Sequim Citizen of the Year a ‘volaholic’ — he always volunteers

Published 5:46 am Wednesday, February 27, 2008

SEQUIM — The tall Texan is commander in chief. Just ask Nadia, Ella and the rest of the Kinderkids.

Hold on, though, he’s also a volaholic.

That’s according to Kim Rosales, who coined the term when she said, “I knew I married a workaholic. Now I’ve got a volaholic.”

Kim’s husband of 12 years, Stephen Rosales, was named Sequim’s 2007 Citizen of the Year on Tuesday.

The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce organizes the annual award lunch; past winners voted on Feb. 11 to select Rosales.

Recipients of the honor take home a plaque but no cash prize.

As Rosales took the podium at the Sequim Elks Lodge, he commanded the Kinderkids — kindergartners from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula — to come forward.

“Who’s the best bus driver?” he asked.

“You!” they yelled.

“Who’s the president of the United States?”

“You!”

The fact is that Rosales, 51, was going to be a retiree.

While in Austin, Texas, he worked on political campaigns and served as a staff member for Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, a Democrat, and Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, a Republican.

Rosales’ life in Sequim has likewise been multipartisan.

And in two and a half years here, he has gone through some major changes.