APRIL 22, 2022, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7
Voters have until April 26 to register
to vote or switch parties to vote in the
primary election. It takes less than three
minutes to register online, a point the
Secretary of State’s Office keeps making
in TikTok videos with guest appearances
from Fagan’s dog, the Secreterrier of
State.
The office also plans to release public
service announcements about the post-
mark law before the May election. The
animated videos will direct people to
the secretary of state’s website through
OregonVotes.gov, but they don’t include
references to the office or Fagan, which
she described as a conscious choice. For
some voters, a Democratic secretary of
state isn’t a trusted source.
“I have enough humility to recognize
I'm not the best messenger for all of this,
and so I need to step back when appro-
priate and let other people take what we
know is an accurate message,” she said.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of
States Newsroom, a network of news
bureaus supported by grants and a coa-
lition of donors as a 501c(3) public char-
ity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains
editorial independence. Contact Editor
Les Zaitz for questions: info@oregoncap-
italchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital
Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
The office also plans to release public
service announcements about the post-
mark law before the May election. The
animated videos will direct people to
the secretary of state’s website through
OregonVotes.gov, but they don’t include
references to the office or Fagan, which
she described as a conscious choice. For
some voters, a Democratic secretary of
state isn’t a trusted source.
“I have enough humility to recognize
I'm not the best messenger for all of this,
and so I need to step back when appro-
priate and let other people take what we
know is an accurate message,” she said.
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of
States Newsroom, a network of news
bureaus supported by grants and a coa-
lition of donors as a 501c(3) public char-
ity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains
editorial independence. Contact Editor
Les Zaitz for questions: info@oregoncap-
italchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital
Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
of the Week
presented by
Hare's time as interim city manager ends
BY CHARLES GLENN
Of the Keizertimes
Salem resident and Keizer’s
Interim City Manager Wes Hare
came out of retirement to help Keizer
last year when the city lost its prior
manager of 20 years, Chris Eppley.
Finance Manager Tim Wood took
over as City Manager Pro Temp
shortly after Eppley resigned follow-
ing an accidental discharge of a per-
sonal firearm in his office.
The city began searching for a
temporary manager last April 5. By
July 7 of last year, they had approved
Hare’s application and he took over
from Wood.
Hare said being a temporary city
manager is not for the faint-of-heart
– there is a lot of stress, particularly
if you’re coming in right after a tur-
bulent period of time.
Hare had been a city manager – in
one form or another – for 30 years
prior to his retirement, including a
prior stint as a temporary city man-
ager for Toledo, Ore. after half of
their city council resigned. Hare has
served as permanent city manager in
Oakridge, La Grande and Albany, as
Wes Hare has served Keizer as interim city manager since last July.
well as multiple trips overseas as an
international development consul-
tant in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Sri Lank and Tanzania.
A lot of his overseas work was pro
bono. He would go into a country as
a representative of either the state
department or one of several orga-
nizations doing relief work in areas
stricken by war, famine, or just bad
government.
“I used to joke I was the only
person who takes vacation to go to
Afghanistan,” he said.
Technically, Hare says, he’s still
retired. The temporary job was chal-
lenging but he enjoyed his time in
Keizer.
“I enjoyed working with the coun-
cil and the city of Keizer – they are
really good people and they want to
do the right thing by the community,”
he said. “A lot of good participation –
a lot of things going on. It was nice
to be a part of that.”
Don’t expect Hare to move to
Florida and buy a walker, though – he
and his wife are planning a mission
to help people struggling to survive
in Eastern Europe.
“My wife and I would like to do
some humanitarian relief work in
Eastern Europe through our church,
so we’re in the process of applying for
doing that,” he said.
FILE PHOTO, Keizertimes
EIZER times
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Where and how do you
volunteer?
Volunteering has been a passion of
mine. Currently I am on the board
of the West Keizer Neighborhood
Association. We take on projects that
are of importance to our neighbors.
We will be having a cleanup at Palma
Ciea Park that is located at the very
end of Cummings Lane. We are also
involved with the City of Keizer in
finding solutions to the safety of
cyclists, pedestrians, and auto traffic in
our area. There are other projects in the
mix as well.
I am also on the board of the Keizer
Community Library. There are many
projects that the board has planned for
this year. Reaching out to our citizens
to offer services that are of importance
to our community. Please come see the
Keizer Community Library and become
a member(patron) and receive a free
library card.
Why do you volunteer?
I have found it most rewarding to be
able to help others in many different
capacities. From the Red Cross to
Salem Hospital to mentoring students
who may have learning difficulties.
By far the most rewarding was my
experience with Willamette Valley
Hospice. In honor of my dad who spent
his last days there, I felt the urge to
volunteer there. My very first patient
was a gentleman named Rick. From
the first day we met, it was meant that
I was suppose to be there to assist with
the transition in this part of his life.
I will always volunteer.
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What does volunteering do
for you?
The selfish reason I guess if that's
what you call it, is that I feel that we
all need to give back. And it makes me
feel a part of the community in which
I volunteer.
How would you get others
to volunteer in their
community?
I reach out to people I know, friends, or
community leaders and share volunteer
opportunities on projects I am involved
with or volunteer opportunities in our
Keizer community. It is important to
get involved in something that you are
passionate about, that is meaningful
and has a purpose in helping others.