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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2022)
EIZER times $1.00/ ISSUE Vol. 43 • No. 28 APRIL 29, 2022 Brown era begins BY CHARLES GLENN Of the Keizertimes Adam Brown arrived in Keizer this week to take over for Wes Hare as the city’s new chief executive. The former Ontario, Ore. city man- ager said he’s all about collaboration and build- ing teamwork. “Building relationships is number one,” he said. “Then assessing where the organization is at and helping to build up a team environment.” Brown managed Ontario since June of 2016, having served as a deputy county administrator in Michigan prior to that. He holds a bachelors and masters degree in public administration from Virginia Tech and was described by Mayor Cathy Clark during his selection process as “a proven local government professional with a strong reputation for integrity, competence and achieving results through teamwork.” A former colleague of Brown agrees. “Adam does not speak loudly but his words carry a lot of weight,” Ontario City Councilor Michael Braden told the Argus Observer in February. “I’m a builder - I like to create stuff,” said Brown. “I really love team environments and col- laboration — getting people in the organizations and institutions in the community to be on the same path, so we can have a collective impact, and Keizer is on a good trajectory.” Brown describes himself as a Navy brat, and like most children in military families, he moved around quite a bit while growing up. “My dad was enlisted for seven years and was a reservist for 30,” he said. Brown’s father, who still lives in Ontario, spent most of his Department of Defense career helping develop the Aegis missile cruiser, and they lived in New Jersey, California, Mississippi and Virginia. Brown’s own family includes six children, three that still live at home. “We have a senior, a sophomore and a sixth- grader,” he said. “This is the first time we won’t have a kid in elementary school.” Brown said after six years in Ontario, his fam- ily is looking forward to living in what he called “the green part of the state.” He’s still looking for a home that meets his family’s needs in Keizer. When it comes to hobbies, Brown says he’s got too many. “I used to do beekeeping and run mara- thons,” he said. “Recently my son got me a game called Magic the Gathering, and while we were playing I noticed everyone had these play-mats that they use to play on, so I decided to make a leather one for myself and everyone thought it was great. Now I have an Etsy shop and I make enough from one hobby to pay for the other.” Brown spent the week meeting with council members and leaders in the community, and will be formally intro- duced at the city coun- cil meeting on May 2. Keizer’s got some lucky dogs NEWSTAND PRICE: $1.00/ ISSUE SUBSCRIBER ADDRESS : BY CHARLES GLENN Of the Keizertimes Between the charitable donations from the Ladies of Keizer Elks Club to the generosity of non-profits, Keizer’s K9 unit is well-supplied. Keizer Police announced this week that K9 Max will receive a bullet and stab protective vest in about eight to 10 weeks through a collaboration between Jim Huggins of Salem and Massachusetts-based Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. - a nation-wide charity that designs and produces specialized K9 equipment. Max’s vest will be embroi- dered with the words “In honor of Staff Sgt. Bob Hartsock, USA and K9 Duke.” Vested Interests in K9s, Inc. has pro- vided over 4,600 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million, made possible by both private and corporate donations. To qualify, K9s must be at (Left) KPD Officer Scott Keniston has been with the department since 2007 and a K9 handler since 2009. K9 Blitz is a Belgian Malinois. Blitz is responsible for tracking and trailing, building and area searches, discarded article search- es, suspect apprehension and officer protection. (Right) KPD Officer Jeremy Darst with K9 Max. Darst has been with the depart- ment since he was 14 years old, serving as a cadet, where he spent many hours working with the K9 unit as a decoy during training and special events. He is the handler for K9 Max, a 2 year-old German Shepard. least 20 months old, actively employed and certified. In addition to the vests, the Ladies of Keizer Elks Club raises money through- out the year through basket auctions and 50/50 drawings for local organizations. The Keizer Police Department was the recipients of this year’s primary dona- tion. KPD said the money will go toward training, equipment and other K9 unit expenses.
