After taking his oath of office, Tenino's new mayor Wayne Fournier shares his statement at a packed city council meeting on Tuesday night.
After taking his oath of office, Tenino's new mayor Wayne Fournier swears in Susan Copeland into city council position no. 5 at Tuesday's council meeting.
Erika Stancil, clerk and treasurer, swears in Tenino's new mayor Wayne Fournier during Tuesday night's meeting.
After taking his oath of office, Tenino's new mayor Wayne Fournier swears in Susan Copeland into city council position no. 5 at Tuesday's council meeting.
After taking his oath of office, Tenino's new mayor Wayne Fournier shares his statement at a packed city council meeting on Tuesday night.
The city of Tenino has a new mayor as Wayne Fournier was sworn in at the council meeting on Tuesday night.
Since former mayor Bret Brodersen was appointed rather than elected, Fournier took office prior to the typical Jan. 1 start date. After resigning from the city council, he took his oath of office and led his first meeting as mayor.
“I’m honored to be sitting here as mayor tonight and excited to be given the trust and opportunity to help our community in this role,” Fournier told the packed city council meeting. “This change is an exciting time for our city; people are hopeful for the opportunities we can create and the spirit that this campaign has embodied.”
Fournier said the citizens of Tenino voted in record numbers in the Nov. 3 general election, beating the state average by a wide margin and sending a clear message that a new direction is wanted in the city.
Fournier was elected to the city council nearly four years ago and beat Brodersen in the Nov. 3 general election with 54.77 percent of the vote.
His plan moving forward includes listening to the community, he said.
“For the next month or two as the dust and noise settle from a heated campaign season I feel my biggest job will be to listen and ask questions,” Fournier said. “I want to hear from the community, the council, the staff and anyone else with a thought or suggestion and give it proper attention.”
The new mayor has already started meeting with council members, staff and organizations, and has additional meetings scheduled. He hopes to bring a sense of calm to a city he said has been “in near constant turmoil for the past four years and was on edge for years prior.”
He said it is time to mark the beginning of a new era in Tenino.
His four major priorities include “investment in human capital,” communication, building partnerships and organizational improvements, he said.
“I ask that we all approach 2016 with renewed vigor, commitment and enthusiasm,” Fournier said.
With his resignation from council position no. 5, it was later decided that Susan Copeland take his former seat now as opposed to January. Copeland won the race for the position with 71.29 percent of the vote over her opponent Ken Jones, a former mayor of the city.
The council approved Copeland unanimously.
Some residents at the city council meeting expressed their happiness with the new decision.
Julie Graham, a citizen of Tenino, said during the public comment session that she encouraged people to show up and have their voices heard under an administration that will truly listen.
“I want to say that I think what I’m going to take away from the last few months and the current makeup is that people wanted to have a voice and wanted to be heard and listened to,” she said. “I really feel like we have a great opportunity in the people I see here. Everyone of you I’ve found to be listeners.”
Another resident, Marlena Mulkins, was happy with the way her questions were answered on the spot, as opposed to prior experiences with the council.
“The difference, and I’m not bashing anyone, the difference between the meetings now versus in the past has been a vast improvement,” she told the council. “I feel like all the questions I had were answered, which I do not feel I received that at past council meetings.”
