Woomack starts as Farmington mayor

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Jan 09, 20140

A former Navy aircraft mechanic and Kansas state legislative candidate is now Farmington’s mayor.

Beginning his term Jan. 1, James Woomack succeeded Ron Dugan, who served for 21 months, completing Laura Hokenson’s term.

At Dugan’s final city council meeting Dec. 16, Farmington volunteer Mark Hellinger presented Woomack with a big wooden key to the city, which he made that day in his shop.

“I’m gonna put a chain on it and hang it up,” said Woomack.

It may be the first change he makes in town, along with moving another desk into the city clerk’s office to conduct the mayor’s business there. Other Farmington mayors of the modern era have worked from home.

“I don’t think I need the town’s information in my house,” Woomack said. “I think everything should be done down (at city hall). The next mayor may have a different ideal.”

The small clerk’s office is connected to the library space at one end of city hall.

“We can get around in it easy enough,” Woomack said.

Another early change to come with Woomack is a new computer for the clerk.

“Anything I do is gonna be semi-controversial,” said Woomack, regarding the expenditure to replace the eight-year old machine. “But it’s to the point Barb’s afraid to turn it off because she might not get it to turn back on.”

Woomack and wife Kaye moved to Farmington two years ago to be closer to children and grandchildren in the Spokane area.

They came from Wichita, Kansas, where Woomack ran for the state house of representatives in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

“My wife was hoping I wouldn’t get into this again,” he said.

Before Farmington, Woomack served in the Navy for 26 years and worked for Raytheon in airplane manufacturing (Wichita) and as a municipal water operator in Macintosh County, Okla.

Stationed in several domestic and international bases with the Navy, Woomack worked as a structural hydraulic mechanic on the P-3 Orion patrol aircraft before retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in 1993.

Afterwards, he and his family moved to Oklahoma, where Woomack spent part of his childhood.

After five years as a water operator, and also water laboratory technician, he got a job with Raytheon, where he inspected Hawker twin-jet planes and also installed engines in them.

Woomack now has a son in the Air Force in Spokane as well as another son who works for Boeing. His daughter is a nurse in Spokane.

Living in Farmington is not unlike the time Woomack spent in Bloomfield, Ind., where he went to high school and worked for hay and tobacco farmers.

“I could lift a lot more then than I can now,” he said.

As for what he would like to do as mayor of Farmington, Woomack mentioned work on the sewer system, repairing the town-owned Methodist Church to put it to use and organizing city ordinances.

One of his advisors on updating the sewer system will be Dugan, who is a member of an advisory committee.

“I’m looking forward to Ron continuing, working with me on that,” Woomack said.