Thank you, Pat
We’re not sure what APIL is going to do without outgoing Councilor Pat Campbell on slow blog days.
He’s the city councilor most reliable for a colorful tale or a good email forward, after all.
And on Monday, the city council also let the councilor know how much they’ll miss him too.
Mayor Tim Leavitt read a proclamation recognizing Campbell’s four years of service, particularly with public works, parks and trails, the homeless and the environment.
Leavitt called Campbell “our beloved colleague to my far right, and that’s not speaking to political persuasion, but just to where he sits. I believe he has been a great addition to our council, providing a unique perspective different from all of us… not to say that we’re all the same, but he’s different from the rest of us. And he’s added very mightily to our policy making.”
The mayor then presented Campbell with an engraved glass plaque and asked him to say a few words, offering him his center chair.
“Want to sit in this chair Pat?” Leavitt asked.
“No, you’ll start rumors,” Campbell deadpanned.
He then went on to speak about how the city council genuinely cares about the citizens, and also about how he thinks incoming Councilor Bill Turlay (who will be sworn in on Dec. 29) will be a valuable member.
“For the privilege of even running (for office) people get to throw rocks at you like crazy,” said Campbell, then referencing other councilors’ turns at local dunk tanks. “They sit and let people throw balls at them and dunk them into the water — that’s something you learn really well if you serve the public. That’s about what it is: no one can be completely happy, but we all have worked together. When you see dysfunction, a lot of times we see a coffee shop in a few days and are working things out.”
“It’s going to be difficult times for the city ahead,” he continued. “We’ve got great employees, the best employees, but we’ve lost some great employees. But I’m sure we’ll pull through.”
After applause, Leavitt remarked: “I know this isn’t good riddance, it’s just entering another chapter.”
“For some people it is good riddance,” Campbell shot back with his typical humor.
“Well, they’re not sitting up here,” the mayor said.
Later, the city council all shared their appreciation for Campbell and expressed their hope he’ll remain involved. We here echo that sentiment as well.
Watch the proclamation here.
