City of Connell swears in new Mayor, Council
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
January 15, 2026
By: Katherine Trowbridge
It was a changing of the guard, so to speak, as the council chambers filled with community members, family, and friends to witness the swearing in of a brand new mayor and Connell city council on Wednesday, January 7.
Connell City Clerk Marissa Ortiz led the oath of office beginning with Council Position 1, Mayor and moving through each of the council positions. Council Position 6 was vacant as it had been held by now, Mayor Shelly Harper.
Mayor Harper made appointments for the Planning Commission, reappointing Ray Minor and Jerry Sackman, and appointing Robert Welch to a vacancy. To the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee, she appointed Bob Koch, Ashley Eagy, Helen Tobin, and Randy Kallenbach. She also stated that she is bringing back the Park and Recreation Board to whom she appointed Gerardo Barragan, Liz Villanueva Bauer, Cynthia Brogan, and Parker Dolezal.
The Consent Calendar was approved as well as the agenda with motions by council member Patrice Hebel.
The meeting kicked off with citizen comment to which Pam Welch took the opportunity to state that our new mayor spoke to her about serving on a new neighborhood committee committed to bringing people together and cleaning up our neighborhoods. Kara Booker also spoke, stating it was “nice to see fresh faces.” She had planned to call out the issue of transparency and ask for a commitment to transparency but Mayor Harper had already done so when she began the meeting by reading a letter - (see article to right).
The council proceeded to hear from two of the three candidates who put in applications for the vacant position before retreating to an executive session to review applications further and make their decision. The council unanimously appointed Shelly Welch to the seat of council position 6. Other applicants included Joe Escalera, and Mitch Parks.
Mayor Harper didn’t waste any time, moving to swear in Welch and place her in her seat before the meeting continued with the selection of Mayor Pro-tem, which the mayor stated will be a six month term. Council member Patrice Hebel (who had been appointed to Position 5 in September) moved to nominate Terri Cerna and Frankie Meraz seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
A brief discussion on when council meetings take place was held with the consensus of the council being that the current schedule works after considering a Monday option. Council meetings are currently held the first and third Wednesday of each month. Mayor Harper stated that meetings will be held, unless there is a blizzard or natural disaster, they will not be cancelled even if there is nothing to place on the agenda.
A lease agreement between the city and chamber was brought forward for council consideration. The lease is for the Visitors Center, with the city holding full ownership. Mayor Harper emphasized that this agreement with the chamber would bring $8,029 in savings to the city.
Council member Cerna expressed she felt it was a “great thing” as the building “needs to be utilized.”
Chamber President Bevon Davis stated, “We think we can occupy it more often than it is now.”
Council member Cerna moved and council member Duey Dixon seconded the motion to enter into a lease agreement with the chamber. The motion was unanimously approved.
A Mayoral report along with staff, and committee reports, council comments, and a second option for citizen comment was provided to conclude the meeting.
In the Mayoral report Harper stated she met with staff in mid December, was privately sworn in on December 31 (publicly at the meeting).
She has been busy since January 1 - selecting committee appointments, meeting with partners (like the Port of Pasco), and working to fill staff vacancies. She shared that she split the Public Works Director Position into two jobs. Tyson Steele will be on the administrative side as Technical Director and Kim Phanthavong will take on the role of Field Director. She also reported the news that a call from Lamb Weston Corporate earlier in the day verified that they will be tearing down the building with demolition to begin soon. They also said they have no plans to sell the land or rebuild a new plant in the near future.
Fire Chief Ken Woffenden reported on a residential structure fire with extensive damage that had occurred, as well as seven fires outside city limits, and 24 alarms. He stated he completed the annual fire safety inspection at Coyote Ridge Corrections and has scheduled Americold.
Treasurer Teresa Steele shared that she has been busy working on year end stuff. She also reported on the audit that is currently taking place. The audit is for 2024 with an accountability audit also being held (22-24).
Marissa Ortiz reported on providing support for a council workshop held Dec. 17. Coordinated hiring the Maintenance II position on public works, assisted with end of year benefit tracking, led recruitment for city clerk (Harper reported they have 12 applicants). Ortiz has also worked with providing support to the incoming council.
Tyson Steele provided a detailed report of items he has been focusing on in public works including web security, cellular account clean-up (disconnecting multiple phone/tablets no longer needed - eliminating that expense), internet provider - getting things rolling to cut expenses by 50% (give or take) with all locations in Connell, removed 89 old gas cards and issued new cards to individuals and vehicles - improving control, accuracy, and accountability.
He has also been working with Kim P. and the health department on the wastewater facility. He shared about working with Anderson Perry on the Striker Addition sidewalk project - which is 30% into the design phase, highlighting updates and support for the maintenance crew into Striker Park. Construction is expected around June.
Steele stated, “I look forward to finding new ways to improve services and reduce costs to the city, that’s part of my goal and always been something I enjoy doing. I appreciate everyone’s cooperation and support as I transition into the position and continue working on city operations.”
Police Chief Chris Lee reported that Brad Quinton has retired; however, the community will still see him on patrol as a Reserve Officer. Chief Lee is working to hire a replacement. Earlier in the meeting he introduced the latest officer, Andrew Ferguson, who came to the city from the department of corrections. Chief Lee is also busy with multiple committee meetings, preparing for the legislative season and updating mandates (many of which are unfunded).
In council remarks - the council thanked the voters as well as city staff. Council member Meraz also thanked the Police Department for coming to showcase what they do with the second graders at Connell Elementary. Meraz said “it made a big impact on those kids.”
Council member Welch expressed she is “excited to see what we can do.”
In the final public comment Kara Booker brought up the rumor that someone is being considered for the city administrator position, not naming names. She personally did not feel this person would be a good fit. Booker encouraged as she emphasized, “Just as the former administrator was the legacy of the former mayor, the next one will be yours.” She added that she is hopeful thoughtful consideration will be used when choosing who is a good fit and is qualified and will best serve the city and the community.
Burl Booker extended his congratulations to everyone. He also emphasized to the council to “think about that contract you sign,” stating that it was a “really bad deal that we got into.”
Hans Engleke, Port of Pasco Commissioner, also congratulated the new council and expressed that he is “looking forward to working with you all.”
The next council meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 21 at 6pm.