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was set up in the fire station, and a storage closet was converted Dennis Ivey’s tenure with the Town of Paradise began in
into a holding cell.” 1991. He retired from full-time work as the Assistant Town
Manager in 2009 and continued to work part time until 2011.
Jim adds, “Familiarity either breeds contempt or builds He also served as Associate Faculty in the Political Science De-
relationships. We chose to build relationships.” partment at Butte College from the mid-90s to 2016. He was
awarded the designation of Faculty Emeritus in 2018. Along
Were those relationships ever tested? Perhaps. One of with the late Patrick Blythe, Dennis launched the Paradise
Jim’s memorable moments occurred one night, in fact, in Community Foundation, now part of the North Valley Com-
the middle of the night. Jim tells it like this: munity Foundation. He has served on the board of the Boys
and Girls Club, the Paradise Chocolate Festival, and Youth
“I remember getting up in the middle of the night from my for Change.
dorm bed at station 1. I had to use the facilities. With sleepy
eyes, I noticed someone else using the facilities. I didn’t know
him. Imagine my surprise when I woke up enough to see that he
was wearing a Paradise Fire Department jacket--MY JACKET!
I politely asked the dispatcher about our guest and was in-
formed that PD had taken him off the street. They weren’t sure
what to do with him, so they brought him back to the station.”

Jim didn’t say if he bought a new jacket.

Memories of co-workers and numerous fun-filled mo-
ments dot the town’s corporate history. Lauren playing
guitar while Denise sang songs at the Town Hall holiday
potluck. A talking Christmas tree emceeing the holiday
luncheon and reciting a David Letterman style top ten
list of the town’s annual highlights. Joanna’s daughter
helping Mom set up the Council Chambers for a meet-
ing, visits from Animal Control Officer Peggy with Bruce,
her rescue dog sidekick. Bruce would accompany Peggy
on her rounds through Town Hall. They always made
a stop at the receptionist’s desk. Bruce knew that Pam,
the receptionist, had treats for him. He sat motionless at
her feet. Said nothing--waiting for her to slide her desk
drawer open and shower him with treats. She never dis-
appointed Bruce.

Then there’s Bill Hartley’s rhetorical question: how does a
new sergeant motivate his team to maintain a high degree
of visibility while on patrol? You guessed it--donuts! I’m
sure that each person who has worked for the town over
the last 40 years can add a memory or two to the mix. Per-
haps more importantly, most would be fond memories,
and that’s a good thing.

So, as we collectively celebrate this milestone birthday,
let’s end with this: happy 40th birthday Town of Paradise.
Enjoy your milestone birthday. We Ridge residents, past,
present, and future, wish you many more years of making
Paradise all that its name implies!

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