White Salmon Resident Mark Flaming Appointed to HRWSBA Board

Klickitat County (Washington) Commissioners have appointed White Salmon finance and banking expert Mark Flaming to a four-year term on the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority, effective August 31. The alternate commissioner position became vacant when Commissioner Eric Wilson was elevated to the Klickitat voting seat previously held by White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler, who stepped down over the summer.

Mark, who grew up in Polk County, Oregon, brings a widely spanning professional background, including microfinance, banking, retail finance, and outdoor/sportswear. After working across the globe, Flaming put down roots in the Columbia River Gorge in 2002. A member of the Crag Rats, America’s oldest mountain search-and-rescue organization, as well as a founding member of the Gorge Technology Alliance, Mark is a strong believer in the region, its residents, and its future.

“We are relying on this new bridge to get built so that this region can become all that is possible, and I want to do my part by helping steer us to success,” Flaming said.

Commissioner Flaming joins at an important moment, as the project gains momentum, moves into full design, and works to secure the final federal funding necessary to move to construction in fall of 2027.