Mayor & Town Council
The Town of Naches operates under the Mayor/Council form of government. The Mayor and Town Council are elected to four year terms. The Town Council adopts ordinances, sets the annual budget and the Mayor directs the Town through the Town Administrator.
The Mayor and Town Council positions are non-partisan and Council members are elected their respective positions by all the voters within the Town at the General Election. The Mayor and the Town Council serve part-time and do not maintain office hours at Town Hall.
Paul Williams
Mayor
Mayor Paul Williams was born and raised in Wapato and graduated from Wapato High School in 1970. He served over four years in the Army as a military policeman and then served in the Wapato Police Department, Union Gap Police Department, and retired from the Yakima County Sheriff’s office in 2004. Following his retirement from law enforcement, Paul worked as a contract investigator for the Federal Government and then as a Bailiff for the Yakima Superior Court. He was appointed to the Naches City Council in 2010 and was elected to a four year term in November 2011. Paul is married to Suzi and has two sons, Wayne and John, and has lived in the Nile Valley and now in Naches. He believes that keeping Naches a growing community with a balanced budget and bright future is our most important task. Paul was appointed Mayor in September 2015, upon the resignation of Rick Carney and was first elected to a new four-year term in the Fall of 2015. Paul’s term ends 12/31/2023.
Wayne L. Hawver
Town Council Position #1
Wayne.hawver@co.yakima.wa.us
Councilman Hawver was appointed in October 2008.Wayne also serves as the chairman of the Naches Valley Park Board.
Councilman Hawver was first elected in November 2017. His current term ends 12/31/2025.
Susan Schneider
Town Council Position #2
Susan.Schneider@co.yakima.wa.us
Councilwoman Schneider grew up in Naches and attended grades 1-12 in the Naches Valley School District, graduating in 1977. She attended WSU pledging Alpha Chi Omega Sorority and majoring in Horticulture/LA. Susan worked for DNR Fire Suppression Crew, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, US Bank, and the Yakima County Treasurer’s Office as a tax specialist. She is currently a co-owner of SCS ENT, a construction consulting firm for CA Pipe Installation with national and international projects.
Susan’s parents JoAnne and James Russell both attended and graduated from Naches, and her sons attended attended Naches Valley Schools. She has been married to James Schneider for 36 years.
Susan’s family ranch is on the edge of the city limits and she is very interested in the growth of the Town of Naches. She hopes to be a positive influence in finding funding for improvements for the Town and increasing school enrollment.
Susan believes in taking care of issues, whether government, ecological, or social, in her lifetime and not leaving a mess for the next generation. As a business owner she has experience promoting business and opportunities for the Town.
Susan applied for Position No. 2 in February 2023 when the previous Council person stepped down. She was appointed and will continue to serve out the remainder of the term.
Kit Hawver
Town Council Position #3
Kit.hawver@co.yakima.wa.us
Councilwoman Hawver has lived in Naches most of her life. Her parents, Harvey and June Keezer, operated a business and lived in Naches for many years. Kit married Wayne Hawver in 1978. Son Benjamin came in 1980. Kit has an AA degree from YVCC and a BA from CWU. She has been substitute teaching for grades preschool through 8th grade for 19 years. She is very proud to have served on the Naches Planning Commission several years. Councilwoman Hawver was first elected in November 2017 and her current term ends 12/31/2025.
Robert Weeeks
Town Council Position #4
Robert.weekes@co.yakima.wa.us
Councilman Weeeks was born in Bismarck, North Dakota. His parents moved to Port Angeles WA. where he graduated from High School. Robert was a military policeman in the U.S. Army for three and a half years. After the military Robert was a Police Officer for Franklin County then the City of Pasco. While working for Pasco Police Department he had to take a medical retirement. Robert then retrained to become a millwright. Robert and his family moved to Naches in 2001. He currently works for Layman Lumber. He and his wife Cindy have a son and a daughter, two granddaughters, one grandson, and one great granddaughter. Councilman Weekes was first elected in 2015. His current term ends 12/31/2023.
Suzi Williams
Town Council Position #5
Suzanne.williams@co.yakima.wa.us
Councilwoman Williams has been honored to call the town of Naches her home for 10 years. She really enjoys Naches, it reminds her of the town she grew up in, only that town did not have a stoplight! Suzi grew up in a farming community in Oregon. Living and working on a farm gave her first-hand experience on the importance of hard work and dedication. She is married to her husband, Paul. They have two sons, John and Wayne. John is married to Christie and has two of the most beautiful daughters you have ever seen, Grace and Addie. They also have their Labradors, Max and Chloe.
