PAGE 6 | December 21, 2018 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Of Clark County, Washington
IBEW’s Ed Barnes named First Citizen
Ed Barnes, second vice presi-
dent of the Northwest Oregon
Labor Council and a retired
business manager of IBEW Lo-
cal 48, has been chosen the 2019
Clark County First Citizen.
Barnes, 85, lives in Vancou-
ver, Washington, with his wife
LuAnne.
“I was speechless when I got
the call,” said Barnes. “I feel
very honored to be getting this
award.”
The award is presented annu-
ally to a Clark County resident
“who has modeled exemplary
citizenship through actions and
services to the community.”
Barnes is the first union offi-
cial to receive the award, which
dates back to 1939.
The program is a partnership
between the Community Foun-
dation for Southwest Washing-
ton, The Columbian newspaper,
Biggs Insurance Services, and
PeaceHealth Southwest Medical
Center Foundation, and it’s pre-
sented by Pacific Premier Bank.
A pool of candidates is col-
lected through public nomina-
tions, then a winner is chosen by
a volunteer committee that in-
cludes past winners.
Barnes was nominated by
Vancouver Mayor Anne Mc-En-
erny-Ogle, former state senator
Al Bauer, and two previous First
Citizen recipients Sally and
Robert Schaefer. The nomina-
tion form was signed by 75
other people under a statement
proclaiming Barnes’ continued
commitment to service.
“It is no exaggeration to say
that listing Ed’s significant ac-
complishments over his decades
of leadership in our community,
along with his awards and
achievements, by volume alone
would make this letter virtually
unreadable,” the group wrote.
As reported by the Col-
umbian newspaper:
“A union man, U.S. Army
veteran and volunteer with
many local organizations,
Barnes served as a private dur-
ing the Korean War before pass-
ing up an opportunity to go to
West Point in favor of returning
home to Vancouver and becom-
ing an electrician.
“He went on to a decades-
long career with the Interna-
tional Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW) union. For 12
years, he served as business
manager and financial secretary
for Local 48, retiring in 1996.
“Barnes’ volunteering résumé
is lengthy. He joined the effort
to build the United Methodist
Church in the Shumway neigh-
borhood, served as the state’s
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