While there is plenty of excitement around Camas for Barry McDonnell to take over, there are also some who wonder how the political newcomer — who has never held elected office — will do when asked to jump right in and lead a city. Others, including plenty of city officials, are looking forward to getting to know McDonnell a bit more.

So who exactly is the future mayor of Camas? McDonnell was born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to Atlanta with his family when he was about 11. He works in loss prevention for a retail chain, and described himself as a people person, something he said will help him once he’s officially sworn in as the mayor.

“I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible so far,” he said. “I was elected to give people a voice. I represent their vision. Now I’m going to work with the city and individuals who can make that happen.”

Pool-itically active family

If McDonnell’s path to the mayoral seat can be traced to any one decision, it’s probably when the Camas City Council opted not to open the historic Crown Park pool for the summer of 2018 due to the high cost of bringing the pool up to code. The McDonnell family and others were upset, and they organized a pool party without the pool.

He attended some city council meetings to see what was going on and see whether the city was going to build another pool. It took more than a year from that point for the city’s next move, but it was one that angered many. City councilors put a bond measure for up to $78 million on the November ballot. The money would’ve gone toward a new 78,000-square-foot community center with a leisure pool, competitive pool, gym and community rooms.