Yelm city councilor resigns due to military deployment, reflects on tenure

Trevor Palmer’s year and a half tenure as a Yelm city councilor came to an abrupt end on Tuesday, April 1, as the Army National Guardsman received his orders for deployment.

During an interview with the Nisqually Valley News on Friday, April 18, Palmer said he’d be leaving “within a couple of days” after a trip to the armory on Monday, April 21. Though Palmer could not disclose much information about his upcoming deployment, he stated his assignment is part of the Army National Guard’s Alpha Troop 1-303rd Cavalry.

Though his deployment marks the end of his Yelm City Council tenure, Palmer said he’d eventually like to pursue a position in local government once he returns from his yearlong assignment.

“Obviously, a yearlong deployment and coming back, there’s a lot of factors between now and then. But I really would like to come back after this deployment, if it’s possible with what I have going on with the military,” he said. “We’ll have to reassess in a year. I did enjoy my time, and if Yelm needs me when I get back, then yes, I could see myself throwing my hat back into the ring.”

Palmer was grateful for his opportunity on the council, which he said allowed him to learn how local government operates in depth. The former councilor said being an elected official, rather than sitting in on meetings as a citizen, brought an entire new element to his thought process of city government.

“I ran because I’ve lived in Yelm my whole life, and love this community. I was just looking to try and keep some of our small town feel and make sure that we were doing things fiscally responsible,” Palmer said. “Fortunately, while reflecting on my year and a half on council, we have a really good staff and a really good council right now. I was happy with the work we were doing.”

Palmer added, as a city councilor, one of his biggest frustrations were Washington state laws “that didn’t fit in with the spirit of Yelm” in which the City of Yelm had to comply with — such as the Growth Management Act.
“Now we have to allow for all of these housing developments and all of the other stuff. That’s frustrating for me because I’d like to maintain more of a small feel, but we can only operate in the bounds we can,” Palmer said. “I feel like the council and staff, everybody I worked with over there, all have a heart for the community and all are trying to go in a positive route that tries to maintain our hometown feel.”

Palmer was also quick to applaud the hard work of City of Yelm staff, stating he was pleased with how they operated throughout his year and a half stint on council.

“From (city clerk) Kathy Linnemeyer, (public works director) Cody Colt, Stephanie (Nanavich) our finance director — the whole team — they’re all very professional and working hard to keep Yelm positive and in the black financially,” he said. “I was really happy with our whole team.

“One of the things I got a lot of enjoyment out of was being able to have those conversations with community members out and about in the public. Sometimes, people would say they wished Yelm would get a hospital, and I’d say ‘OK, that’s not a city function because it’s private business.’ Helping educate people and directing them in the right direction,” Palmer continued. “Being able to help direct our local community with who to talk to and where to go was one of the more enjoyable parts of the job.”

Palmer’s advice to the next Yelm city councilor to fill Position No. 6 was to take things slow and take the time to gain an understanding on how city governments operate.

“The advice I got from a lot of past council members and current council members, like JW Foster and a few others, when you get on there just kind of take your time. Observe, obviously you’re there to do the job, but I’d say throughout your first six months to a year, learn as much as you can and observe,” Palmer said. “Start figuring out where your voice is, because if you start speaking up too soon, you can put your foot in your mouth. Take all the information in that staff gives you, and then once you start learning the ropes, then you can start speaking your mind a little bit more.”

The former councilor also offered advice and several words of encouragement for younger residents in Yelm and surrounding areas considering a career in the military. With contracts being as little as three years,

Palmer said there are plenty of rewards to be earned through service.

“If the younger readers have an interest in the military, I’d say do it. The amount of benefits you can get are immense. The military has been good to me. You can join all of the way up until 35, so if you have the desire and drive, I’d say do it,” Palmer said. “As far as military service goes, if you have passion for it and the idea in your head that it’s something you want to do, I’d say do it.”