Lakewood is a city now
You could almost call it a touching moment. And to me, it was the final proof that cityhood was a good decision.
The hour was fast approaching midnight. The Lakewood City Council was getting a briefing from a county bureaucrat. Dick Dorsett works in the government relations division of Pierce County.
Dorsett's specialties include Fort Steilacoom Park. One of his jobs is to try to save the park from the state, and possible development. And he has a deep file in his office of copies of documents that date back to the 19th Century.
Dorsett paused in the middle of his speech. He told council members that he was personally delighted to have someone to talk to about the park. He knew they would want to know about the park because the council members are from Lakewood.
That was a powerful moment for me, and it may have even helped to save the park. Here's why:
Let's imagine, for a moment, that there was no City Council. There would be no City Council because there would be no Lakewood. Dorsett would have leaders from Lakewood to talk to. I might never have known about the bill to promote development of Fort Steilacoom Park. But you learned about it through our paper because there was a City Council for Dick Dorsett to meet with.
And as it turned out, the result of his briefing was an impressive sight. The people of Lakewood do not want out-of-towners mucking with their park. Your phone calls and letters set fire to the fannies of those state senators, and motivated your representatives to tackle the bill in the House.
All because Dick Dorsett had someone to talk to. All because you have chosen cityhood.
There have been a few rough times in the last few weeks. Some people took debates about taxes or business signs quite personally. There are times as a city when we individual pieces of the community will be very mad at each other. But we will still all be part of the city of Lakewood. The community of Lakewood. And we will be much better off than if we were not a city or community at all.
I reflected on all this on the weekend of Feb. 10 when something else happened. We gathered people in a mall lot for the cover photo of this section. I was afraid that no one would show up. But hundreds of people cared enough about Lakewood as a community to show up for a new city picture.
After the photo shoot, I drove to Fort Steilacoom Park for a stroll. I parked near the Lake Waughop lot, by the barns. As I got out, a couple, probably from out of town, was returning to their car. The woman looked at the rear bumper of my car and saw the sticker that says, "We love the city of Lakewood."
The news had not got to the visitor. She looked at her companion and asked him, "Is Lakewood a city now?"
And as I walked away, smiling, I thought about how we were saving the park and about all those people in the parking lot nearby. And I realized that I can answer that question. With certainty.
Yes, ma'am.
Lakewood is a city now.