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Lewis County attorney Joan Jones bids farewell as Ian Gilbert prepares to take over
Summary
Joan Jones delivered a lengthy farewell at the Lewis County Board of Legislators meeting, praised staff and local partners, and confirmed Ian Gilbert will assume the county attorney role on Monday following a planned transition.
Joan Jones, retiring Lewis County attorney, used her farewell address to thank colleagues, highlight long-running county projects and announce that Ian Gilbert will take over as county attorney effective Monday. "Ian, I know you're gonna serve the county extremely well," Jones said, and described several weeks of transition work with her law department staff.
Jones recounted 12 years in the office, crediting earlier boards and local municipal leaders for supporting a large housing development she described as adding more than $10 million in assessed value. She also named and thanked a series of long-serving administrators and staff — including assistant county attorney Matt Gettle and county officials such as Patty O'Brien, Terry Clark and Liz Swearingen — praising their institutional knowledge and service to vulnerable residents.
She warned the board against personal agendas and public online attacks on staff, saying some employees had been "maligned in social media" and urging elected members to lead constructively. Several legislators later thanked Jones for her service and the chair reiterated the board's appreciation.
The board had earlier adopted a resolution appointing Ian Gilbert as county attorney; Jones said she and her staff had been preparing a smooth handover. No formal action beyond the appointment resolution was taken during the meeting. The meeting concluded without executive session and adjourned following routine motions.
