By Mary Owen
Stayton’s First Citizen credits her parents for modeling what it means to be a good citizen.
“This award is really a testament to them,” said Jennifer Niegel of her parents Jim and Edie Tiger. “When I was a child, I saw them serving in Rotary, setting up the basketball leagues that’s now run by the YMCA, serving on the Parks board and other boards and committees, and volunteering to coach the sports teams my brother and I were on. They were always willing to jump in with both feet to help. I think that’s why when someone asks me to help in some capacity, my first instinct is, ‘Of course I will.’
“My parents have also been a tremendous source of support and encouragement for me and have always made me believe I could do anything,” she added. “I’m just following in their footsteps, trying to help where I can and trying to set a good example for my own two boys.”
Niegel, a lawyer with Duncan, Tiger & Niegel in Stayton, was surprised receive the same award her father earned in 1988. He passed away in 2009. “He left some very big shoes to fill,” she said.
Niegel’s accomplishments include serving on the Stayton City Council and Keep Stayton Livable committee. She was the treasurer for the Citizens for Improving North Santiam Schools committee that worked to pass the North Santiam School District bond last fall. Currently serving as president, she has been a member of Stayton Area Rotary since 1984. Other services includes: Friends of the Family; acting as a volunteer judge for the Peer Court; participating in the Ford Family Foundation Leadership Program; and volunteering to coach soccer and basketball for the YMCA.
“Jennifer is involved in all aspects of our community,” Donna Posvar and Paula Newman wrote in nominating Niegel. “She gives of herself to our schools, our youth, our city government and community organizations and does it because she cares and wants to make a difference in the community her family lives in. Jennifer does all of this while running her own business and keeping up with her own family responsibilities. She is a good example of someone who truly cares about the community because she lives here, works here and is involved.”
“I grew up in this community,” Niegel said. “I love it here, and I love being able to give back. I love getting to meet new people and work as a team with others.”
Newman calls Niegel “the most heavily involved person I know in the Stayton community,” and like so many others, is “greatly committed to keeping Stayton and Sublimity ‘Mayberry.’”
Tass Morrison, president of the Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce, called Niegel a “front-line leader.”
“Jennifer is both creative and a very hard worker,” Morrison added. “She is the community’s ‘gold standard’ as far as I am concerned.”
For Niegel, family support from her husband, Chad, and sons, Ryan and Eric, goes a long way in helping her.
Niegel thanks the many community members who serve alongside her. “It takes a lot of people working together to make things happen,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of wonderful people who love this community as much as I do and work hard to make it better.”
