Athena, OR is a small and vibrant city nestled in the foothills of the Coast Range Mountains. Politically, the city is represented by a mayor and four council members that work together to make decisions on behalf of the citizens. The current mayor is David Smith, who has been in office since 2019 and works hard to ensure that Athena is well-represented and thriving. In addition to focusing on local matters such as infrastructure, public safety, and economic development, Mayor Smith has also advocated for social justice reforms within the city limits. He has been an ally for marginalized communities, supported increased resources for education, and worked diligently to create a welcoming environment for immigrant families. The City Council is comprised of four members elected from four distinct wards: East Side Ward 1 (representing east side neighborhoods), West Side Ward 2 (west side neighborhoods), Northward 3 (northside neighborhoods), and Southward 4 (southside neighborhoods). These council members play an essential role in enacting legislation that affects all residents of Athena. They meet monthly to discuss issues concerning zoning regulations, public transportation options, budget allocation, land use policies, community engagement initiatives, and other important matters.
The political climate in Zip 97813 (Athena, OR) is strongly conservative.
Umatilla County, OR is very conservative. In Umatilla County, OR 32.4% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 64.4% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.2% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Umatilla county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 64.4% to 32.4%.
Umatilla county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 97813 (Athena, OR) is strongly conservative.
Athena, Oregon is strongly conservative.
Umatilla County, Oregon is very conservative.
Hermiston-Pendleton Metro Area is very conservative.
Oregon is moderately liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Athena, Oregon: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in zip 97813 (Athena)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 2 contributions totaling $20 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $10 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 10 contributions totaling $830 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $83 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)