Steve Mansfield (left) posing with Nicky Dahlin, the wife of the recently deceased radio weatherman Dean Dahlin, at Tuesday's annual pre-flood preparation meeting.
As someone who tries to “figure things out before they happen” and constantly stay abreast of emergency situations on a 24-7 basis, Steve Mansfield is not quite sure on how he’ll handle retirement.
“You’re always worried about what’s going to happen. Being the Lewis County Emergency Management Director is not just a job, it’s part of my life and a big part of my identity,” said Mansfield, 63, who will be stepping down from his post next April and handing the reins to Emergency Management staffer and Las Vegas transplant, Andy Caldwell.
Mansfield said his last six months won’t be an extended farewell tour where he’ll be taking many bows, but said he promises to bring a number of ongoing projects to a close.
“My whole goal is to leave this place better than how I found it. I think I’m going to achieve that goal. But there’s some things that I just feel I need to do before I walk out the door and not leave on the table for someone else because I’m the person to get them done,” he added.
In reflecting on some of his most rewarding moments of his 20-year tenure, Mansfield didn’t single out any one particular event, but instead highlighted the people he worked with. He was particularly fond of the community spirit of Lewis County residents in how they often manage to set aside their differences and roll up their sleeves in times of crisis, he said.
“This is such a great community. We’re not out there looking for the government to fix everything for us. We know where the government has limitations. I mean, they’re going to be there to help where they can. But really if we are to get things done, we need to get them done on our own,” he noted as part of his ongoing message about individuals taking the initiative in preparing for emergency situations.
As far as what he’ll miss most about his career, which included a 10-year period where he served as county sheriff, Mansfield recalled how he always savored dealing with controversies and challenges that came with the job. It was a lot of those same issues that always kept him dialed into the local scene during his leisure or vacation time.
His passion for Lewis County and ensuring the safety of local residents, he said, make him a bit uncertain about how he’ll handle retirement, as the happily married father of three spoke of dedicating more time to his family and organizing a few fishing trips with his four grandchildren.
In addition, Mansfield also spoke about checking off a number of bucket list items, such as climbing mountains and visiting a number of sites throughout North America. But most of all, the Texas native is particularly excited about catching up on a lot of domestic chores on his farm in the Napavine/Winlock area, where he’ll be putting up fences and tending to his cows while periodically keeping an eye on road conditions and river readings.
“It’ll be hard for me to adjust, but I’ve had to adjust to all sorts of things in my career and I’ve found ways to be successful. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me; I’ve had a lot of bad things happen to me, but I’ve always found ways to get through it and find something positive in it,” he pondered. “That’s how God made it and we just keep moving forward. We don’t quit.”
