Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media.
Klickitat County Commissioners worked right up to the end of the year, with a final meeting on December 31st. It was a short meeting in several ways: It took just over 90 minutes, It was missing a commissioner and the camera covering the meeting room was not working, so there was no video for those attending by Zoom. This meeting was the last for Commissioner Jake Anderson, who chose not to run in November and we asked him to share the accomplishments he was most proud of, both in 2024 and in his term in office.
“We put in a new department. We set it up in the shortest amount of time I’ve ever seen it. This year was pretty much chock full of getting the jail transitions done, making sure the potential losses didn’t get too big.”
Chair Lori Zoller, who has two more years to go in her current term, said she looked forward to working with new commissioners Ron Ihrig and Todd Andrews:
“I think it’s everything and more than I thought it would be, and I really look forward to new relationships and moving the county forward in a positive way.”
The meeting was followed by a swearing-in ceremony for the two new commissioners, a new Klickitat PUD commissioner and the new county coroner.
We asked new commissioner Todd Andrews about his priorities for the new commission in the new year:
“Top of mind for me is probably solar, because it’s probably going to be the most visually affecting our county. All of our resources are sought after, and protecting them for the citizens I think is important.”
And we asked newly-elected commissioner Ron Ihrig, how it feels to return to a board he previously served on from 1993 to 1997:
“Actually, good to be back in again. A lot of that is getting back up to speed – especially the budget, I forsee. And I’m looking forward to a commission that works together is my main goal so we can accomplish things.”
That effort starts next Tuesday, January 7, with the first Klickitat County Commission meetings of the new year.