Neil Kimsey bids adieu to wastewater district Longtime commissioner lauded for ‘vision and commitment’ to agency, its customers

At age 92, Neil Kimsey is ready to retire — again.

At the end of the month, he will step down from his role as a commissioner for the Clark Regional Wastewater District, a position he’s held since 1995, when it was still called the Hazel Dell Sewer District.

Kimsey has been in Clark County since 1948. He owned and operated Kimsey Sales, a car dealership on Main Street in Vancouver. Kimsey said he was thinking about retiring from his car business but wanted a way to stay active and involved with the community.

“I knew the commissioner that had that position before me because I’d sold him a couple cars,” he said. “He said, ‘Oh sure, do it, Neil. You’ll love it.’ … Once I got elected, I loved it so much that I sold my business and focused on the sewer district.”

The Clark Regional Wastewater District serves about 100,000 customers in unincorporated Clark County, including the Hazel Dell area, Felida, Brush Prairie, Hockinson and Ridgefield. The district has three board commissioners, each serving a six-year term, with elections staggered every two years.

After successfully running for election and reelection five times, Kimsey decided not to seek another term in office at the end of his term.

‘A good friend’

What does Kimsey like most about serving on the wastewater district board?

“Just meeting other people, going to meetings, and having your input in with the public,” he said. “We’ve had an awful lot of very, very talented people working at the district, and I can’t say that one of them I disliked.”

Kimsey takes his role as a commissioner and as a voice for residents seriously. John Peterson, general manager of the Salmon Creek plant, said Kimsey has been especially committed to the district’s focus on customer needs.

“He has been exceptionally engaged in the civic and business community, attending nearly every outreach effort, listening to constituent needs and bringing that outside perspective to his policy-making role,” Peterson said.

He added that Kimsey would regularly drive by active projects and meet with residents to better understand how board decisions affected them and were implemented in the community.

Fellow Commissioner Norm Harker has served alongside Kimsey for 28 years.

“He’s very dedicated to the work,” Harker said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with him. He’s become a good friend.”

Harker said Kimsey has fostered relationships with other elected officials at the county and cities, making the wastewater district’s work better.

“We’re welcomed partly because of his willingness to become friends with those elected officials,” Harker said.

While there has been a lot of work and numerous projects over those 30 years, the one Kimsey is most proud of is the Salmon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ridgefield.

“Ridgefield was about ready to go under. They wouldn’t have had one-tenth of the growth that they’ve had in the last 15 years if it hadn’t been for Clark Regional Wastewater District,” he said.

Peterson credits Kimsey with being the driving force behind extending regional services to Ridgefield.

“It is an untold part of the Ridgefield success story. The reason we have a new Clark College branch campus, Costco and In-N-Out Burger at the Ridgefield junction is largely because of Commissioner Kimsey’s vision and commitment 10 to 15 years ago to lay the infrastructure foundation for that community to thrive,” he said.

Kimsey’s son, Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, also said getting the Salmon Creek plant built was the highlight of his father’s career as a commissioner. After years of study, engineers had recommended the sewage line run along Lake River to the Salmon Creek plant, he said, but his father found a better route along Interstate 5 that was less expensive and would spur development.

“My dad’s continual questioning and advocacy for that option saved ratepayers millions of dollars,” Greg Kimsey said.

It’s not just the Salmon Creek plant that stands out in Peterson’s mind. He said Neil Kimsey was equally attentive to the district’s finances and budget.

“The result is the district has the lowest rates in Clark County for a home using a typical amount of water,” Peterson said.

Greg Kimsey said his father has been a role model for him and other elected officials, especially for his commitment to public service.

“He is always focused on what’s in the best interest for the ratepayers in the Clark Regional Wastewater District,” Greg Kimsey said. “He is accessible to the community; he is very active in the community and is responsive to concerns.”

‘I just love it’

Neil Kimsey isn’t sure what he’s going to do with his free time now, although he said he plans to still attend some board meetings.

“Boy, I don’t know, because I just love it. I love going to the meetings,” he said. “I’ve got a very active family, and they keep track of me and take me places to do things.”

With four sons and a daughter, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, most of whom live in Washington and Oregon, Neil Kimsey said he’s looking forward to spending more time with his family.

Still, he said he will miss his work with the wastewater district.

“I hope they miss me half as much as I’m going to miss them,” he said.