by SUSAN ANDERSON
Director of Children’s House
Welcome to office Mayor Jack! True, Mayor Fargo’s “footsteps” will be easy to fill (they’re small), but his place in our history has been mighty and memorable. Thank you Mayor Fargo for serving our Village and supporting Children’s House. Before he left office, Mayor Fargo decorated the key to Eastsound.
Each July our community and visitors come together to elect the Honorary Mayor of Eastsound in a hotly contested race that benefits our early childhood education center. While there can only be ONE winner, so many local families benefit from the generosity of the voters and participants. This year more than $7,500 in votes were received, and one donor contributed $500 to ensure we met our $8,000 fundraising goal.
Thanks a gazillion to Mayor Jack and his family at Jillery, Roger and Jill Curtiss, and all our other fabulous candidates and their owners: Phoebe (Fred and Teacher Mary Carol Britt), Morgan (Janine Frizzell and Chad Chandler), Luna (Annette Deon) and Missy (Debbie and Harold Hurne.) They campaigned hard, worked the parade crowds and doled out thousands of cozies and candy, bottles and bracelets, buttons and biscuits.
We couldn’t have done this without candidate sponsorship from the Jillery, the toddler and preschool students at Children’s House, Chimayo’s, Hairstream, KeyBank and a handful of candidate benefactors and one or two Super PACs who kept the race close and fun-filled to the very end. (Pomeranian Missy had more than bake sales up her sleeve.)
Thank you Mark Florence for being a coding genius, Michell and Doug Marshall for printing support, Jennifer Pietsch at the Farmer’s Market for the canopies and all the other polling locations: Island Hoppin’ Brewery, Mijitas, Moon Glow, Doe Bay, Driftwood Nursery, Mia’s, Studio Mierau, Orcas Veterinary Services, Village Stop, Islanders Bank, Trading Co., Portofinos, Outlook Inn, Pawkis, Nest, The Kitchen, Lower Tavern, Windermere, Orcas Island Realty and Darvill’s.
Our whole island community wins because your votes provide young children early educational experiences that last a lifetime.
