Damian Vargas has entered the Republican primary for Lebanon mayor.
The 32-year-old owner of ARE & BE Cafe, at 8th and Lehman streets, said he’s been thinking about a run for the city’s top elected position since he opened the coffee shop and restaurant in 2022. Since then, Vargas said he’s been piecing it together, talking to God about the decision, and plotting about throwing his hat into the ring.
The Cedar Crest graduate attended Lebanon School District until third grade, and always maintained an attachment to the city through his grandparents who were lifelong residents.
Vargas makes clear that he’s not running for the position because he thinks the other options are bad.
Last month, incumbent Mayor Sherry Capello announced her plans to seek a fifth four-year term. Photographer Scott Church has also announced a bid for office. All three are now set to compete in the GOP primary on May 20.
Vargas said he thinks Capello has done a good job. He said he’s known her his whole life – as aunt to Vargas’s cousins, she’s been “Aunt” Sherry Capello to him – and he said his point in running is not to suggest she’s not doing enough good.
Vargas instead sees his candidacy as a natural progression of a desire to make a difference in the world. In his position behind the counter at ARE & BE, Vargas said he’s talked to countless people about their experiences, and he feels driven to get more of Lebanon city engaged in the process.
“Even if I don’t win, it’s going to push the town forward because someone else is making an attempt,” said Vargas.
He later used a football metaphor to make his point.
“I’ll just put it this way – we’ll put it in terms of the Super Bowl – the Kansas City Chiefs are a great team, but if there’s no other team trying to beat them, they would never get better,” he said.
Vargas said that in his position as cafe owner, he’s heard many people tell him that they wished everyone saw the world as he does. Being a self-described doer – “I don’t just talk about things, I do them” – he came to the conclusion that maybe the only way to fix things was to get up and do it himself.
“I really feel I have the heartbeat of our town here,” said Vargas.
His agenda is high-level and people-centric.
Vargas mentioned several focuses in speaking to LebTown, from helping show the world “there is a lot of good in this city,” to making access to city leaders easier, to supporting a growing elderly population that he says can be overlooked.
He also wants to incentivize affordable home ownership in the city and help instill a greater sense of self-worth among city neighborhoods.
Talking to Vargas and he might slip into another favorite metaphor – an idea that it takes a healthy mind to have a healthy body, and that a healthier society is going to make clearer, smarter decisions.
It’s an idea he takes literally, describing a plan to find personal trainers who can visit senior living facilities to help with fitness routines and nutritional plans. But it’s also one Vargas sees more abstractly, in terms of providing a community-driven form of leadership which acts as a healthier mind for the city.
“I have to elevate our town, and the only way to do that is elevate the people in it,” he said. “If they’re not heard, they won’t speak, and if they won’t speak, how will you know what they’re thinking? And if you don’t know what they’re thinking, how will you know how to lead them?”
Vargas said he wants to engage all residents and show them he cares, and help bring them into the political process as a result, and not just cater to the minority who have voted in the past.
He mentioned an idea called Mondays with the Mayor where the cafe is open to the public and he’d be available for anyone to come in and talk about issues in the city.
It’s an offshoot of an idea Vargas sees for himself at some point in the future (“speaking if I were a millionaire, maybe a decade from now”) in turning the cafe into a pay-what-you-can restaurant similar to Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen restaurants.
He plans to raise money for the campaign but expects to use any campaign financing in nontraditional ways. Although there might be some traditional advertising, Vargas explains that, “Let’s say I get $10,000 for budget – I’m not running $10,000 in street signs and ads, I’d rather run an event where people get fed.
“I feel like the best form of advertising is showing the people that you’re part of the people, not just putting your face on a sign.”
Vargas does not have prior local government or legislative experience but said he’s up for the challenge of learning what the job requires.
“When I find something that’s valuable in learning, I almost obsess over it,” he said. “I hyperfocus on it and I learn it and I understand it.”
He says there are a lot of intangibles he brings to the table, including an understanding of power dynamics and how to lead through action. You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room, said Vargas, but if you’re listening to others, you can lead anything.
Vargas said that if elected, he would turn over operation of the cafe to his sister so he could focus on the mayoral job. He has also said he plans to donate 25% of his salary back to the city, saying that he budgets within his means and doesn’t need much. “As long as my dogs are fed and I can eat whatever I want, I’m a happy man,” he said.
If he has one impact on the primary race, Vargas said he hopes that it’s for everybody to be positive in this election and not tear each other down. “Lebanon is one place, and we’re all on the same team and we’re all fighting for the same goals.”
Win or lose, Vargas hopes to push the race towards the people, but either way he sees himself as maintaining pretty much the same goal as he has today.
“I’m very passionate about it, but it’s not something I’m going to hang my whole life on, but win or lose this community will grow. My goal in life is not to become a career politician, my goal in life is to crease as much positive impact in the world as I can.”
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