A replacement for the open seat on the St. Helens City Council has been appointed, and new Councilor Russell Hubbard was sworn in at the St. Helens Municipal Court on Sept. 15.
Hubbard was unanimously selected to fill the vacant seat left by Patrick Birkle. Birkle resigned from the council because he is a third-grade teacher at Columbia City Elementary School. Birkle said that he did not feel he could balance the duties of the city council with his responsibilities as a teacher.
The St. Helens City Council interviewed ten candidates for the position during a special meeting on Sept. 14. Following the interviews, the council deliberated, and each member put forth their top candidate.
Councilors Brandon Sundeen and Mark Gundersen both put forth Hubbard as their top selection. Councilor Jessica Chilton said her top choice for the position was Jay Echternach but said that Hubbard was her second option and that he was a “great choice.”
Mayor Rick Scholl noted that his three top choices would be Virginia Carlson, Echternach, and Hubbard. Scholl ultimately put forth Hubbard as his top choice, in agreement with Gundersen and Sundeen.
“He’s definitely qualified in his demeanor, and I’ve watched him action and under high stress,” Scholl said.
“It takes a lot to be on a City Commission at all but to be able to stick around for nine years and to do a good job,” Sundeen added. “I think he asks good questions; he’s very in-depth.”
Gundersen echoed the sentiments shared by other councilors and noted that his experience on the Planning Commission and his calm communication style would be welcome on the council. Chilton also agreed with the other councilors but noted that many of the interviews they conducted were insightful.
I think [Russell] is a really good choice for the council, and I’m happy to move forward with [Russell],” Chilton said.
Hubbard has been living in St. Helens for the better part of 15 years and has served on the city’s Planning Commission for nine years. Hubbard also serves on the board of the Columbia River People’s Utility District (PUD).
Following the discussion, Hubbard confirmed that he was interested in the nomination. Gundersen motioned to appoint Hubbard to the city council, and the motion passed unanimously.
The other candidates considered were Carlson, Echternach, Nicholas Hellmich, Scott Jacobson, Brady Preheim, Jared Stram, Stephen Topaz, Steve Toschi, Diana Wiener.
Municipal Judge Amy Lindgren swore Hubbard in a little after 11 a.m., and Hubbard had his wife, son, and daughter-in-law in attendance for the occasion.
After the ceremony, Hubbard gave comment to The Chronicle about what the appointment meant to him. One of the points of emphasis for Hubbard is that he is approaching the council position from a business person’s perspective and bringing his experience from his time on the Planning Commission.
“When this position became available, I thought, ‘Well, there’s a way to continue my effort from the Planning Commission into the council and bring a businessman’s standpoint,'” Hubbard said. “I’m a general contractor/developer, and there’s nobody like that on the council right now. I felt that it was good to have a voice there. It was unanimous, and I’m really pleased about that because consensus is quite nice to hear from your peers.”
Hubbard owns and operates his own construction company and is developing an apartment building on the property located across from Red Apple Market.
When asked what he views as the pressing issues for the city, Hubbard said he is not interested in rehashing decisions that have already been made. Hubbard wants to focus on the decisions that need to be made going forward. Hubbard said he will “take it as it comes.”
“I want to be coming from the business person’s aspect because that’s what I relate to being in business. The effects, from zoning to decisions of what the city’s doing, how’s that affecting the small businessman? Because we desperately need small business in here,” Hubbard said.
As a city councilor, Hubbard said his goal is the same as it is as a board member for the PUD: to deliver the best outcome for the customers and citizens that he serves.
“The PUD is all about customers; the citizens and the customers are the city. Is the city speaking for all the customers and society in general,” Hubbard said. “I’ve been in Oregon for five generations, so I’m an Oregonian. I moved out here 15 or so years ago, and I love this city.”
In his new role, Hubbard will have more ability to be involved in decisions that he was unable to influence when he was on the Planning Commission. Hubbard is looking forward to learning the new role and serving the people of St. Helens.
