Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A familiar face at Palouse city hall since 1994 will be leaving this week. After 21 years as the city’s treasurer, and later clerk-treasurer, Joyce Beeson will retire at the end of January.
An open house party will be from 3 to 5 p.m. today, Thursday, at city hall.
“We made the decision to retire,” Beeson said, whose husband Bruce just concluded his career with Palouse Welding at the first of the year. “We don’t really have any plans, just to not have to get up and go to work every morning.”
Beeson began at city hall Jan. 1, 1994, after being elected to the clerk position. She worked at West Food City, Palouse’s former grocery store, before that.
Beeson started at city hall the same day as present Mayor Michael Echanove began as a city councilman. He is the fourth mayor she has served under.
The three other mayors were Mark Kramer, Bruce Baldwin and Butch Smith.
“Palouse has really been blessed to have Joyce on staff,” the mayor said. “She’s going to be missed. She has so much institutional knowledge of the city. Joyce has kept funding partners happy, contractors paid and consultants on their toes. People like that are hard to replace.”
He pointed out that during his time as mayor, the city has not had a single audit finding on Beeson’s watch.
“I just liked the job,” she said. “It was a good position. It’s been a good career at city hall, working with the people of Palouse, public works, the police department.”
Along the way, changes came.
“The reporting processes for the state,” Beeson said. “Any government job reports to a higher government. It became more exacting, more policy driven, but just changes as time went on.”
She first moved to Palouse as a junior in high school, after which she and Bruce both graduated with the class of 1970. They were married soon afterward. Both of their children, Scott and Tanya, as well as their grandchildren live in Palouse.
“We’re very lucky,” Beeson said.
The town’s new clerk-treasurer will be Mike Bagott, whom Beeson has been training since last fall. The position is no longer an elected office. Ann Thompson will continue as Deputy Clerk-Treasurer.
“It’s been wonderful serving the city and the people of Palouse and all the mayors and city councilors in 21 years,” Beeson said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)