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In an hour-long meeting with the Weekly News Nov. 26, Ward Phillips shared his assessment of his new hometown and his vision for La Conner. Phillips, 77, “retired” to Shelter Bay 20 months ago. The life-long Washingtonian has property on San Juan Island and a 21-foot boat here. His Skagit Valley roots go back generations. Relatives include a County judge with a farm abutting the Skagit River and construction workers on the Diablo Dam powerhouse.

Phillips was looking for a more relaxed experience than his Bainbridge Island home. He “remembered this from my childhood. It just felt natural,” he recalled of his scouting La Conner two years ago. His conclusion: “I like the visuals, the geography, the farmland, the preservation. This is correct for me. I liked being up here” He bought property on the channel.

He is drawn to buildings and remodeling them. He sees a greater La Conner. “There’s lot of things in La Conner that can be done to improve it and enhance its beauty and make it a more viable retail area,” he believes. He sees retail as the core of a town’s overhaul success: “The healthiness of the retail community is directly linked to the heartbeat of the community.”

Morris Street, where he owns the 503 building, is his first concern. Phillips suggests public sculpture, leading up Morris Street from the roundabout. He brims with ideas and has a definite point of view. He champions collaboration and wonders if the foot on development efforts is more on the brake than the gas pedal.

“We are in the same boat and rowing together,” he says. He wonders if all the service organizations are united in their vision and effort. He senses a disconnect with absentee commercial building owners. He understands his – and the town’s – need to do “due diligence” by bringing everyone together. He wants to hear what the vision is for La Conner’s future.

“2020 (the year and the metaphor) is a magic number. It’s a good one for everything we are trying to do.” He claims a more vibrant town is not dependent on money. He believes “the power of an idea is what governs physical manifestation.”

Phillips named Rebecca Strong, Chris Eichler and Atieno Kombe as enthusiastic merchants. “It is this type of individual that we need to seek advice from,” he suggests. He hopes for a coordinated meeting of merchants, landlords, elected officials and service organization representatives to assess what’s going on here and hear their interest to work toward putting “La Conner on the map as a successful, vibrant” community.

Phillips recalled conversations with merchants, saying they “have the ideas but they keep talking and don’t go anywhere,” citing to him that money or the city fathers stand in the way. His take: “We need a way to gather the energy of the merchants and their needs. We need an enthusiastic (Town) Council and administrator to get behind revitalizing this town.” Phillips would like to see a declaration of support from the Town government.

He wants the emphasis placed on helping merchants with a willing attitude to get things done, not for their individual businesses, but for collaborative projects. Phillips cited the Sunday summer concerts. He champions a connection to the channel for events, be they canoe or bathtub races. “We need to celebrate the four seasons and we need to have events here, indoor and outdoor, that bring people in during the quiet times.”

First and last, Phillips stressed his belief that the merchants must lead, that they “are very valuable in coming up with ideas (for) those quiet times.”

For Phillips, there is joy in meeting this challenge. “(We can) have a wonderful time putting La Conner back on the map. We have to help the merchants. That is what it comes down to.”