Photo: File photo

Bill Balcaen will be replaced by Jennifer Pace as Vernon legion president.

Jennifer Pace is the new president of the Vernon Legion.

Current president Bill Balcaen said Pace will take over duties for Branch 25 on May 1.

Balcaen has served as the president of the local legion for more than 18 months and has been on the executive for six years, but felt it was time to step down.

The entire executive announced they would be stepping down at the end of April.

There was some concerns the local legion may have to close its doors if a new executive could not be found, but enough members stepped up to take over the duties.

“She has good qualifications,” Balcaen said of his replacement. “She hasn't been super active at this branch, but she has been connected to the legion through the years.”

Balcaen said his greatest achievement with the Vernon legion was returning the branch to fiscal fitness.

But Balcaen said he did not do it alone and he credits service officer John Miller with helping to achieve the goal.

Miller also served as vice president and Balcaen said the two of them have been working together for six years and the biggest thing they did was move the legion into its new location, located in the basement of the Eagles Hall.

The move allowed the legion to return to fiscal prosperity.

“We were in terrible shape financially there; we were broke,” he said. “There was only three months money left in the bank.”

Since the move, Balcaen said the legion is in “good shape. And with this new executive, it looks really positive.”

Balcaen said lots of people within the local legion helped to turn things around.