College board appoints new member

Published 11:11 am Tuesday, September 14, 2021

A former Portland attorney will replace Suzanne Iverson on the board of Clatsop Community College.

Iverson, a retired college employee, won a narrow victory over incumbent David Zunkel last May but died unexpectedly this summer.

Her replacement, Jody Stahancyk, was sworn in at a Zoom meeting Tuesday night. Her term in Zone 3, Position 6 runs through June 2023 and she has indicated she would consider running for election for an additional two years after her term expires.

Previously based in Portland, she practiced family law with her firm Stahancyk, Kent & Hook. She has long maintained an office in Astoria and shared space with former local attorney Steve Roman.

Roman, who died in May, was friends with former Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen and represented him at various times. Van Dusen’s daughter, Trudy Van Dusen Citovic, was elected to the college board in May.

Stahancyk, originally from Prineville, previously served on the Linfield College Board and on other boards in Portland. She also has connections with state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. The two women grew up together, she told college board members during candidate interviews last week.

Stahancyk and her husband relocated more permanently to the coast last year. They have owned a beach house in Gearhart since 1989.

Five of the six college board members favored Stahancyk’s application for the vacancy.

Zunkel, a retired physician, had also applied for the appointment, along with Harvey Claussen, a retired chemical engineer in Cannon Beach. Board member Anne Teaford-Cantor preferred Zunkel over Stahancyk, but the board decided to go with Stahancyk.

Board member Tim Lyman had recruited Iverson to run on a platform that included concerns about enrollment and the college’s management software.

In her interview with the college board, Stahancyk also voiced concerns about enrollment, as well as building maintenance issues. She said the college faces “heavy challenges,” but also a number of opportunities.