“It’s amazing to think that tonight is Larry’s last council meeting—and my very first.”
That was Larry Bellamy’s wife Jodi at Monday’s meeting of the Goldendale City Council. Though the council did do some business, and we’ll get to that shortly, the main focus of the meeting was honoring City Administrator Larry Bellamy and Clerk-Treasurer Connie Byers. Both are retiring on July 29. The stories of their decades-long tenures will appear in next week’s edition of The Sentinel.
Councilors, city staffers, and relatives all spoke up in honoring the two, but Jodi was the standout. She said it was true—in the 27 years Larry served as City Administrator, the only city council meeting she ever attended was his last. She calculated that between those years, and a four-year stint earlier as deputy clerk-treasurer, Larry attended “a rough total of 1,058 meetings.”
And she said, “He only got pulled over once for speeding on his way to a council meeting, and that was the second one he attended when he took the job.” She added that despite driving the hot Mustang he was driving at the time, he did get off with a warning.
Councilor Dave Jones praised Bellamy for performing his duty as Grand Marshal of the Community Days parade. “I’m pleased to report that he brought enough candy to last through the entire route. Lots of people make the mistake of blowing all their candy on the first half of the parade and then getting booed. That didn’t happen, so good job, Larry.”
Andy Halm mentioned that he’d served nearly 11 years on the council and that he was constantly learning how to be a city council member and about city government. “What to say at council meetings and what not to say, what to bring up and what not to bring up. And for nearly 11 years, I turned to one person, and that’s Larry.”
He also thanked Connie Byers for her years of service. “Thank you for your hard work and years of dedication. It’s been appreciated by everyone.”
Mayor Mike Caonon said, “I don’t think I can ever thank Larry enough for all he’s done for the city. And every mayor he’s worked with has the same message.”
On behalf of local media, including Y102, KLCK, and The Sentinel, this reporter praised both for their cooperation, honesty and transparency, saying the two represented the very best of Goldendale
Now, as promised, the rest of the story.
Councilors heard from a group of Observatory Hill walkers, who said the original signs on the trail network needed replacement, and councilors voted to spend $2,000 from the parks fund to upgrade and replace them.
Councilors also heard a presentation from representatives of the Trauma Intervention Program, a nonprofit grant-funded group that provides support to those affected by sudden tragedies, such as fire, flood, or car accidents. The group is recruiting people in the Goldendale area for extensive training in helping others.
The council’s next meeting on August 1 promises to be interesting for a different reason. The grand prize for the children’s Community Days scavenger hunt is to be named Mayor for A Day and “preside” over the meeting. Mayor Canon said when he asked the winner, seven-year-old Emily Bartholomew, what she planned to do, she answered, “Everything!” That includes banging the gavel to start the next meeting and leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
