Personality Profile: Mayor Laurie

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Mayor Laurie Gere

Anacortes, Wash.’s, Mayor Laurie Gere

By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal

Laurie Gere’s road to Anacortes, Wash.’s, mayoral office technically began 40 years ago when she launched Gere-A-Deli Restaurant and Catering, a main street business that her son still runs today. As a new business owner, she joined the local chamber. She later served on its board for a decade, even becoming its president for a couple of terms.

“I was asked by the mayor to serve as a planning commissioner, which I did for 20 years,” she said. “I was also initially appointed and then elected to the Hospital Commission of our public hospital district for two terms.”

An open door

With only 10 years of experience behind her as a business owner and part-time public servant, people began to ask her to run for mayor. Gere demurred due to her financial and business commitments. However, in 2013, she had a change of heart. Gere threw her hat into the ring and was elected with 63% of the vote. She was reelected four years later. In February, she announced that she would not seek a third term, but she is grateful for the experience to serve her constituents.

“I love my job and felt I landed here with all of the tools I needed to make a difference in my community,” she said.

Gere approached municipal management the same way she approached her business: by taking care of the customers (citizens) and the staff while managing the finances by balancing the revenue and expenses. Above all, she believes in being transparent about her decisions and having an open door to all.

“It is important to make sure every person feels heard,” she said. “Oftentimes, when I get a concern or complaint, most of the issues can be solved by my listening and finding resources to help. Sometimes, I can’t fix it, but in the end, if the person feels heard and respected, things will work out.”

Improving quality of life

Over the course of her tenure as mayor, Gere said her biggest accomplishment has been the construction of municipal fiber. When she was first elected, Anacortes residents informed her that they needed reliable, redundant and affordable broadband. However, being on an island separated from the mainland by a bridge made the project more than a little complicated. She turned to the incumbent administration and asked them to partner with hers to build the fiber for the town. They turned her down, but she was not deterred.

Implementing a technique she’d learned about from Spain, Gere started building her fiber network by installing it in the water line across the valley from the Anacortes water treatment plant to support the water

of Anacortes steps down in early 2022

Mayor Gere approached city operations as if it were her business. This included prioritizing the care of citizens and staff while keeping a balanced budget. (Shutterstock.com)

utility. She also started a fiber department that would help bring the internet to every home and business in the community.

“We believe that this is an economic development tool and a quality-oflife issue for our whole community,” she said. “Every family can have this resource on their kitchen table, providing tele-education, tele-medicine, e-commerce and a way for our businesses to globally connect and thrive locally. (Our fiber) is the foundation for a vibrant community for decades to come.”

Other accomplishments are the continued investment in Anacortes’ infrastructure, including water lines and sewer lines, and the formation of a payment management plan to rebuild streets and continue the development of the regional water system. Gere has also overseen the creation of a new raw water line under the Skagit River, which is one of the biggest water lines west of the Mississippi. She is currently working to build a new sewer outfall to support the wastewater treatment plant.

“I am also proud of our comprehensive plan rewrite that took over 75 public meetings and gives us a guiding document for the next 20 years,” she said. “We are also working to build a community recreation center for our youth and finishing our community trail along the waterfront.”

Miles to go

While some of those projects may not be completed until Gere’s mayoral term is over, she is still looking forward to the result as a private citizen. She is also looking forward to spending more time with her family and friends and working part-time at the business she began four decades ago. However, she said she will miss the day-to-day interaction with citizens and staff as well as the ribbon-cutting ceremonies whenever a new local business is launched. Mayor Gere signs a pipe before it’s installed under the Skagit River. The city installed its fiber network within its water line. (Photo provided by the city of Anacortes)

“The two greatest joys in my life are being a mom and a grandmother,” she said. “I love cooking for large family dinners, traveling to other places and learning about different cultures (and) meeting so many incredible people. I also love the arts so I hope in retirement I can be more creative and take some art courses in textiles and painting.”

Gere said young people considering a career in public service should start by volunteering in an area that they are passionate about and watching for opportunities that will come in time. Above all, she encourages them to remember the biggest lessons she’s learned from her career in politics.

“Public process and transparency are the two most important tenants in all city business,” she said. “We can never forget that we work for the people.”