Mayor calls on community for support
By ADAM STEWART Staff Reporter
Mayor Dianne White speaks to community members about the state of Stanwood. PHOTO BY ADAM STEWART | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS
Mayor Dianne White focused on a “can do” attitude for Stanwood in her state-ofthe city address Thursday.
Her take home message: “We need to work together.”
The “we” she referred to included city employees working on shoestring budgets, residents making the effort to shop locally and business owners finding ways to attract outside consumers.
“The city is stretched as far as we can go,” said White. “We’re about making this a quality community as economically as possible.”
In her mind, Stanwood is stepping up.
Efforts to push building permits through for local businesses reflect the city planning department’s adoption of the “can do approach,” said White.
She praised organizers of the Great Northwest Glass Quest and the Snow Goose and Birding Festival for creating viable community-based events promoting the area’s resources and encouraged Stanwood Chamber of Commerce members in attendance to follow their lead.
Furthermore, she noted the importance of creating local family-wage jobs and maintaining a strong retail tax base to ensure revenue for the city.
Concerned about funding the library, White discussed the possibility of putting the issue on the ballot.
“We don’t want the library to go away,” she said. “It’s up to us as a community to make that happen.”
The phrases “I can’t do it” or “let someone else do it” should not be part of this community’s discourse, she added while sharing a story concerning her father’s involvement with the development of Stanwood High School’s athletic fields in the `70s.
Inspired by her father’s accomplishments, the late Dr. Harold Warsinske, White is determined to improve Stanwood and called for a shift of perspective among the city’s residents.
“Not simply to look at the city to do it,” she said. “Look at the city to augment what needs to be done.”
