studying, you might find Simons looking for gold on his mining claims outside of Cottage Grove -- though, he admits, the claims are primarily a great excuse to go camping.

“I spend a lot more money than I make up there, but I have a good time,” he said.

After two years — coincidentally, when his term as mayor will be up — Simons hopes to complete his associate’s degree and transfer to University of Oregon to study business. He knows Eugene might be too far a commute from Yoncalla, but he’d rather stay as close to home as possible.

“There’s not many other places that I’d want to be,” he said.

Simons has lived in Yoncalla his whole life. His mother is a retired math teacher at the high school; his dad a retired truck driver.

He was valedictorian of last year’s graduating class of 23. At Yoncalla High, he was a member of Future Business Leaders of America, sat on a student committee of the school board, and served as class president.

Simons was already a city councilor when he was elected mayor in a three-person race last November. When a councilor resigned due to health issues, he applied for the vacancy and was appointed to the seat in August.

“Nobody ever confronted me about (my age) as if it was a bad thing,” he said. “I don’t think my age is something that should hinder my success as mayor.”

Kathleen Finley, Yoncalla’s retired city administrator, is excited to see Simons serve the city.

“I think it’s time for a little breath of fresh air, get some young blood in here,” she said. She hopes having Simons at city hall will “get everybody excited about their town again, and somebody young is involved now and maybe more people will want to come with ideas.”

Tammy Eveland, owner of Yoncalla Deli, said she’s excited about Simons’ election.

“We think he’ll do good things for our little town,” she said. “I’d like to see new changes on Main Street, new businesses, new enthusiasm about our little town. It’s just kind of slowly dying, and it’s sad to see it.”

She talks about the feed store down the street, now empty. The hairdresser who left town. The tax person who closed up shop.

“It’s just sad to see it not thrive and not be supported,” she said.

Don Gambocarto opened Yoncalla Bakery two years ago and says he’s the last new business to come to town. He and his wife opened the store after she was laid off from a grocery chain bakery and his electronics repair business dried up.

“I’m hoping (Simons) can bring some new ideas and new life into our little town,” he said. “The old ways don’t seem to be working well, so hopefully he’s got some new ways that will steer us into some new directions.”

These concerns are not unique to Yoncalla. The town is located in Douglas County, where the loss of federal timber harvesting hit hard. Yoncalla is several miles from Interstate 5, so local businesses miss tourist traffic as well.

“The economics of this area are tough to beat,” Simons said. “And when it comes down to what the city can do, I mean, you just look out on the street. There’s patches, and sidewalks are not in the best condition. That’s what we can help with. We can help keep this area cleaned up and appealing for businesses that do want to come into this town … but as of right now, the city isn’t particularly the thing holding business back.”

Simons mentions the bright spots. Local volunteers, including Eveland, revived the town’s annual Summer Festival. And though the Douglas County Library System shut down, the Yoncalla community is supporting its own independent library with donations and volunteers.

The local newspaper closed several years go, but a new publication, the Community News, started in November. Simons said the Yoncalla City Council voted to allocate $100 a month to help keep the paper going.

“In the process of campaigning, talking to people and doing a candidate’s forum … a lot of what I heard on the campaign trail was well, we’re paying taxes, what is the tax money going to? We don’t see that value,” Simons said.

So, one of his main goals at city hall is greater transparency, to help people “see the value of their money at work.”

Simons is, of course, familiar with the TV show “Parks & Rec,” which featured a plot line about an 18-year-old mayor (also named Ben) who was impeached after blowing the city’s money on a failed winter sports complex. Simons' sister told him about the Twitter memes comparing him to the show’s character.

“Most of the people in Yoncalla haven’t watched ‘Parks & Rec,’ so they weren’t trying to foster those memes,” Simons said. “It was an honest election. People wanted to see change, and I came along and they thought I was the best candidate to bring change to them.”

-- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com

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