Wednesday, January 22, 2025
LEAVENWORTH – Mike Bedard has been appointed to fill the city council seat left vacant by former council member Rhona Baron.
“I think more time you spend in a small town if you're involved at all with anything, the more you realize just how much there's to do…To make this place stay is vibrant and fun, and all of the great things we have going on, it just takes people doing the work,” said Bedard.
Bedard was a firefighter for the City of Everett for 17 years and a captain for six. He also holds a construction management degree from the University of Washington.
Bedard and his wife Lisa moved to Leavenworth 10 years ago, and own and operate the Suites on Main. He has also previously served on the Residential Advisory Committee and Parking Advisory Committee.
Through running their business, building their home, and running a bed and breakfast over their garage, Bedard says he has gained a unique perspective of how the city functions.
“We've interfaced with the city in a number of ways, and it's been interesting just to see the process. And some of it has gone really well. Some of it has gone really poorly…It is just good to have experienced things that a lot of people complain about,” said Bedard.
Bedard said he would like to see public infrastructure such as sidewalks, roads, and the city’s water supply receive improvements. In his interview with the City Council, he also listed housing as one of the city’s most pressing issues.
“One thing I would really like to see is some way of promoting development of attainable real estate ownership for the working class around here, for people who were like me, when I was just young and getting my feet on the ground. Right now, it's just really difficult to motivate developers to develop modest homes because there's not a lot of money in it,” said Bedard.
Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here