welcome/opinion
august7
2014
Thank You Jamboree Committee!
Another Friendship Jamboree
and Logging Show weekend has come
and gone. From what I heard through-
out the weekend and have read on social
media following the weekend’s con-
clusion, people around the community
were very pleased with what they expe-
rienced at Jamboree this year.
The Jamboree Committee has
been meeting throughout the year, work-
ing on plans to expand and improve
Jamboree. The committee had several
goals this year: increase attendance and
participation, increase the number and
variety of vendors, and provide live en-
tertainment and over-all make the event
more family friendly. It seems like they
succeeded on all fronts.
Although sparsely attended at
times, the entertainment was, for the
most part, top notch. It was almost
impossible not to notice the large in-
crease in vendors along Bridge and Ad-
ams Streets. Activities for kids were on
prominent display from the large climb-
ing wall to the magic show on Friday
evening. And I think everyone noticed
the increase in the size of the crowd.
All and all it seems like the
Jamboree Committee met their goals
and provided for a fun and entertaining
weekend for our community.
All of this would not have hap-
pened without the hard work of the nu-
merous volunteers who help make Jam-
boree happen each year. But this year
involved a lot of extra work and several
individuals need to be recognized for
their outstanding efforts. Ernie Smith
was the Chair once again and pulled
together a terrific team. A very special
thank you should be directed to four
individuals who have been involved
throughout the year and were just about
everywhere, doing everything, during
the weekend. Alicia Normand, Jessie
Taylor, Randy Carlton and Lance Kem-
per did an amazing amount of work on
pre-event logistics and planning, adver-
tising the event, pre-weekend set up and
post-event clean up. Every time there
was a need they volunteered. Without
these four this weekend would not have
happened. Thank you!
Another special thank you goes
out to Sarah Rumbolz who organized
the entertainment and stage this year
and did a wonderful job. Sarah was
on-hand all weekend making sure the
entertainers were taken care of and that
the acts all had sound and power. Thank
you also to Kim Bernardi who organized
the parade and I thought did a great job!
Also, to Bill Hawkins who organizes the
softball tournament every year and pro-
vided sage advice, ideas and encourage-
ment to the rest of the committee. And
to Kelly and Lindsay Baska and all the
other volunteers who have revived and
continued the tradition of the Logging
Show. Again, without all of you this
weekend would not have been the same.
A special thank you needs to go
out to the families of all involved in the
Jamboree Committee. They willingly
(and I’m sure unwillingly at times) gave
up time with their spouses and partners
and their moms and dads, and allowed
the committee members to do this vol-
unteer work that the rest of us get to
enjoy. It’s a big sacrifice and deserves
recognition.
There were several new events
this year. Thanks to Melissa Zavales
for stepping up and making the Kid’s
Zone a reality this year. To the West-
side Cruisers Car Club for helping bring
back the Car Show. And to Jack Finzel
and Jay Anderson for setting up and
running the Heritage Engine Exhibit.
There are a lot of other events
which take place during Jamboree
weekend. I don’t want to miss anyone
and it is almost impossible to name ev-
eryone by name. Thanks to those who
organized and volunteered at the Mo-
torcycle Show, the Lawn Mower Races,
the Book Sale, the Fishing Derby, the
Black Powder Encampment, the Ridge
Riders Play Day, the Fire and Rescue
Golf Tournament and the 4-H Petting
Zoo.
Also, a big thank you to Jeff
Burch and the City of Vernonia staff
who helped out in innumerable ways.
And finally a big thank you to Joann
Glass and to Jill Hult who most recently
served on past Jamboree Committees
and who have helped keep Jamboree
alive through some of those tough re-
cent years. Your efforts have not gone
unnoticed and are appreciated.
As you can see, Jamboree week-
end does not happen by itself. It takes
an immense amount of planning, direc-
tion, organization and just plain hard
work. Almost all of the effort is done
by volunteers who give up their time,
and to be honest, some blood, sweat and
tears, to make the weekend a success.
Thank you again to all of you
for pulling together and making this
Jamboree Weekend one the best in re-
cent memory. You are doing great work!
Vernonia has hired a new City Administrator,
which is good news. The bad news is they also have a
problem on their hands.
The City has been without a permanent City
Administrator for over eight months, since the City
Council voted to fire previous Administrator Bill Haack
in December of 2013.
Council always has a tough decision when
they choose a new City Administrator. This time the
choice was complicated by who was among the candi-
dates.
The new hire, Gian Paolo “Paul” Mammone
will arrive on September 1 st with an impressive resume
and list of credentials. He is upbeat about his new po-
sition and seems in tune and suited to dealing with the
needs of the community. He does come with some bag-
gage as he has held four positions in four communities
during the last six years. Vernonia also does not have
a good track record in bringing in “outsiders” to be our
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
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scott@vernoniasvoice.com
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Scott Laird
Editor and Publisher
An Opinion: Council Needs to Pull Together
By Scott Laird
3
City Administrator. Without going through the long
list of recent Administrators who have come and gone,
let’s just say this scenario has had mostly mixed results.
So the choice of Mammone does raise some eyebrows
and opens the door for some questions.
Since Haack was fired, Mayor Josette Mitch-
ell has unselfishly stepped in to act as Interim City
Administrator. Mitchell also filled in as Interim City
Administrator when Haack was previously fired and
then brought back to the position in 2011. During her
time filling the dual roles of Mayor and unpaid City
Administrator Mitchell has accomplished a lot. She
has organized City Hall and dealt with the day-to-day
operations of City business in a way that has not hap-
pened in many, many years. She has managed several
difficult projects with success and worked on repairing
relationships with several city partners. She has been
responsive to public issues as well as to the needs of
city staff and the many City Committees which advise
the City Council on policy. She has been a positive
force for the City and has been willing to learn when
www.VernoniasVoice.com
she has not had the background or training to deal with
the specifics the position calls for. Mitchell stepped up
and did an excellent job and deserves praise and thanks
for her effort on behalf of the citizens of Vernonia.
Rather than just hire Mitchell for the full time
position of City Administrator the City Council decid-
ed they were going to start a full search for candidates
to fill the role and they found themselves in a difficult
situation. Mitchell declared that she was going to ap-
ply. Numerous other candidates applied for the posi-
tion, several who submitted excellent qualifications.
The Council narrowed the field down to five and ended
up interviewing three and were left with a difficult
choice between their co-worker on City Council and
two candidates they had just met.
Mitchell was a known quantity, is a local who
knows the community, knows the players, knows the
projects and knows the lay of the land in Vernonia. On
the flip side she had no previous experience as a City
Administrator, except for her time filling in as Interim.
She has no specific education or training for the posi-
continued on page 13
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