On Tuesday, November 23, 2021, Rochelle Ramos was sworn in as mayor at Washougal City Hall upon the certification of the general election. She received 82.52% of the votes. Ramos assumes her official duties immediately. The ceremony was livestreamed on Facebook and is available on the city website at https://cityofwashougal.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=374.
“I am very honored to serve the citizens of Washougal,” said Ramos. “I look forward to engaging with the community and continuing to contribute to our bright future.”
Ramos’ first action was to administer the oath of office to former mayor Molly Coston, who won the Council Position 5 seat in this month’s election.
“It has been my great honor to serve as Washougal’s mayor for the last four years,” said Coston. “It was my pleasure to administer the oath to Rochelle as my last official act as mayor. I am excited for our future and look forward to working with Mayor Ramos and the rest of the Council in my new role as a member of Council in Position 5.”
As a Washougal resident for 15 years, Ramos has an active history of community service. Most recently, she served on the Washougal Park Board of Commissioners and cofounded the nonprofit Lunchmoney Indoor Skatepark. She also is the webmaster for Camas Washougal Community Chest and previously was President and Marketing Chair of West Columbia Gorge Humane Society.
Professionally, Ramos works as a human resources director for a local aerospace & defense government contractor. She graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and has a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Golden Gate University. She is also completing a Graduate certificate in Aerospace & Defense from the University of Oklahoma.
Ramos plans to apply her HR skills to the mayor position by taking a teamwork approach to solve some of the city’s most pressing issues such as public safety, revitalizing the small business community and navigating the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“I know that solutions can only result from stepping up and bringing people together to reach our goals,” noted Ramos. “I am ready to take on that challenge.”
Certified results of the November 2 election are:
- Rochelle Ramos – Council Position 1 & Mayor
- David Stuebe – Council Position 3
- Molly Coston – Council Position 5
- Julie Russell – Council Position 6
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