august7 2014
VERNONIA’S
volume8    issue15
reflecting the spirit of our community
www.vernoniasvoice.com
City Has New Administrator

The City of Vernonia has
reached an agreement with Gian
Paolo ‘Paul’ Mammone to be-
come the new City Administrator.

An agreement was signed
on July 30, 2014. Mammone is
scheduled to start on September
1, 2014. Terms of the agreement
were not made public.

“After some serious con-
sideration in our process we have
picked Gian Paolo as our new
City Administrator,” said City
Council President Randy Parrow.
“A contract is signed, sealed and
delivered and we are ready to
roll. He will be starting on Sep-
tember 1 st officially, but will be
stepping in before that and pro-
viding some technical assistance
in some instances where we need
immediate help.”

Mammone recently com-
pleted a contract with the City of
Banks, OR as the Interim City
Administrator. Prior to working
in Banks, Mammone contracted
with the City of Toledo, OR pro-
viding assistance with Public
Works operations and personnel
management. He also contracted
with the City of Connell, WA
where he served as City Admin-
istrator. Mammone also served
as City Administrator for the City
of Falls City, OR from 2009 to
2012.

“We’re very happy to
have Gian Paolo and are looking
forward to a long term relation-
ship,” said Parrow.

Mammone was born in
Italy and grew up there and in
Switzerland where he did his ear-
ly academic work. He came to
the United States to study in 1990
and has been here ever since. He
received a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Architecture from Ohio
State University in 1994, a Mas-
respects. From a training stand-
point I’m an architect. I’m a plan-
ner. I’m an administrator. I’m a
Master in Public Administration
with a concentration in personnel
ter’s Degree in City and Regional
Planning from Ohio State in 1996
and a Master’s Degree in Urban
Administration from Wright Uni-
versity in Dayton, OH in 2002.

Other past work experi-
ence includes time both in City
of Caldwell, ID and the City of
Ontario, OR where he worked as
Community Development Direc-
tor. Mammone also served as the
Executive Director of the Lincoln
City Chamber of Commerce.

“I was intrigued by this
position because I think there are
a lot of needs here which match
up with my technical back-
ground,” said Mammone when
asked about his strengths and
skills in relation to the job of Ver-
nonia City Administrator. “I am
a generalist academically in some
management and organizational
management. I’m a Master in
Planning. I have experience with
grants and human resources.”

Mammone expanded on
his comments concerning why
he thinks he is a good fit for the
Vernonia City Administrator po-
sition. “I was attracted to this
community because I can be a
generalist but also have a con-
versation with the staff, with the
Council and consulting agencies
about trying to solve immediately
any potential issues that confront
the community,” said Mammone.
“That’s what I like-that this is a
small community where you can
walk the streets of the city and
talk to the public and have imme-
diate feedback about what people
inside
10
local author
gives talk
11
hot dogs
for sale!
12
life with a
scottish accent
19
county fair
free
continued on page 14
58th Vernonia Friendship
Jamboree & Logging Show
For more photos turn to page 19.
VHS Student Interns Learn
and Work Through CTE Program

Current and former Verno-
nia High School students have been
working and getting paid this sum-
mer through a grant program the
School District received this past
year.

The Vernonia School Dis-
trict, in partnership with the Up-
per Nehalem Watershed Council
(UNWC) and Stub Stewart State
Park, was the recipient of a one-
year Career and Technical Education
(CTE) Grant through the Oregon
Department of Education and the
Bureau of Labor and Industries. The
grant pays for six student summer
interns, providing work and learn-
ing opportunities which allow the
students to develop the skills they
will need to prepare for their future
in college, trade school and the work
force.

Two students, VHS gradu-
ate Bridger Steward and Quentin
Skanes, who will be a junior next
year at VHS, are working at Stub
Stewart State Park as Park Interns.
Steward and Skanes are performing
all the duties that an Assistant Ranger
at the park would be responsible for
completing.

Jake Harbour and Jared
Whitton were hired and are work-
ing at the Vernonia School District in
the maintenance department, main-
taining the plants at the greenhouse,
maintaining campus grounds, and
getting classrooms ready for students
in the fall.

Ben Skanes and Adonis
Hopkins are working at the UNWC,
learning to use Geographic Informa-
tion System (GIS), performing analy-
sis of road stream crossings and the
impact on salmon access to spawning
and rearing stream habitat. They also
perform other field and watershed
restoration work.

According to Stub Stewart
Park Office Manager Betsy Miller,
Bridger Steward working at
Stub Stewart State Park.
who is supervising Steward and
Skanes, eleven students applied for
the six total positions through the
CTE training program at VHS. The
students work four days each week
for five hours a day. They are paid
continued on page 14