WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Mabbott takes Umatilla city post
By JADE McDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Longtime
Umatilla
County planning director
Tamra Mabbott is leav-
ing the county to become
the city of Umatilla’s new
community development
director.
Mabbott has been in
county planning for 26
years, including 15 as plan-
ning director for Umatilla
County. She said in a state-
ment that the job would be
a change from what she’s
used to but she is excited to
be part of Umatilla’s future.
“Citizens are engaged.
City Council and staff are
focused and enthusiastic.
New development is com-
ing to Umatilla. It’s the
perfect recipe for success in
the community,” she said.
Mabbott, who lives just
outside Umatilla, has been
working with the city in
her county capacity to help
them create a “vision plan”
for downtown. In her new
position she will oversee
the planning, building,
parks and recreation, code
enforcement and Geo-
graphic Information Sys-
tems for the city.
“She will be busy,” City
Manager Russ Pelleberg
said. “She will have her
City seeks
new fi nance
director
The city of Hermiston
is on the hunt for a new
fi nance director after
Amy Palmer’s exit.
Palmer said at a recent
city council meeting she
was leaving to care for a
family member. She was
hired in 2012 and came
to the city with more
than 20 years of public
sector accounting expe-
rience.
The city has opened
a nationwide search for
Palmer’s replacement
using a recruiting fi rm
it has used to fi nd other
department heads in the
past. The position, listed
with a salary range of
$92,964 to $113,112, is
open until fi lled. A fi rst
review of applications is
scheduled for Sept. 17.
A job description
and application can be
found online at hermis-
ton.or.us/employment/
fi nance-director.
FILE PHOTO
Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott and
Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Elfering look over zoning
laws at the Stafford Hansell Government Center in Hermiston
in this fi le photo. Mabbott has taken a job as the city of
Umatilla’s new community development director.
hands full, but not all of
this will be handed to her
on day one.”
Mabbott starts Sept. 1,
and Umatilla County is ad-
vertising her position.
Pelleberg said the city
was excited to have some-
one with her experience,
integrity and accomplish-
ments take the new posi-
tion.
He said he has wanted
to create a “community
development director” de-
partment head for about
a year to help implement
new initiatives for the city
such as creation of a recre-
ation program, and to focus
on development of the city
in general. He said he and
Mabbott have been work-
ing together behind the
scenes on a few economic
development projects he
hopes to announce soon,
and he has been trying to
recruit her for a while.
“A lot is about to hap-
pen,” he said. “The timing
is just perfect.”
Pelleberg
also
an-
nounced that Jason Barron,
who has worked for the city
of Umatilla’s public works
department for 16 years,
is now Umatilla’s public
works director.
Pelleberg was public
works director prior to be-
coming Umatilla city man-
ager in early 2016. At that
time he agreed to continue
to oversee public works
while serving as city man-
ager, but promoted Barron
to public works supervisor
to share some of the admin-
istrative workload.
“Over the last year I’ve
been kind of grooming him
to make that step up,” Pel-
leberg said.
He said Barron will be
a key player in the city’s
organization as they move
forward on some “very ex-
citing and important infra-
structure and development
projects.”
In a third staff shake-up,
the city is looking for a new
city planner. Pelleberg said
former city planner Bill
Searles left of his own ac-
cord to take a job in anoth-
er city. In January Searles
fi led a complaint against
Pelleberg with the city’s
human resources depart-
ment, which he declined
to discuss publicly, after
Pelleberg gave him a disci-
plinary letter criticizing his
performance.
Mabbott will oversee the
new city planner and plan-
ning commission.
Fair and rodeo prompt extra donations
HERMISTON HERALD
Now that the public has
had a chance to see the
Umatilla County Fair and
Farm-City Pro Rodeo in
action at their new venue,
it could prompt more dona-
tions to both events to help
pay for next year.
At the fair’s kickoff din-
ner, state Rep. Greg Smith
announced
a
personal
$10,000 donation, and ro-
deo board member Dennis
Barnett said so far there
have been a few additional
donations to the nonprof-
it Friends of the Fair and
Rodeo prompted by people
seeing the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center for
themselves last week.
He said donations to the
Friends of the Fair and Ro-
deo, which is a separate en-
tity from EOTEC, can be
used with EOTEC’s bless-
ing for fair and rodeo-relat-
ed improvements like add-
ing irrigation and grass to
the overfl ow parking area
to keep down the dust next
year.
The rodeo acquired some
debt for things like the mer-
cantile building, additional
bleachers and landscaping
around the arena that the
board wanted for the 2017
rodeo but EOTEC did not
have the funds to pay for.
Barnett said donors can
specify if they want the mon-
ey to go toward the Umatilla
County Fair or Farm-City
Pro Rodeo, or they can leave
it up to a joint committee to
determine where the money
is most needed.
“As we continue to try
and make the facility the
best it can be, there is always
going to be a continued need
for more funds,” he said.
Former Irrigon
coach safe after
Barcelona attack
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Former Irrigon basket-
ball coach Mitch Thomp-
son is among the Oregon
State University basketball
staff and team members
safe after a terrorist attack
outside their Barcelona ho-
tel killed more than a doz-
en people Thursday .
The attack killed 15
people and injured dozens
more after a van plowed
through crowds in what
Spanish authorities are
calling a terrorist incident.
Thompson, who is a video
coordinator for the OSU
men’s basketball team,
reported on Facebook
Thursday that he and the
team were safe but had
been staying on the street
where it happened.
When reached via text
he said the team wasn’t
commenting further be-
yond a statement released
by OSU’s athletic de-
partment that the OSU
community “extends its
thoughts and prayers for
all those injured and af-
fected by this incident”
and had not yet deter-
mined what the remainder
of the team’s trip would
look like in light of the
tragedy.
