Our everyday local leaders

Hardy souls that ventured beyond the Washington Street sledding hill during the hefty snowstorm Saturday, Feb. 13 and trudged downtown saw the Town’s public works staff laboring mightily, blowing, shoveling and plowing First Street’s sidewalks and roadway. Once the staff finished First, they came back Sunday to finish Morris Street, go up Maple Avenue and circle the town’s perimeter, blowing snow off Caledonia Street’s sidewalk.

The Town’s staff did yeoman’s work in difficult weather. That they are the backbone of La Conner’s infrastructure typically goes unnoticed.

As with any good team, Kevin Palaniuk, Manny Pena, Todd Park, Chip Sherman and Pat Smyth are led by a strong manager, Director Brian Lease.

In a parallel quiet manner, on Monday La Conner’s schools started their second month of student attendance on campus, with more grades back in the building weekly. That is another major local success growing quietly at winter’s end.

From early last summer interim Superintendent Rich Stewart has had Special Programs Director Andy Wheeler manage a community team of school staff and parents. They labeled their initiative, appropriately, La Conner Connect. They met their goal of opening the campus to students by listening to parents, students, staff and teachers. They worked together and with the professionals at Skagit Public Health, the State Health Department and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Similarly, the fire departments on both sides of the Swinomish Channel, La Conner Hook & Ladder, here, and Fire District 13 beyond the town’s borders, make it possible to sleep easily at night and go about our business or leisure activities during the day. Their managers and staff, and the fire district commissioners, have a mission to keep the area’s residents safe and sometimes save us from our own mistakes. Their dedication is to be admired. It certainly needs to be appreciated.

All of these public servants are role models for us: a diverse group of people working together toward common goals. They are all on board, rowing in the same direction, following professional guidance, accepting restrictions and supporting the larger community of which they are a part.

This is a town and community with public institutions staff that work quietly for the common good day in and season out. A wide variety of people with various responsibilities and skills pull together to make our community succeed.

They work together for the good of all of us.

There is more than one lesson to be learned by their examples and successes.