'Go to work and good things will happen'

POST FALLS — Skip Hissong was taught out of the gate that hard work will help you go places.

"Work ethic was pounded into me as a small child by my mother (Rena)," said Hissong, who had his last meeting as a Post Falls City Council member on Tuesday. "Go to work and good things will happen."

Hissong applied that mentality to his community involvement, which also has included the Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency, Post Falls Lions Club, Post Falls Community Volunteers, Post Falls Historical Society, American Legion Post 143, Post Falls Senior Center and lobbying for multiple school bond levies.

"I enjoy being involved in projects — not because they make me taller or lose weight — but I enjoy being involved in activities that help other people," Hissong said.

Hissong retired last spring when he sold the Post Falls business Summit Equipment, which manufactures machinery used in the recycling industry. He now plans to spend his winters in Arizona and his summers at the home he built in tiny but historic Virginia City, Mont.

Hissong said he also plans to visit relatives in the Inland Northwest often and stay in a motorhome while here. He and his wife, Jody, plan to maintain their NUDO Japanese restaurant in Spokane.

Lynn Borders, who Hissong supported in the November election, will replace Hissong on the city council.

In 1991 you were a founding member of the Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency that funds infrastructure projects to spur on economic development and jobs. You served on that board a total of 14 years on two different occasions. Even though urban renewal has been around statewide for more than 25 years, controversy continues to swirl. What are your thoughts on that?

I took my marbles and went home on urban renewal. My idea of urban renewal is job creation such as with industrial development. We lucked out with Harpers (that later became Flexcel and Kimball Office). That was magic to get that at company even though it later struggled. Then developers wanted to include commercial and residential with urban renewal funding.

Even today, I don't see either one of those being a part of urban renewal, and I'm a lonely voice in that. Residential can go in anywhere. It doesn't need urban renewal to happen. You can argue that McDonald's creates jobs, but it is going to go where people are whether you give them a free road or not. Helping fund commercial and residential may not be illegal, but I believe the purpose of urban renewal is to create jobs. Riverbend (Commerce Park) has done a phenomenal job of providing good-paying jobs. Even though Kimball is closing, there's a huge building there that will eventually be used.

You served on the city council a total of 11 years on two different occasions. Reflect on that service.

Throughout the years, we've had a stable council, mayors and leadership. The police department was always my No. 1 priority because that is essential for everything else to happen. You can have streets and sidewalks, but if they aren't safe, why bother using them? You can also have beautiful parks, which we do, but if they are not safe, why bother using them? I also believe that we have done a good job at keeping taxes where they belong. In the past eight years, we could have raised taxes a total of 24 percent (cities are allowed to raise taxes up to 3 percent per year under state law), but they were only raised 2.5 percent. That's being a pretty good steward of the people's money. Just because you're a city doesn't mean that you have to raise taxes.

You were known as a person who didn't mince words when you felt passionate about a subject. What was up with that?

I needed a reference letter written once and it stated that Skip never leaves you not knowing how he feels. I tick people off. I say a lot of stupid things. But at least people know where I stand on issues. That's OK with me, but not OK with some others.

Reflect on the highlights of your community service over the years and why that has been rewarding.

The Lions Club constructed the concession stand, restrooms and pavilion at Q'emiln Park. The pavilion was built after we had snow at Oktoberfest one year. Restoring the Corbin Ditch headgate (at Falls Park) was one of my favorite projects because of the history of it. That ditch not only served us here but Otis Orchards on the Washington side as well. The Haunted House was also rewarding because we raised a lot of money for the community through the years.

Do you have any specific memories you'd like to share?

One of the greatest memories was on the bond levy for the high school. The vote was the exact number for the levy to pass. The headline in The Press the next day was "Right on the nose." It was the third attempt at getting that passed.

The late Post Falls mayor, Kootenai County commissioner, state legislator and Post Falls Tribune publisher Frank Henderson was a mentor to you. Why did he mean so much to you?

Back when Frank was mayor he came to my door, trying to sell us on the idea of a sewer system. Without that, a lot of the growth would have never happened. As time went on, I went out of my way to meet him. He was an intellect, a straight shooter and the kind of person everybody wanted to have as a friend.

Is Skip your real name?

I have a real name and let's just leave it at that. As a small child, a babysitter called me "Little Skipper." It stuck. There were times even my school records had Skip. Even in the Marine Corps I'd introduce myself as Skip.

Why did you pick Virginia City, Mont., of all places, to retire at?

I love Montana history and, when I was in the seventh or eighth grade, we took a bus tour of Montana. One of the places we stopped at was Virginia City. Scroll forward a lot of years and Jody and I ended up in Butte on the Fourth while we were touring Montana. I told her that I wasn't spending the Fourth in Butte, so we drove to Virginia City instead. That was 16 years ago, and we haven't missed a Fourth there since. We fell in love with the town, the people and the area. The Rocky Mountains are all around you. It's beautiful. When I moved to Post Falls in 1972 it had 2,200 people. Now it has 30,000. Virginia City has around 130. Over the past 15 years of going there (to work on the house), there have only been 10 or 12 homes built and I have two of them. I want a small town. Virginia City is never going to outgrow me.