Earlier in the day as-
sistant coach Gregg Got-
tlieb tweeted that the
“tragedy happened right
in front of us as our team
just sat down for pregame
meal.” The Beavers had
been preparing to play
their fi rst exhibition game
against a Spanish team on
a trip that included several
other teams from Ameri-
can universities. The team
from Clemson University
was also staying in the ho-
tel but reported they were
unharmed.
National
DENTAL Itsuratce
Physiciats Mutual Itsuratce Compaty
$1 a day*
Keep your own dentist! NO netlorks to lorry about
NO annual or lifetime cap o n the cash benefi ts
0
% APR
No wait for preventive care and no deductibles
– you could get a checkup tomorrol
Coverage for over 350 procedures including
cleanings, exams, fi llings, crolns…even dentures
you can receive
for
FREE Information Kit
2017 RAV4 excludes Hybrid
1-877-599-0125
www.dettal50plus.com/25
*Individual
*Individual
*Individual
plan. Product
plan.
plan.
Product
not Product
available
not available
not
in available
MN, in MT,
MN, in
NH,
MT,
MN,
RI,
NH,
MT,
VT,
RI, NH,
WA.
VT, RI,
WA.
Acceptance
VT,
Acceptance
WA. Acceptance
guaranteed
guaranteed
guaranteed
for for one
one insurance
insurance
for one policy/certificate
policy/certificate
insurance policy/certificate
of of this
this type.
type. Contact
of Contact
this type.
us us
for Contact
for
complete
complete
us details
for details
complete details
about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q);
Insurance Policy P150(GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096C
MB16-NM001Gc
Thank you to
Hermiston High School’s
Project Graduation
Celebration
Sponsors & Donors
Sound Advantage Hearing
Suds Yer Duds
Fred J Allen
Preferred Realty
Anderson Hansell
Attorneys
Hermiston Generating
Barnett & Moro, P.C.
Reef Properties
All That Wood
Carolleen Lovell, CPA
Universal Realty
Midway Tavern
Park Terrace Townhouses
Mr. Insulation
Oregon Trail Veterinary
Clinic
A-Plus Connectors
Dr. Irwin DMD
Fourth Street Family Dental
Pioneer Title Insurance Co.
Best Western Hermiston
Hermiston Vet Clinic
Community Bank
Sanitary Disposal Transfer
Station
Big River Golf Course
Castle Rock Farming, LLC
NW Farm Credit Services
Wheatland Insurance
Advanced Orthopedic
Advanced Pediatric
Dentistry
NW Metal Fabricators
Ann and Dean Fialka
Calpine Hermiston
Burger King
Atkinson Staffi ng, Inc.
Pendleton Building and
Construction
Starvation Ridge Farms
Gordon’s Electric
Burns Mortuary
Hermiston Foods
Elmer’s Irrigation
Jim Purswell’s Pump Co.
Shelco Electric, Inc
Stratton Insurance Services
Thompson, the son of
Hermiston residents Joe
Thompson and Cindy
Gammell- Thompson and
a Hermiston High gradu-
ate, was Oregon Athletic
Association Coach of the
Year in 2015 after coach-
ing Irrigon High School
boys’ basketball team to
a state championship. He
is just starting his second
season with the Beavers
as a graduate assistant.
OSU Head Coach
Wayne Tinkle posted a
video statement from the
team’s motel to let fami-
ly, friends and fans know
that all the team members
and staff were safe. The
video was potsted to the
team’s Facebook page
and can be found here:
https://www.facebook.
com/ BeaverMBB/videos/
10155224570348127/
10 New 2017
TOYOTA Models
A less expetsive way to help get the dettal care you deserve
If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about
FILE PHOTO
Former Irrigon boy’s
basketball coach Mitch
Thompson is now a
graduate assistant for the
Oregon State University
men’s basketball program
in Corvallis. He is with the
Oregon State basketball
team in Barcelona, Spain,
and the team was staying
in a motel near where a
terrorist attack occurred on
Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017.
Dynamic Computer
Consulting, Inc.
Marlette Homes
Rock, Inc.
Wal-Mart Transportation
#6837
Cayuse Family Committee
Eagle Summit Orthopedic
O So Kleen
BiMart
Professional Photography
Bellinger Farms
Girth Dog, LLC
Subway (Hermiston)
Safeway
The Cottage
Fiesta Foods
Hermiston Herald
East Oregonian
$ 3,000
CASH BACK
OR
72 mos.
$ CASH
BACK
on select models
2017 Camry
000
$ 3,000
2017 Corolla
CASH BACK
000
$ 2,000
CASH BACK
also includes 2017 models of
Corolla iM, Camry Hybrid, Prius c, Avalon,
Avalon Hybrid, Yaris iA, RAV4 Hybrid
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
SPECIAL OFFERS
2017 Tundra
1.9
2017 Tundra SR5
Double Cab
$ 399 /mo
for 36 mos.
excludes TRD PRO
$ 1,250
% APR OR CASH
BACK
for
60 mos.
2017 Sienna
0 % APR
for
2017 Prius LB
0 % APR
for
$ 2,000
OR CASH BACK
OR
60 mos.
3,000
,000
$
CASH BACK
60 mos.
All financing on approved credit through TFS. All vehicles subject to prior sale.
All prices plus tax and title. $75 dealer doc fee. Offers end 9/5/17.
For more details call 1-888-21-TOYOTA.
Every new Toyota comes with
... and to all the parents and other
individuals who donated time,
money and/or supplies to help make
our party a huge success we say,
“ THANK YOU!”
HHS Project Graduation Committee
& HHS Class of 2017
(541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308
ToyotaOfHermiston.com
Mon-Fri 8:30a - 7:00p
Sat 8:30a - 7:00p • Sun 10:00a - 5:00p