Scott Thomas now La Conner town administer

Scott Thomas’s first official day of work was Jan. 2, but he took time from moving into his third-floor office in Town Hall to speak with the Weekly News last week. Thomas, 58, was chosen by Mayor Ramon Hayes to be La Conner’s administrator and attorney in November.

Thomas says “La Conner feels somewhat comfortable. In a lot of respects, it’s like coming home.” He grew up in Nebraska and reflected that his mother’s hometown held 300 to 400 people and his father’s town was less than 30. He’s hoping to find a tight knit community of friendly people here. His Mount Vernon perspective is that “it’s kind of like walking down Main Street in Disneyland” that attracted him, but the reality is better.

The Pacific northwest and smaller communities brought Thomas and his wife to Mount Vernon in 1995. He was attracted to the town administrator’s position because the responsibilities and work match his strengths. His undergraduate training in architecture emphasized creativity and thinking outside the box. He seeks “unique solutions that fit the problem, an elegant solution.” And, “being a lawyer is a big part of my life,” he said, ticking off his legal career from his 1993 start in the King County prosecutor’s office, then the City of Tacoma and stints as City Attorney in Burlington and Mount Vernon.

Thomas sees his first-year challenges, beyond learning the staff and community and the status of ongoing issues will be “getting into the weeds” of projects already underway. He named updating the comprehensive plan, the dike and flood control as well as 2019 budget preparations, which he views as only months away from starting. Success starts with “forming relationships with large numbers of people,” he believes.

Longer term, change driven by technology and the nation’s aging population will impact La Conner. The “atmosphere” bringing tourists to La Conner attract people who can telecommute and retirees alike. These qualities are: its out of the way location, the physical environment, the historical downtown and restaurants and “that excitement that people like to be in community.”

Thomas wants to attract younger people, in their 40s, with families, to La Conner. He will advocate for economic development that supports that goal. School funding raises questions for some locally, he says, while affordable housing is a challenge for the west side of the state and nationally. Increasing housing density is an issue throughout Skagit County he noted. Decisions made to prioritize agriculture and natural resources restrain sprawl but limit the supply of land.

In a year or two Thomas hopes to promote economic development planning. Asked about properties on the channel south of Maple Hall, Thomas responded that an extension of First Street is the development he would like to see. He noted that past plans are that, “in the past and that’s where they’ll stay. The town will pick up and go from there” though he can’t speak to specific parcels or ownership.

“It will be in everyone’s best interest to work together and come up with a development” that enhances La Conner’s present atmosphere is his thought.

He is aware that Morris Street is a separate commercial center from First Street and wonders how they can be joined. Any development is dependent on the right circumstances, he says, starting with property values and the cost of money.

Whatever the issue or concern, Thomas wants to hear from citizens, meeting them “on their own terms.” That is the way he works best, he said, whether conversations take place on the street, in his office or over coffee.