Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier will come to Offut Lake on August 1st to participate in our monthly lake survey. He will join our crew, Rick and Kathi Durkin, Rob Pogue, and Steve Gunsolley, as they conduct our lake weed survey.
We do these survey’s monthly from May through September to chart weed growth cycles. These monthly surveys will help to replace anecdotal stories about lake weeds with data points that can be documented and compared year to year.
About Wayne
Wayne was born and raised in Tenino, Washington where he happily resides with his family and many lifelong friends.
He graduated from Tenino High School in 1998, attended S.P.S.C.C. earning an Associate’s Degree in 2000 and then going on to the Washington State University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology in 2005.
Wayne has dedicated his life to public service and his community, with over 25 years as a firefighter, he has served as a mentor and instructor to new and young recruits. Wayne began his career as Volunteer Firefighter in Tenino at the age of 18, he then progressed through his career working as a student Firefighter at Washington State University, a Trainee Firefighter at Lacey Fire District #3 and then as a career Firefighter with the City of Aberdeen, Washington. He is a third generation first responder as his grandfather was the police chief in Tenino in 1970’s and his father was a 30 year volunteer firefighter in the City of Tenino.
From 2012 – 2015, Wayne served on the Tenino City Council, before being elected to Mayor of City of Tenino in 2015. Wayne served as Mayor from 2015 – 2023. As Mayor, he was responsible for major city improvement projects including investments and improvements into the city’s park, quarry pool, and road systems.
He received the Tourism Visionary Award from Experience Olympia in 2017 for his economic development work, in 2017 he was named the best Mayor in Western Washington by King5, Nisqually Valley News’ Person of the Year in 2019 and Tenino Citizen of the Year in 2023 by the Tenino Area Chamber of Commerce.
In 2023, Wayne was elected to the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners. In 2023, he was chosen to serve as Vice-Chair, and he continues to hold this position as of 2024. Additionally, he serves as the County Commissions member of the Economic Development Council, where he actively works to promote the economic well-being of his district and constituents.
