13/11/2019
It has been a week since the election and I have been busy shutting down my campaign, catching up on some chores, and waiting for vote counts to be completed.
In shutting down the campaign one task was to take down the signs that were put up during the election. I noticed it is harder to put up a sign than to take it down, and there was more joy in putting them up than taking signs down. My wife’s observation is campaign signs are like Christmas trees, as she too saw the same differences as I saw.
The Patrick household is returning to a normalcy as chores are being reassigned and tasks left undone are getting completed. I really can’t thank my family and friends for all of the support and encouragement they have given me since May. I hope I am always mindful to maintain my gratitude towards their efforts.
In regard to finalizing the vote one of my hopes from the start is Marysville voters would respond by having a higher turnout than Arlington and Lake Stevens since these cities had similar elections in regard to city government. Unfortunately, this was not the case as all three cities had a turnout between 38% and 41% with Marysville being the lowest. I know I am disappointed with the turnout as my ideal is 90% for people voting. I realize I am not being realistic, but in fact there isn’t anything that prevents a 90% turnout either. I have given great credence to the Einstein maxim of understanding the problem, before trying to solve the problem. Unfortunately, people who voted, typically I have difficulty understanding those who don’t.
The other pursuit I have engaged in is understanding what it would take to bring an initiative to the voters for adding a hospital to the Marysville community. After some study I realize how difficult this will be. I am still committed to doing this, but I know I have to be diligent in doing so. Getting a Certificate of Need for a hospital from the State of Washington will require a large amount of data. A positive is the 2020 census will be conducted so some of the data will be “fresh” and help underscore some of the elements for need.
Finally, I want to thank you all. I really think the support you gave my campaign surprised many people. My hope is you will reach out to Mayor Nehring and all of our council members to share your stories and designs about our city, so they have can have a better understanding about how to shape Marysville. Thanks again for your willingness to participate in this election.