John Doyle retiring November 30 -- Has served La Conner since 2001

Long time town administrator John Doyle will retire November 30. Doyle’s departure, and the process for replacing him, was discussed during the mayor’s roundtable of the September 12 town council meeting.

Doyle’s retirement was not a surprise: Mayor Ramon Hayes announced at the Fir Log Park timeline dedication September 6th that Doyle had informed him the week before. The mayor also e-mailed the news to council members.

The mayor asked to have two council members work with him in the search process. Council members John Leaver and Mary Wohleb volunteered.

The mayor hires the town’s administrators.

Advertising the position will start next week. A timeline for the hiring and transition process will be developed. The job description is proscribed in the La Conner Town code.

Progress on the hiring process will be discussed at the September 26 council meeting.

Wohleb brought up replacing one person to cover two positions, noting there “are not a lot people who can fill your shoes, John.” Doyle was appointed administrator in 2008, the year of the Great Recession. He continued to hold the position of town planner. Hayes is considering a range of options for filling the planner position: full time, part-time, or contract.

Hayes reflected that Doyle brought stability to the town, that before becoming town planner in 2001 La Conner had gone through four or five planners and it had been a “nightmare.” Appreciation and praise for Doyle was unanimous among council members.

Several council members echoed Council Member Brunisholz’s desire that the new administrator be hired soon enough to work with Doyle for weeks: “quite a while,” Brunisholz said.

Ending the discussion, Hayes said, “the mayor and council wish to thank John Doyle for his long and distinguished service to the town of La Conner.”

Those sentiments, and the question of who will replace the longtime fixture, will be in many conversations in the coming weeks.