Mayor decides not to run for re-election

To The Eagle:

I have decided not to seek a second term as Cathlamet’s mayor. Though I love the work and believe my time in office has been productive, family obligations require that I spend considerable time outside Wahkiakum County over the next few years. Our town needs a fully-devoted chief executive, and I am confident that our election process will produce one willing to meet the challenges.

Contested elections are the lifeblood of our system. They introduce fresh ideas, bring new people into political life and give citizens a voice in governance. My hope is that multiple contestants register for each open town position, and thus allow voters the luxury of contending candidates and platforms to choose from. My advice to all would-be candidates: Go for it! You’ll earn horrible pay, get lumped together with a cohort known derisively as “politicians” and spend valuable time on processes that (by design or misapplication) move slowly. Yet truth be told, those burdens don’t begin to outweigh the satisfactions effective local government can bestow on those who participate in it.

For my part, I will remain on the job and working with the Town Council until my term expires in November. If you recall, I campaigned on three issues: building a new sewer plant, restoring the old fire hall and revitalizing local commerce on Main Street. The first two of these are set for completion this fall; the third – and the hardest – remains a work in progress. Those of us leaving office know there will be successors to advance things we’ve started, and also to lengthen Cathlamet’s to-do list. I am excited to see what comes next.

George Wehrfritz

Mayor,

Town of Cathlamet