Joan Herman
Ward 3
jherman@astoria.gov
503-325-5824 (City Hall)
503-298-2408 (Voice)
Salem native Joan Herman first came to Astoria in 1986 to accept a job as a news reporter at The Daily Astorian. She planned on staying two years and then moving on to a bigger paper. Instead, she fell in love with the town and remained, initially for 16 years. During that time, she and her first husband founded and ran Bikes & Beyond downtown. She also began teaching English part-time at Clatsop Community College, which drew her to (regretfully) leave town to further her education. After earning her master’s degree, she worked as an instructor of English at Lower Columbia College in Longview for 10 years.
Upon retiring, Herman was finally able to return to the town she loved in 2016. She immediately began volunteering, particularly at Coast Community Radio, where she served on the Board of Directors and does public-affairs programming. She also served on the Astoria Planning Commission and the Astor Library Friends Association board and is active with the Lower Columbia Diversity Coalition, among other organizations. She and her husband, John Gaasland, live with their three cats in a 1917 Craftsman on Astoria’s North Slope.
