Auburn Skies

Auburn Reporter editor Mark Klaas discusses all things Auburn, including comings and goings, local issues and community efforts.

  • Comments

Change at the top for Auburn police

September 23rd, 2010 at Thu, 23rd, 2010 at 11:11 am by markklaas

The City of Auburn looked internally and hired Bob Lee to succeed Jim Kelly as police chief.

It was Kelly’s hope that the City would hire from within. Lee, the assistant police chief, has been on the Auburn force since 1981. He has paid his dues, earned his promotions and now, gets a shot to lead.

I spent some time time with Kelly, the outgoing chief. We wish him well as he makes a career change by becoming deputy director of the SCORE regional jail. My story on Kelly also can be found online.

Jim Kelly leaves his legacy in 31 years with the department, 11 as police chief.

Mark Klaas, editor of the Auburn Reporter, is an award-winning journalist who has worked in the newspaper industry for more than 25 years. He previously worked as a reporter and editor in Idaho, Oregon and California before moving to the Puget Sound in 1993. He lives in King County with his wife, Sara, and children, Derek and Elizabeth.

More articles by  >
ABOUT COMMUNITY BLOGS: Community blogs are written by volunteers. They are members of our community but not employees of this site or newspaper. They have applied or were invited to blog here but their words are their own and are not edited by the editor or staff of this site, and have agreed to abide by our Terms of Use. The authors are solely responsible for their content. If you have concerns about something you read on a community blog, please contact the author directly or email us.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.