A4 • Friday, February 8, 2019 | Cannon Beach Gazette | CannonBeachGazette.com
Cannon Beach welcomes a new code enforcement offi cer
Thompson-Kiefer
lived on-and-
off on the North
Coast for years
ENFORCEMENT
ROLE
Thompson-Kiefer will be
tasked with enforcing
everything from design
review and planning
codes to vacation rentals.
By BRENNA VISSER
Cannon Beach Gazette
For years, Jenny Thomp-
son-Kiefer got to know the
world of vacation rentals
as a house cleaner with a
local property management
company.
Now, Thompson-Kiefer
will be returning to that
world, but this time as Can-
non Beach’s new code
enforcement offi cer.
“I’ve seen the other side,
and now I’m going to com-
ing from a completely dif-
ferent side. I think seeing
the backside of short-term
rentals and knowing what
it’s like will help in this
job a lot,” she said. “And,
I know where a lot of them
are already.”
Last year, Cannon Beach
decided to hire a code
enforcement offi cer after not
having the position since the
1990s.
Thompson-Kiefer
will be tasked with enforc-
ing everything from design
review and planning codes
to vacation rentals.
Thompson-Kiefer’s jour-
ney to this job started about
20 years ago as a 18-year-old
girl in the Columbia Gorge
with a dream to go into law
enforcement. After high
school she began college but
By Brenna Visser/Cannon Beach Gazette
Jenny Thompson-Kiefer joined the police department earlier this month.
left early, eventually moving
around and working a vari-
ety of jobs.
In
2004,
Thomp-
son-Kiefer made it out to
the coast, where she was
drawn by the natural beauty
and outdoor recreation
opportunities.
“I love the coast, the
beach, the atmosphere,” she
said. “I like the small town
environment.”
Over the course of 10
years, either lived or worked
in Cannon Beach in retail and
the property management
business. But still, Thomp-
son-Kiefer couldn’t shake
her law enforcement dream.
“I realized I could be
doing more to help peo-
ple and the community,”
she said. “I decided to fi n-
ish what I started a long time
ago. It was a professional
goal, but in a lot of ways it
was also a personal goal.”
So she decided to move
to Grants Pass to start her
education and be closer to
her family. She then moved
back to the coast, transferred
to Portland State University
and completed her criminal
justice degree online.
Soon after completing her
degree, Thompson-Kiefer
through luck and circum-
Invasive weed management
Cannon Beach Gazette
On Feb. 14, the Lower
Nehalem Watershed Coun-
cil hosts Troy Abercrombie
for his talk “A Marginally
Comprehensive Overview
of Invasive Weeds Manage-
ment.” Abercrombie is the
Invasive Weeds Program
Coordinator at the Tilla-
mook Soil and Water Con-
servation District.
Drawing on a decade of
work in weed management
in both the public and pri-
vate sector, he will intro-
duce us to the major species
of concern for Tillamook
County. He will also talk
about integrated pest man-
agement as a framework for
weed control.
Before Abercrombie’s
talk, the Lower Nehalem
Watershed Council will hold
its February board beeting.
This is an opportunity for
the public to see how the
watershed council operates.
Following the board meet-
ing, there will be a short
summary of council activ-
ities before Abercrombie’s
talk begins.
This event will be held at
the Pine Grove Community
MEETINGS
MONDAY, Feb. 11
House, 225 Laneda Ave., in
Manzanita. The board meet-
ing begins at 6 p.m. The pre-
sentation will start at 7:10
following a brief update
from the Lower Nehalem
Watershed Council at 7.
This event is part of the
Lower Nehalem Watershed
Council’s regular speaker
series. The event is free and
open to the public.
stance saw the job posting
for Cannon Beach’s code
enforcement offi cer posi-
tion pop up on her Facebook
newsfeed after a mutual
friend liked it.
She sent in an application.
“It just seemed like a
good fi t ... a good way in,”
she said.
As the fi rst code enforce-
ment offi cer for the town
in many years, Thomp-
son-Kiefer hopes to use
her position to educate and
inform people about the
city’s codes, rather than
being seen as “the bad guy.”
“A lot of comments of
being the most hated person
— I don’t think it has to be
that way,” she said. “I think
people often are unaware
that they are breaking rules.”
Thompson-Kiefer
is
excited for the challenge.
“I’m drawn to law
enforcement because you
never know what you are
going to be dealing with in
a day ... and you’re helping
your community,” she said.
“I like the feeling of getting
involved, being in service.
I’m excited to work for Can-
non Beach.”
Dining on the
North Coast
Excellence in family dining found
from a family that has been serving
the North Coast for the past 52 years
Great
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Homemade
Breakfast, lunch and
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Clam
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menu,too!
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Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
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I’m so glad I found you – and
that the folks at Providence
knew how to get you gone.
These days, the view from
here is lovely.
Darn lucky and blessed,
Penny
Cannon Beach Rural Fire Pro-
tection District Board of Direc-
tors, 6 p.m., 188 E. Sunset Blvd.
TUESDAY, Feb. 12
Cannon Beach City Council,
5:30 p.m., work session, City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
THURSDAY, Feb. 14
Cannon Beach Academy Board
of Directors, 5:30, 3781 S. Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach
TUESDAY, Feb. 19
Cannon Beach Public Works
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall,
163 E. Gower St.
Seaside School District Board
of Directors, 6 p.m., 1801 S.
Franklin.
Cannon Beach City Council,
5:30 p.m., work session, goal
setting, City Hall, 163 E. Gower
St.
THURSDAY, Feb. 21
Parks and Community Services
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall,
163 E. Gower St.
Cannon Beach Design Review
Board Meeting, 6 p.m., City
Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
THURSDAY, Feb. 28
Cannon Beach Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E.
Gower St.
prov idenceoregon . org / de a rnorthcoa s t