PORT ANGELES — As the new city clerk, Jennifer Veneklasen is the new keeper and dispenser of city government public records that are available to Port Angeles’ 19,000 residents.
Veneklasen, the former director of marketing and engagement at the Clallam County Family YMCA, took over Tuesday from former City Clerk Janessa Hurd, who resigned and has moved to Kingston.
Hurd said Friday she moved to be closer to her husband John’s job in the Shine area of East Jefferson County and to spend more time with her family.
John Hurd is an asphalt plant foreman for Issaquah-based Lakeside Industries, which has a branch in Port Angeles, where Hurd grew up.
Veneklasen, her husband, Jeff Lightfoot, a sales representative for Southern Wine & Spirits, and their 4-year-old daughter have lived in Port Angeles for nine years.
“I just thought the [city clerk] position sounded very interesting, to get to be involved with the City Council, to be kind of a liaison between the City Council and the public, and in the middle of city government and all that’s happening with this town,” Veneklasen, a former special sections editor for the Peninsula Daily News, said last week.
“We moved here because we fell in love with it here and wanted to raise our daughter here,” said Veneklasen, 34, a native of Canadian, Texas, population 2,800.
“I thought this would be an opportunity to be in a position to create a positive change for a place that I love.
“With my journalism background, I was always interested in people’s right to know and being a part of their government. Those were the main things that drew me to the position.”
Hurd, 36, who succeeded Becky Upton as city clerk in 2009, has a daughter, 6, and a son, 9.
While her job officially ended Aug. 31, she is on a 30-day contract to help Veneklasen ease into the city clerk position by advising her remotely from Kingston.
City Council agendas, meeting minutes and recordings of meetings that the city clerk takes care of are increasingly available online at the city’s website, http://tinyurl.com/PDN-angeles, Hurd said.
The website also includes a form to fill out for public records requests.
The city’s public police records, which are not managed by the City Clerk’s Office, are available by phoning 360-417-4915 but also can be requested through the city’s website.
Hurd still averaged 250 requests annually — about one every working day of the year.
“The clerk’s job is to help the public access their government,” Hurd said.
“Sometimes you do that without a whole lot of face-to-face, so the ability to communicate and provide good customer service without the ability to see someone face-to-face is really important.
“It’s a big responsibility but also what makes the job, in my opinion, so much fun.
“You get to deal with all different kinds of people, help people every day and get to be part of government working every day and make a difference.”
Hurd, who grew up in Corvallis, Ore., said she may not get another government job.
“I want something that allows me to be involved in the community but also allows me to spend more time with my family,” she said.
Veneklasen, available at 360-417-4634, will earn $59,896 annually compared with the $69,487 made by Hurd, who was at a higher step on the city salary scale.
City Manager Dan Mc-Keen said Veneklasen was among more than 60 applicants who applied for the position in a process that included panel interviews and a one-on-one interview with McKeen.
“Each panel put her right at the top, so she was definitely our top choice,” he said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
