Council interviews six applicants and appoints two to South Summit Cemetery board

The Summit County Council on Oct. 23 interviewed six candidates for two openings on the South Summit Cemetery Maintenance District and appointed two residents to fill unexpired terms. Donna Yore and Rhonda Fitzgerald were approved by the council by voice vote.

The interviews began with Lacey Patterson, who said she was “born and raised in Camas” and described longtime volunteer work around local cemeteries and a wish to help preserve older headstones. Catherine Crook, a real-estate agent and property manager, told the council she could help modernize records and accounting processes to make transfers and searches easier. Rhonda Fitzgerald spoke about a family tradition of cemetery stewardship and emphasized hands-on maintenance. Monica Lazard, who manages the district’s mapping system, highlighted the SemSite platform used to maintain searchable records and to support events such as Wreaths Across America. Donna Yore and John Moon also described community ties and past public-service roles.

Council members thanked each applicant for applying and said staff would notify candidates of the council’s decision later the same day. During the meeting the council moved formally to appoint Donna Yore and Rhonda Fitzgerald to serve the remaining terms, with both appointments approved by unanimous voice vote. Tanya Hansen moved the appointment motion and Chris Robinson seconded.

The council’s packets included applicants’ statements about experience and availability; several applicants emphasized volunteer time and local genealogical interests as motivating factors for serving. The council noted no changes to cemetery policy were authorized in the interviews: the appointments are to volunteer board seats charged with maintenance and record stewardship.

Next steps: staff will complete the paperwork to record the appointments and notify applicants. The cemetery board will carry on routine operations under its existing authority.