Yelm Council member Mike McGowan
Photo Credit: City of Yelm website

– City of Yelm Council member Mike McGowan resigns –
no longer a city resident
Yelm City Council member Mike McGoawn has resigned 8 months into his third term on the Yelm City Council because he is moving outside the city limits. McGowan originally ran for this seat in 2005, was reelected unopposed in 2009 and 2013, beginning his third term just last January.

Once McGowan became familiar with his position, he championed public issues on a council that otherwise all voted together in “rubber-stamping” city Staff Reports. He was very active with The Thurston County HOME Consortium and an advocate of affordable housing and social services for our area. He will continue as an employee of the Yelm Timberland Regional Library (TRL).

His positions on the following recent issues were of particular note:
– March 22, 2011 – stood-up to Mayor Harding and Mayor Pro-tem Bob Isom, who wanted to curb McGowan’s questions on the Medical Marijuana Moratorium. McGowan, while voting FOR the moratorium, expressed his concern prior to the vote and unanimous approval. Now state law, McGowan proven right.
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– June 28, 2011 – only council member voting “no” to name the Yelm bypass ‘connector’ road Walmart Boulevard, questioning an appearance of a conflict-of-interest that the city is endorsing a specific business, in this instance, mega-retailer Wal-mart.
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– May 8, 2012 – voted noted on-the-record that while he agreed with a pay-out for the golf course water rights litigation, he was voting “no” and stated, “I think the public should have the opportunity to comment,”
after a closed-to-the-public Executive Session.
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– August 29, 2013 – became the first and only Yelm City Council member to visit the areas’ private Phoenix Rising School (PRS).
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And visited the PRS predecessor, the Children’s School of Excellence (CSE) in 2007.
Read more

Kudos and thanks got to Council member McGowan for his public service.
Read more from Steven Wyble in the Nisqually Valley News.

– Thurston County Seeks Citizen Volunteers
From Thurston County Press Release:
Thurston County is looking for volunteers to serve on advisory boards, committees, and commissions. These groups meet on a regular basis and make recommendations on important issues to the Board of County Commissioners.

Current vacancies include the following:

Area Agency on Aging
one Thurston County representative

Agriculture Advisory Committee
one non-farmer member
one farmer member

Chambers Basin Ditch District
one vacancy

Historic Commission
two alternate members

Hopkins Ditch District
one vacancy

RSN Mental Health Advisory Board of Thurston/Mason County
seven members

Storm and Surface Water Advisory Board
Upper Deschutes Basin representative
Lower Deschutes Basin representative
Black River Basin representative
Budd Inlet Representative

Water Conservancy Board
one member position
two alternate positions

Please visit the Thurston County website at www.co.thurston.wa.us/bocc to obtain an application or call Danielle Westbrook at (360) 786-5414 for more information.