Mayor Ramon Hayes takes pride in not steering the direction of La Conner Town Council discussions.

But circumstances dictated he do so – if not quite literally – during Council’s Zoom meeting Jan. 26.

Hayes, who had spent the day snowmobiling at Stevens Pass, opened the Council session by speaker phone while in traffic in the Everett area.

“My hands were free,” Hayes was quick to point out. “My daughter held up my phone for me.”

The meeting was fast-paced, and not just in a metaphorical sense, as Hayes and Council members sped through a light agenda in just over a half...