Members of the Toledo City Council convened for their first regular meeting of the month on Monday, March 2, and during the meeting approved the creation of an official city Facebook page — to be used strictly for public information purposes.
During the meeting, councilors also discussed possible plans for the City of Toledo to take part in the nationwide America250 celebration during Independence Day revelry in July.
The council also interviewed a pair of prospective applicants for a current council vacancy.
The council vacancy was created when former Councilor Kathy Hill retired on Jan. 20. Per state law, the city has 90 days to choose Hill’s replacement following her last day in office, and whoever is appointed will serve out the remainder of Hill’s elected term, according to Toledo Mayor Cherie Devore. The term ends on Dec. 31, 2027.
While two prospective applicants were in attendance to be interviewed during Monday’s meeting, Devore added city staff are still accepting applications from any other interested residents until March 13.
The two applicants who have applied are Toledo residents Zackaree Verhei and Pamela Deschene. While he is fresh out of Toledo High School, having just graduated last year, his youth and inexperience didn’t stop Verhei from applying.
“I’ve been in this town my whole life … I’ve joined a lot of sports programs, took part in (Toledo) Public Works for a little bit, and helped with some other programs like Neighbors Hall and the senior center for a little bit,” Verhei said. “I’m looking to give back to my community, given that I have a lot of flexibility, and I’m looking to help however I can.”
He added he had been studying up on council business by watching recordings of previous Toledo City Council meetings and was willing to learn. However, he also stated he is waiting to see if he’s been accepted at the University of Washington.
Deschene, on the other hand, stated she was a retired law enforcement officer who served in Eureka, Nevada — taking part in search and rescue operations along with training on crash rescues. She also served as the secretary for the local volunteer fire department.
“We’ve lived here for 15 years, and absolutely love the community,” Deschene said. “My husband says he’s staying here till he dies, so hopefully we are here a long, long time. I just love the community, and I’d like to see it keep its small town values.”
Aside from her law enforcement career, Deschene also has a college degree in small business management.
For more information on the council vacancy or to apply for it, visit the city’s website at https://tinyurl.com/4bnr3wms. A Toledo Park Board vacancy is still also currently open, with details and the application available at https://tinyurl.com/3rpwd2ue.
As for the city’s official Facebook page, Toledo City Clerk-Treasurer Rachel Campbell explained that it was based on requests from community members complaining city staff weren’t doing enough to let people know about city business.
“Residents in Toledo have been very adamant that there’s just not enough communication, and unfortunately everybody does stuff through Facebook,” Campbell said. “There’s a reason why we don’t do stuff through Facebook, because it does open us up for monster public records (requests). But I believe we did find a way to kind of work it out to where it works for both parties.”
That solution is keeping the page strictly informational, meaning nobody will be able to comment on posts made on the page or message city staff directly on the social media platform.
City staff will use the Facebook page strictly to publish meeting information in accordance with the state Open Public Meetings Act, along with announcing updates regarding city services or emergency alerts along with details for community events and activities.
Toledo City Councilor Dan Anderson also suggested creating an official Instagram page for the city to further the reach of the city’s social media presence. He added his daughter ran one for the family business, and it was a great way to connect with the younger generation. Campbell stated she would look into it.
While many other cities throughout Lewis County have official Facebook pages, it appears the City of Chehalis is the only other one with an official Instagram account — @city.of.chehalis — with its first post made less than two weeks ago on Feb. 23.
The City of Toledo’s official Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ToledoCityHallOfficial.
As for Toledo taking part in America250, Campbell stated America250 officials wanted a special committee chaired by a city councilor.
“They are looking for monthly meetings to be held, so city staff would have to be involved. We’re already having a hard enough time filling the boards that we have, so my suggestion is to really think about if we want to do this,” Campbell said.
Aside from the councilor chair, the committee must also have another city liaison, a local historical society or chamber of commerce representative, a school district representative, a tribal engagement representative and a youth representative.
“I kind of feel we have trouble just keeping our city council seats full, I’m not sure we’re up for another committee,” Toledo Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Duerst said.
Ultimately, no councilors stated they would be willing to chair the committee, though Devore added if any did change their minds in the future, the opportunity would remain open.
