Nicki and I have been blessed with 4 great kids and 3 amazing grandkids, so far...
Picking up trash seems mundane, but we get great satisfaction from making our "backyard" look good.
During my term as mayor I looked for every opportunity to improve my skills and bring those experiences back to serve our community.
In 1978/79, I taught Marines how to survive in cold weather environments. I hope the lessons learned there saved lives.
Shopping local is key to supporting community economies, which, in turn, support the whole county.
Volunteering with the Nisqually Land Trust since 1996 has provided our family with a way to make a forever difference in our own backyard.
MEET JW
Early Life and Marine service
The middle child of five, I was raised in a small New England town where community involvement was just a given. My parents ran the local newspaper. Dad was editor/publisher/reporter/photographer/ad-salesman while Mom kept the books, managed the schedule, and kept us kids in line. Dad was in Rotary, Mom started the Meals-on-Wheels chapter in our town. Dad was a deacon in the First Baptist Church, where Mom sang in the choir and we five Fosterlings filed in every Sunday. We loved that simple, family-oriented way of life.
After high school, I joined the armed forces out of a sense of adventure and a desire to serve our country, as had many of my local heroes (including my Dad in WWII). I promoted up through the ranks of my infantry unit to Sgt. E-5 in just two years, then transferred to teach at the Marines’ Mountain Warfare Training Center in the Sierras. I realized I needed additional medical training in case our lone Navy Corpsmen was unavailable, so I took an EMT course at the regional community college.
Career
When I decided to muster out in 1979, I got a job with Mono County Rescue and used my GI bill to help pay for paramedic training in Los Angeles. Living in the very small town of Walker, CA, I found myself involved in everything – Lions Club, coaching sports in the schools, visiting seniors, responding with the local volunteer fire department, and once again enjoying that small-town life. It was there that I met my wife-to-be. Married in 1984, Nicki and I embarked on a life journey that brought us four awesome kids and a move to the great Northwest in 1988.
I had continued my professional career in Carson City and Reno, NV before taking a job with Tumwater Fire. The Thurston County Medic One program was nationally recognized and always on the forefront of innovative service delivery. And, it looked like a great place to raise a family. In that job, I became involved in the continuing education of our system’s EMS responders, including hundreds of citizen CPR and first aid classes. I became the Thurston County Paramedic Association’s representative to the Emergency Medical Services Council, and later was the conference coordinator for the West Region EMS Council. Twice named Thurston County’s Paramedic of the Year, and once as the County’s EMS Instructor of the Year, I took every opportunity to improve my skills and help train the team to the highest possible standard.
In 1996, Medic One added an additional Paramedic Unit to the underserved southeast corner of the county. I was selected to head that program and created the career side of what was then known as Thurston County Fire District #2 (now Southeast Thurston Fire Authority). I hired the first paramedic/firefighters and instituted programs to bring the volunteers up-to-date in training and equipment. In 2001, I transferred to West Thurston Fire to work with the SPRINT paramedic unit there, returned to Tumwater Fire in 2010, then retired in 2013.
Community and Civic Involvement
When we moved to Yelm in 1996, we jumped right into community life. We volunteered in our kids’ classrooms and as youth sports coaches. I also volunteered with local service clubs and community events and got involved in local government. I started on the Planning Commission, then was elected to City Council in 2011 and re-elected in 2015.
In 2016, when the Mayor resigned to take a job out of state, the Council elected me as the interim Mayor. I was then duly elected by the voters in 2017 and served through my full 4-year term, creating sustainable budgets, nurturing the staff through Covid, providing new community services and public amenities, and creating a voice for citizens through town hall meetings and study sessions. We started many programs in Yelm, with a focus on supporting our most vulnerable populations; providing financial and program support to the Senior Center, creating a task force to identify and provide resources to people in need, and supporting kids in our schools by partnering with organizations like TOGETHER. I also volunteered with the school system’s Career and Technical Education programs to provide students alternative paths to successful futures.
I also realized that the small communities in our county had an important voice that wasn’t always heard at the county level. So, I got on various County boards and committees, eventually being elected Chair of the Thurston Regional Planning Council. I also connected with the leadership at Joint Base Lewis McChord and the South Sound Military Communities Partnership to ensure that our many military families were heard and served. In 2018, I was appointed to the Risk Management Services Agency (RMSA) Board of Directors. This organization serves as the ‘insurance’ agency for about 100 Washington Cities. Through my work on the board, I learned how other communities, big and small, faced their challenges and brought that knowledge back to my work within Thurston County.
It’s been a lot. But as my Mom and Dad showed me, the reward of a life of service to others is the feeling of a life well-lived. After we decided not to run for another term as Mayor, Nicki and I took a couple of years to catch our breath and concentrate on grandkids, gardens and getaways. But now, I have a desire to use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over my career to serve our greater community of Thurston County. And yes, Nicki thinks It’s a good idea too. Let me know what you think.