Now, the work really begins

With the mandatory recount of the votes in the tight Washougal City Council Position No. 2 race finally complete, we can officially say the 2011 General Election has come to a close.

The Camas City Council and the Port of Camas-Washougal will see few changes, as incumbents won all of their races.

But on the Washougal City Council, come Jan. 3 many new faces will be around the table. Caryn Plinski, Connie Jo Freeman and Joyce Lindsay are each preparing to begin their first experiences in public office.

But whether newly elected or longtime serving, each person serving as members of these local government bodies must now turn their attention toward the tasks at hand.

And what a list of tasks they are.

From budgets and multi-jurisdictional agreements to proposed taxing districts, service cuts and economic development, the fact that Camas and Washougal are relatively small towns is not an indicator of the importance of decisions that must be made and the issues set to be weighed and addressed.

The bottom line is that now the real hard work begins. Our local elected officials should keep in mind that they have an inherent obligation to the communities’ citizens. Stated quite simply, those obligations are to work together to represent their constituents to the best of their abilities, and in the end make carefully weighed decisions that will allow the communities of Camas and Washougal to continue to be the cities we are proud to call home.