Suzi has lived and worked in Yakima County for the past 14 years as a VP of Wealth Management with CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc. She has been a financial advisor for 32 years. Seventeen of those years, Suzi was running her own company. Suzi loves working on solutions to problems, as she do this for a living. Also, she enjoys sitting on the Town Council. Suzi is active in the community and belongs to a few clubs , as well as sitting on a board and being an officer. In her free time, she enjoys quilting, dogs, traveling, gardening and of course spending time with her family. Suzi’s goal while serving on the council is to make our town more accessible to people who would like to start businesses in town and of course keep our citizens safe. Coucilwoman Williams was first elected in November 2017 and her term ends 12/31/2023.
Town Council Information
Meetings
- All general meetings of the town council of the town of Naches are held in the Town Hall in Naches, Washington. The agendas, minutes, ordinances and resolutions can be found on the Public Documents page of this website.
- General meetings of the Town Council are held on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm for the Study Session and 6:30 pm for the Town Council Meeting.
- Special meetings of the town council may be held where designated by appropriate notice.
- When the date of any regular meeting of the town council falls on a legal holiday, then such regular meeting is held on the next business day.
- The Mayor and each councilperson of the Naches Town Council receive a sum for each council meeting attended.
Town Officials
Jeff Ranger
Town Administrator
Jeff.Ranger@co.yakima.wa.us
The Town Administrator shall be the administrative and liaison officer for the town, under the direction and authority of the mayor. The town administrator shall have the following specific duties, powers and responsibilities, in addition to others provided by this chapter or otherwise:
A. Under the direction and authority of the mayor, supervise, administer and coordinate the activities of the various town offices, departments, commissions and boards in carrying out the ordinances and policies of the counsel; and administer and supervise the carrying out of the decisions, regulations and policies of the various town departments, commissions and boards;
B. Report to the mayor and council concerning the status of all assignments, duties and functions of the various town offices, departments, commissions and boards;
C. In cooperation with the town clerk-treasurer, keep the mayor and council advised of the financial condition of the town and its future needs, and assist in the preparation and submission of a preliminary budget to the mayor and council;
D. Serve as personnel officer for the town, including, without necessary limitation, the hiring and discharging, subject to the approval of the mayor, of all town employees, except those employees and officers required by law to be appointed by the mayor;
E. Supervise all purchasing by the various town offices, departments, commissions and boards;
F. Supervise all expenditures by the various town offices, departments, commissions and boards, for the purpose of keeping the same within the limitations of the annual budget of the town;
G. Assist the mayor and council in conducting the town’s business in all matters and perform other duties as the mayor and council may direct;
H. Attend all meetings of the town council and such other meetings as may be suggested by the mayor;
I. Recommend the adoption by the mayor and council measures the town administrator may believe necessary.
Elvira Birrueta
Town Clerk/Treasurer
Elvira.Birrueta@co.yakima.wa.us
A. The office of Treasurer of the town is combined with the office of Clerk of the town, and the clerk shall exercise the powers vested in and perform all the duties required to be performed by both the treasurer and the clerk under the laws of the state of Washington and the ordinances of the town.
B. The mayor shall appoint the town clerk, and the clerk shall hold office until the next general election after his or her appointment and until his or her successor shall be appointed and qualified.
C. In addition to the duties prescribed by town ordinance and state law, the clerk shall perform such additional duties and be in attendance on those duties as directed by the town council by resolution.
Planning Commission
The Town Planning Commission consists of five members who are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. The Planning Commission meets on the first Monday of every month at 6:00 pm at the Naches Town Hall, 29 E. Second Street, Naches.
The commission makes all necessary studies of the physical development of the town, lay plans and make recommendations to the council for such development to accomplish planned growth. The commission makes its recommendations to the council on proposed plats.
Planning Commission Members:
Earl Fisk, Chair
Hazel Barnett, Commissioner
Sue Ranger, Commissioner
The Town is looking for Planning Commission members; the requirement is that they do need to live within the city limits or Urban Growth Area.
If you would like to put something before the Town Planning Commission, please contact the Town Administrator to get information on the procedure for submitting a land use concern for consideration/discussion.