CAC to carry on with Leszczuk at helm

By TIM HIRSCH of the Sun

Threatened with its existence as a community group that shares community feedback with Tillamook County government — and the decisions they make — the Pacific City-Woods Citizen Advisory Committee will reportedly continue on for another year thanks to 2023-24 Vice-Chair Sharlys Leszczuk.

With no one stepping to the plate to serve for any of the CAC’s three executive board positions, Leszczuk volunteered to take the helm being vacated by retiring Chair Bob Papke. She was elected via a hand vote by the approximately 80 attending the Aug. 10 CAC meeting at Kiawanda Community Center.

A realtor for the Pacific City office of Windermere Real Estate, Leszczuk also works for the Nestucca Valley School District as a public relations representative.

She told the Sun that she is eager to build on the momentum that Papke has created during his years of service as chair.

“It’s a critical component of our voice in the county,” Leszczuk told the Sun in an exclusive interview. “I just wanted to make sure that it stayed alive.”

“I’m not looking to be the voice of Pacific City,” she added. “I want to be the liaison, which is what the committee is, and stay in constant communication with the county — making sure all the information happening there is relayed here and continuing to have those different people who are representing us at the county level coming down and talking to us and hearing our ideas as well.”

Though Leszczuk is currently the lone executive board member for the coming year, which means the CAC is two short of what bylaws dictate, she said she’s confident that will be remedied soon.

“I do not plan on changing the bylaws. By the next meeting, I’m hoping to have more people up there who are interested who we can appoint to those positions,” she added.

As part of that recruitment process, she emphasized to the Sun the limited investment that both the vice-chair and secretary positions represent.

“I would estimate that last year I spent about 10 hours over the course of 12 months as the vice chair. And, eight of those were at the meetings themselves. If there’s not somebody that has 10 hours to spare, I would be absolutely shocked,” she said. “I’m willing to take on the bulk of the work, but it’s very important to have two more voices and two more brains at the table. You just need that kind of help.”

Looking forward to the upcoming year, Leszczuk said she plans to keep subcommittees, such as the Land Use Committee, in place — despite the fact that volunteers are needed for these as well.

“I believe that if we communicate what’s involved and how to do it, I think we can get more interest,” she said. “I think right now we’re suffering from people being afraid to volunteer, to raise their hand thinking it will be too much work for them.

“I think that Bob was a great leader, Leszczuk added. “He kept this going. I plan to follow in his footsteps and doing all the heavy lifting that I can to make it as easy as possible for other people to get involved. Especially for an unincorporated town, participation locally is so, so important. You have a huge voice going up to the county level. There’s so much opportunity to lend your voice to that conversation.”

Leszczuk also pledged to continue with quarterly meetings. She also said she will attend “every single one of” the monthly CAC chair meetings that the county holds.

“I have been in Pacific City now for three years,” she added. “I am very involved in the community in real estate. I’m working with the school district as well. I talk to a lot of people. I have a lot of face time with all different people in the community. I’m always willing to talk. I want to meet as many people as possible, and, hopefully, inspire some people to get involved.”

For more information about the Pacific City-Woods CAC, visit pcwoodscac.org