Sean C. Morgan
After nearly 27 years with the city, Pat Gray will retire as Finance Director Jan. 31.
She leaves with the appreciation of her boss of the last year and a half.
“What Pat Gray has done for the city goes far beyond finance director,” said City Manager Ray Towry, adding that she is a cheerleader for Sweet Home, and she has been involved in the community in many capacities.
Although they live in Lacomb, her three daughters, Kayla, Allison and Ashley, were all educated in the Sweet Home School District and Kayla served as a Sportsman’s Holiday Court member in 2012.
Gray has been involved with numerous fund-raising activities and programs in the School District.
Her work with the city organization often ranged far from finance and budgeting as she put together running events, spearheaded the stained glass window project at the library, painted the interior of the library and the exterior of City Hall with her family.
The list is long, including work on the Sweetheart, Zombie and Eclipse runs, serving as interim library director, automating the library card catalog, designing and painting four community Christmas cards for display, starting the city’s passport program, serving in the Kiwanis Club and much more.
She was named the Chamber of Commerce’s Business and Professional Women’s Woman of the Year in 2007 and received a VIP last year at the annual chamber banquet. She has received numerous professional awards for her city budget document.
“There is no replacing Pat Gray,” Towry told a crowd of more than 50 friends, coworkers and family at an open house Friday at City Hall. “We’ve all been very, very fortunate to (spend) some time with (Gray). People with much longer careers have accomplished far less.”
Towry noted that she worked for nine city managers and with four Municipal Court judges during her career in Sweet Home.
No task has been too small for her.
“I know and have worked with many department heads who wouldn’t scrub a toilet,” Towry said. He recalled seeing a toilet at City Hall that needed to be scrubbed. He went off to grab supplies, but by the time he had returned, Gray had already taken care of it.
“Her dedication is second to none, and I don’t think anybody would argue that,” Towry said.
When someone is busy putting together events like the Sweetheart Run, Towry said. “Your family tends to be involved as well.”
He recognized Gray’s husband, Darrell Wickline, and their daughters for their involvement in her projects.
“Pat,” Towry said. “Thank you. We’ll never be able to replace you.”
“I appreciate all of you,” Gray said. “I appreciate (former city manager) Craig Martin for letting me run amok.”
Martin always told her to just check with the insurance company and avoid getting the city into trouble when she wanted to try something new, she said.
She said that Towry has been wonderful to work with as well.
To the crowd, Gray said that while she may be hard to work with sometimes, “I do appreciate you putting up with me all these years.
“I can tell you this, you’re not going to get me back this time,” Gray said, recalling the time she briefly quit after 10 years with the city.
Her successor didn’t last long, and Martin and retired Police Chief Bob Burford talked her into returning. She agreed to work another five years and then stayed on much longer.
“I really enjoyed my time here,” Gray said.
When she became finance director, Gray told The New Era that she hoped she could bring continuity to the position, which had changed hands three times in the year prior to her taking the position.
“I accomplished that goal,” Gray said. “I couldn’t have done it without great staff.”
When she became finance director, she said she liked Sweet Home and the staff at City Hall. It reminded her of her hometown.
It still does, she said. “I missed my hometown of Lakeview.”
Both were timber towns that fell on hard times, she said. Both were small towns.
“I adopted Sweet Home as my new home,” Gray said.
She became Finance Director July 1, 1991 after working two months as accounting supervisor. She succeeded Gene Stutzman, who resigned after six months to become director of the Mennonite Home in Albany.
“I like it here,” Gray said at the time. “City Hall has excellent employees who really know their jobs. I enjoy a small town.”
Gray graduated from Lakeview High School in 1976 and attended the University of Oregon for two years before returning to Lakeview where she began a finance and personnel management career, including 18 months as administrative assistant for Lake County.
She spent nine years as office manager for Lakeview Lumber Products.
Gray moved to Linn County in 1989 and worked in senior services for the city of Lebanon and for the Community Services Consortium before spending 14 months as personnel and office manager at Rainier Wood Products in Sweet Home.
Gray noted that she isn’t the only one leaving on Jan. 31. Elisha Wilson, a court clerk supervised by Gray, also is resigning.
She has worked for the city since 2010.