Ward 2 welcomes new rep

Creston City Council swore in its newest representative, Josh Thompson, who was appointed to Ward 2 Tuesday at the start of the council’s regular bi-monthly meeting.

Thompson, 38, a native of Northern California, moved from Utah to Creston in 2019 with his wife Janet. In Utah, Thompson graduated from Brigham Young University and spent a decade there for work. He is now employed as a mechanical engineer at Vanmark Equipment, where he helps design and procure equipment for clients. Janet is a teacher’s aid at Creston Head Start. The Thompsons have four children, ages 12, 9, 6 and 4, who attend Creston Elementary, with the youngest at Head Start.

Thompson said he learned about Creston through visiting his brother-in-law, Dr. Joshua Capson, a hospitalist at Greater Regional Health.

“Everything just felt right, so I turned an application at Vanmark Equipment. They jumped all over it, so we moved. We moved after two months of visiting,” Thompson said.

Another relatively new community role for Thompson is with Creston Chamber of Commerce Board. After Kyle Huck left the position, Thompson was asked to take his place to serve a liaison between Vanmark, the chamber and the community.

The Thompsons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Lenox.

For Thompson, community involvement is the best way to become acclimated with his new community and applied to the council after learning of a vacancy through former Ward 2, now At-Large representative, Rich Madison.

“I want step out of my regular shoes and make this a good community,” Thompson said. “I do love Creston. It’s been a great town to us already and I just want to keep that going.”