Steve Kramer Has Served Wasco County in Multiple Roles
By Rodger Nichols
This month, for the first time in a dozen years, the Wasco County Commission meets without Steve Kramer.
Steve brought a lot of history to the table when he was first elected in 2012. His deep roots in the county stemmed from a decision his great-grandfather made more than a century ago to settle in Criterion, the former pioneer town south of Maupin.
His connection with the family’s Kramer Market in Dufur came when Steve’s grandfather, Sylvester Kramer, died in 1979.
“I was enrolled in the forestry program at Chemeketa Community College,” Steve says. “I knew that my dad had never enjoyed being in the store, so I made the decision to come back. I left school in July of ’79, worked for my father for 6 months, and took over in 1980.”
The store prospered—and added a custom meatcutting business in The Dalles. In 2000, Steve and his wife, Mary, decided to try a different path. Steve began working for Mel Barlow at Mel’s Sanitary Service and for Judy Ewing at Wamic Store.
He says working at the store and getting to know people was a fun experience.
“Judy’s motto was, ‘If we don’t have it, you don’t need it,’ and it was the hub of that community,” Steve says. “I’m very fortunate to have made her friendship and been able to work with her. She’s a very outstanding individual.”
Steve started out with the sanitary service as a garbage hauler.
“After spending 4 years chasing cans, he must have seen that I had some value, and he moved me into the office,” he says. “I basically ran the business and did everything but sign the checks. Mel was tough but also caring, and it was a blessing to work with him and for him. Through those experiences, I was able to bring something to the table as a county commissioner.”
Those were far from all his experiences. Growing up, Steve had hands-on farm experience with the Fargher family.
“My buddy Malcolm and his younger sister, Jeanne, were my age,” he says. “I had the opportunity to buck bales and move irrigation line, and all of that fun stuff. I had a pretty interesting, interesting childhood and teenage years growing up in Dufur.”
Steve’s commitment to public service, he says, comes from his mother and grandmother. The 2 women instilled in him the principles of not saying anything if you can’t say something nice and not complaining about a situation without offering a solution.
That commitment resulted in 2 four-year terms on the Dufur City Council, 2 four-year terms on the Dufur Recreation District, 9 years at Port of The Dalles, and 17 years with the Dufur Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Service.
Steve says he was approached by “a couple of characters” to throw his hat in the ring for county commissioner.
“It was time to step up and see what more I could do,” he says. “My wife and I decided it would be good for me to give it a run.”
Mentions his wife, and Steve smiles. The 2 have been married for 42 years.
“Not only do I get to have her company for the rest of my life, I also get to enjoy the company of her family,” Steve says.
That included Chuck Filbin, a previous Wasco County commissioner, who also served on the board of the community college.
Steve cruised to victory in the 2012 election. He never looked back, with comfortable follow-up victories in 2016 and 2020.
He’s not the kind of guy who toots his own horn. He says he is comfortable working behind the scenes because he doesn’t work for praise. He works for results.
2 of the many things he can be justifiably proud of are the Wasco County Forest Collaborative Group and his work with the Association of Oregon Counties, where he has served on a number of committees, some of them as chairman.
The Forest Collaborative is a unique organization Steve founded with Ryan Bessette and Bill Noonan. The organization finds compromises between the conservation of resources and the economic driver that timber harvests provide. Not only does it reduce legal wrangling between the 2 groups, the Forest Service can act on its recommendations without fear of being drawn into judicial conflict.
“We’ve got some really good projects that we’ve accomplished and protected a lot of homes in the Wamic and Sportsman’s Park area,” Steve says. “The thing I’m most proud of is that the Forest Collaborative is not government-driven. It’s solely based upon individuals and pulling all our agencies to come together as partners.”
These are lasting legacies for Wasco County and beyond, thanks to Steve.