A farewell salute to Lisa Marsyla

Lisa Marsyla's last week at work as a Wahkiakum County commissioner was quiet. The board held their final meeting of 2012 on December 26, and it would have been the final meeting for Marsyla as a commissioner, for she didn't seek re-election.

However, Marsyla's daughter was ill. Marsyla stayed home to care for the child, and she was able to leave office without a lot of fanfare.

That's too bad. She has been a good commissioner and deserves a salute.

Marsyla has been a committed official and worked hard on the tasks she tackled. An accountant, she went over budget and vouchers with a magnifying glass; few know the county budgets as well as she.

She also worked hard to bring officials of other agencies together to solve local problems. She has developed good contacts with the US Army Corps of Engineers and that has resulted in the Corps coming up with means to protect eroding Puget Island shorelines, and more recently, the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer.

Marsyla's scrutiny wasn't always comfortable for other county officials, but she researched issues well and was willing to consider all points of view so that she could make decisions based on merit.

She served our county well. We hope to see her in another role in the future.