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FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER Longtime Medford leader Mel Winkelman dies at 89 Remembered as a 'giant on the council' Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 28, 2016 at 5:40 PM Updated Jun 28, 2016 at 5:54 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 28, 2016 at 5:40 PM Updated Jun 28, 2016 at 5:54 PM » Social News Mel Winkelman, who devoted more than three decades of his life to serving the city of Medford, died Monday at age 89. Winkelman, the former owner of Winkelman Oil Co., a distributor of petroleum products, was a Medford city councilor from 1982 to 1994. He began his public career when he joined the Medford School District Budget Committee in 1973 and concluded it in 2005, when he left the Medford Water Commission board after 10 years. He also served on the Medford Planning Commission and architectural review commission and on numerous community boards, including Goodwill, KSYS and the Rogue Valley Country Club. Former Mayor Lindsay Berryman said Winkelman was a man who deeply loved the city of Medford and had a strong grasp of the inner workings of the city, which enabled him to delve into the root cause of issues. “He was a good problem-solver,” she said. “He would get his teeth into a subject.” In 1980, Berryman ran for the council against Winkelman and beat him. Two years later, she said, he ran for another seat in Ward 4 and joined her on the council. “I always felt he was pretty straightforward and grounded,” she said. Former Councilor Bill Mansfield said he considered Winkelman a good friend who also had a “very rational” side to his personality. “I think we did differ on occasion, but I consider him to be a giant on the council,” Mansfield said. After they engaged in a healthy debate on a subject, Mansfield remembered, Winkelman would walk him through the issues. “I’d start out feeling one way, and I’d end up changing my mind,” he said. “I can’t think of anybody I respect more.” Mayor Gary Wheeler said he had a long history with Winkelman, knowing him personally and through issues concerning city business. “He was a really valuable city councilor for many years,” Wheeler said. “He had the city of Medford at heart.” Winkelman considered himself a nuts-and-bolts guy and took pride in his involvement in building the city's infrastructure. In a 1995 interview shortly after he left the council, he said the achievement he was most proud of was persuading the council to institute "contract annexation," in which the city annexes developed property instead of raw land, allowing it to reap the benefit of an increased tax base. Other high points Winkelman pointed to in that interview included helping to implement system development charges and a monthly street utility fee to pay for road projects, involvement in the creation of the Medford Urban Renewal Agency and construction of the Bear Creek Park amphitheater. He also headed a regional transportation planning effort that looked out to the year 2015. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jun. 28, 2016 at 5:40 PM Updated Jun 28, 2016 at 5:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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