New staff glad to be at La Conner Town Hall

They come from opposite ends of the country, different generations and work separately at Town Hall.

But Ajah (pronounced Asia) Eills and Lynne Lovejoy, the Town of La Conner's new staff hires, complement one another quite nicely.

Eills, a native of Concord, New Hampshire and a 2021 graduate of College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts – a Jesuit school that has produced numerous business and political leaders, actors and sports stars – arrived here in November as the assistant planner.

Lovejoy, who studied at Skagit Valley College, Western Washington University and the University of Washington, hails from the family that owned the old Paul Bunyan Lumber Yard in Mount Vernon, where as part of the family business she painted the iconic 12-foot sign bearing the image of the legendary lumberjack. She has been a part-time staff assistant since mid-October.

Eills and Lovejoy are glad to have joined the Town ranks and are making a positive impression thus far.

"We're very happy to have them both on board," Town Administrator Scott Thomas told the Weekly News. "It's been impressive seeing what they've been able to accomplish in such a short time."

Eills, tasked with handling permit intake duties, is available on days when planner Michael Davolio is out of the office. Lovejoy, who has an extensive clerical, banking and human resources background, processes utility payments, sells yard waste tags and meets and greets the public on her mid-morning to early afternoon shifts.

They are teaming up to help fill a void created by the departure earlier this year of versatile office assistant Danielle Freiberger, who accepted a position with the City of Mount Vernon Development Services Department.

Despite her relative youth, Eills is already well acquainted with municipal government work. She interacted with numerous towns and cities in Colorado during a one-year stint with the state's parks and recreation department.

Eills said she admires the level of civic engagement evident in La Conner.

"It's important to have such passionate people in the community," she said. "That's one of the great things about La Conner."

After being based in Littleton, Colorado, Eills had a hankering to move still farther west from her New England roots.

"I kept going west," she said. "Colorado was too sunny for me."

Eills landed in Seattle and was staying with a family friend there when she saw that La Conner had posted a job opening for an assistant planner.

"I've always tended toward open spaces and small towns," said Eills. "I'm really excited to be here. It's a wonderful place."

Lovejoy works primarily under Town Finance Director Maria DeGoede while Eills assists Davolio. But Town Hall is small enough that they've rubbed elbows with pretty much everyone on the Town payroll.

"The people here have been so nice to work with," Lovejoy said. "So far, the best part of the job for me has been meeting the people here. They've helped me learn about all the wonderful events in town and have educated me on all the issues going on."

In her role, Eills deals with many of those issues directly.

"I'm getting settled in," she said. "I do permit intakes and make sure Michael is kept up to date."

Eills said when it comes to municipal planning, the goal is to benefit the most people.

"You look at everybody's views and balancc them," she said. "You just want to see the community thrive. It's important to remain true to democratic principles and processes."

Away from work, Eills – who captained the women's rugby team at Holy Cross – enjoys her daily swims at the Skagit Valley Family YMCA in Mount Vernon.

Lovejoy, meanwhile, is an avid knitter who credits the internet with increasing awareness of a timeless craft which – like her job – involves piecing together different elements into a finished product with great utility.

She and Eills say they are grateful to be part of a community where their efforts are appreciated.

"I'm very grateful," Eills said, "for the grace everyone has given me. I'm really excited to be here moving forward."