Friday, March 29, 2024

Mayor Farivar prepares to say farewell to her time as public official

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After serving two terms and being an actively engaged lifelong member of Leavenworth - Mayor Cheri Farivar is ready to pass the baton to the next candidate elected in November. Closing in on her exit, the Leavenworth native was candid about the view of the Bavarian Village through the lens of the mayor.  
    Farivar has seen both success and failure in Leavenworth since she was a resident when the city was disintegrating into a ghost town. At nine years old, Farivar helped her mother and the rest of the grassroots group to bring LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone) back into Leavenworth and revive the town into the Bavarian Village it would become.
    "It was very gratifying to have been apart of something that was so beneficial to Leavenworth," said Farivar. "My mother being a real civic activist, instilled in us 'you need to be involved in community'."
    With being on the sidelines, watching Leavenworth blossom and being raised as a strong believer in civic participation, Farivar actually was propelled into the mayor's seat from a different sequence of events. Farivar's desire to become mayor initially stemmed from the fact, like so many residents that stride up to the podium to express grief, she too had some dissatisfaction with some aspects of city business.
    "About eleven years ago, my husband and I did a four lot short plat. The process with the city was very difficult and very expensive, far more than we had anticipated. So as a result of that I found some dissatisfaction with city government, particularly planning and zoning," said Farivar. "(My husband) said to me you know 'Cheri, you can complain about this or you can do something about it'."
    And that's just what she did. After serving two years on the council, she realized to really amplify the change she perceived as necessary for Leavenworth, she had to run for mayor. Now with two terms under her belt, she's ushered in that change she strived for. But change often comes with growth, projects and even some hesitation from residents.
    "The biggest challenge revolves around the controversial aspect of development in Leavenworth. The controversy that we are facing right now, that is a result of our success, is probably the biggest challenge," said Farivar. "Whenever a community undertakes a huge project, like the Bavarian theme, there's a big risk. But there's a lot of reward to that as well. Coping with the fruits of our success, there's always a negative side to any kind of positive. But we are a vibrant and super successful community."
    With a shift into such a bustling tourist economy and a spike in new developments, there is a gradual rise in issues for the city and public officials, like Farivar, to manage. Many times certain controversial city decisions are magnified, such as the possibility of the Adventure Park, and certain nuisances are widespread, like parking and traffic.
    Sometimes these loud grievances eclipse the projects that keep the city successfully churning that are underlying, but still have had a lot of depth and time spent on them from public officials like Farivar. Infrastructure projects aren't glamorous or flashy, but something Farivar is proud to have aided the city in producing improvements on.
    "One of my biggest accomplishments is that I've been able to help usher the city through these enormous changes that are occurring. Some are evident and some are not. It is the city's job and responsibility to provide public safety, public utility and although not particularly noticeable, those are the biggest changes we've had here in Leavenworth behind the scenes." said Farivar.
    Some of these projects are on the horizon, according to Farivar: the upcoming rebuilding of the sewer plant (due to government regulation, not because of capacity), the water plant improvement and the Pine Street project (a project she's been concentrated on since her time on City Council).
    As she begins to see the end of her chapter as mayor, she is making plans to take full advantage of spending time with her twin granddaughters and immerse herself in time with family - though she will continue her appraisal practice, but with more time for herself and family.
    Farivar shared some advice for whoever fills that center seat in City Hall - listen to the constituents, but don't take the controversy personally.
    "Pay attention to everything you hear from residents and business owners. Paying attention to what's happening in the schools, paying attention to what's happening in the neighborhoods is a good way to stay in touch with what a mayor needs to do to usher in change or correct issues," said Farivar. "My best advice would be, don't take it personally. (When people are upset) They often lash out at individual elected officials. That's pretty hard to take especially when you work hard for the benefit for the community, as we do as elected officials."
    Despite Farivar being absent as a public official, she will leave a legacy in her wake due to her lifelong unyielding commitment to keeping Leavenworth flourishing.
 

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