An open letter to:

Citizens of La Conner

La Conner Town Council

I am appalled and disgusted to have witnessed the inept and downright shameful way the mayor and town council have bungled the Maple Avenue ballfield transaction.

Through the Hedlin family’s generosity, for over a half-century La Conner families have enjoyed the T-ball, soccer and junior baseball fields. When the Hedlins needed to sell the property, they handed the town an easy lay-up: a rare chance to carry on Dave’s lifelong mantra: a warning that “Pavement is Forever.”

Instead of honoring that legacy, the town choked and took the easy and lazy way out. The sell-out way.

Everyone in town, when queried, can recall fond multi-generational memories of games and practices.

Team sports, especially for the younger ones, can set them on a lifelong path of confident team-building skills, self-esteem and self-reliance.

When told about the park being turned into a housing development, out-of-town parents expressed astonishment that our town would let that happen.

It is time to replace our town officials with men and women who want to actually serve the residents of our special little town.

For the last few election cycles now, positions on town council have gone un-opposed. Our current mayor has been “anointed” three consecutive times because he has always run unopposed. This can only lead to a greedy, transactional need for personal and political power at our expense.

It is obvious that La Conner needs new, fresh leadership. If you live within the city limits, please consider how you could apply your particular skill set to the management of our precious town. The quality of our children’s lives will depend on it.

Sincerely,

Marilyn Johnson

La Conner