Ward 7 councilor was more than just business voice on council

Scott Zimbrick, who represented Ward 7 on the Corvallis City Council and was an executive vice president of Citizens Bank, died suddenly Thursday night, just days after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of acute leukemia.

Zimbrick, 52, was hospitalized earlier in the week in Portland after suffering from flu-like symptoms, causing him to miss Monday’s council meeting.

Instead of the flu, OHSU doctors told Zimbrick he had leukemia and started him on chemotherapy immediately. Friends and family had been told that doctors thought the disease was treatable and that Zimbrick was beginning to make progress.

“To hear this news is just gut-wrenching,” said friend Mike Corwin, senior vice president of OSU Federal Credit Union.

Friday morning, the Corvallis Rotary Club put aside regular business to remember the long-time Rotarian and past president of the club by recounting tales of interactions each had with him.

“His way of engaging people was really powerful,” said Mysty Rusk, president of the Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition. “Very rarely did I call Scott to talk about something and have a conversation that lasted less than 45 minutes.”

Zimbrick was first elected to the council in 2002, when he defeated incumbent Karyle Butcher for the Ward 7 seat. Ward 7 encompasses the Witham Hill neighborhood and parts of Timberhill.

He always wore a tie to council and committee meetings, eschewing the normally casual dress of his colleagues. He was a member of the council’s Administrative Services Committee, responsible for city financial policies and review, risk management and litigation, personnel, and labor relations.

Often viewed as a more conservative member of the council, he voted against the council’s symbolic resolutions against the Iraq War and opposing the Patriot Act. Though he was known as a strong advocate for business interests and economic growth in the city, he also led city efforts in support of affordable housing, public safety and other issues.

“He was a multifaceted, quintessentially engaged Corvallis citizen,” said Mayor Charlie Tomlinson.

Zimbrick voted to enact a tax on phone companies in 2006 to pay for fire protection services eventually rejected by voters. “It’s important to me,” he said at the time. “Public safety is in peril if we don’t.”

He was an integral part of developing the city’s burgeoning plans for economic vitality, an ongoing process Zimbrick clearly saw as equal parts economics and politics.

Just last week, he challenged the governmental affairs committee of the Chamber of Commerce to increase its participation in the effort to expand the local economy.

“He was there telling us we’ve really got to have more people involved,” Rusk said. “Even he, who’s supposed to be this big pro-business guy, he’s totally taking us to task for not being involved to the level he thought we should.”

Zimbrick long advocated for Linn-Benton Community College as well, where he earned an associate degree in general studies in 1975. He later received his Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Oregon, and a graduate degree in banking from the University of Washington.

He served for many years as an area vice president for Wells Fargo Bank before joining Corvallis-based Citizens Bank in 1997 as a branch manager. At Citizens Bank, Zimbrick soon became director of marketing and business development and eventually became an executive vice president.

“It’s a great loss for our company,” said Bill Humphreys, president and CEO of Citizens Bank. “It’s a big loss to the community.”

Zimbrick was a member and president of Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services’ board of directors from 1994 until his first term as city councilor. While on the board, he developed a working relationship between the bank and the agency, which works to create safe affordable housing.

“During the years that I knew him, I always found his blend of conservatism, liberalism, intelligence, integrity, honesty and compassion to be refreshing and a pleasure to be around,” said Jim Moorefield, executive director of the nonprofit agency. “I will miss him.”

Humphreys said he and Zimbrick often discussed housing options for low-income families.

“He felt there needed to be a balance to have a healthy community,” Humphreys said.

Zimbrick was affiliated with a long list of civic organizations, including the Good Samaritan Episcopal Church board of directors, Downtown Corvallis Association, Community Alliance for Diversity, Rotary Club of Greater Corvallis and the Corvallis School Board.

In 2002, Zimbrick was named First Citizen of Corvallis for his commitment to a broad range of civic concerns.

On receiving the award, Zimbrick explained how evening meetings often cut into time at home with his wife, Kathy, and their children Lindsey, 17, and Billy, 14.

“Every time I get up and leave early, they ask me where I’m going and why I’m missing dinner,” he said. “It’s for good causes.”

Matt Neznanski can be reached at 758-9518 or matt.neznanski@lee.net.