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Ailport becomes new City Administrator for
Bonners Ferry |
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April 25, 2018 |
Imagine that you are the CEO of a company with
nearly $14 million dollars in revenue.
Running such a company would require, of course,
a finely honed set of skills in finance,
management and administration, public relations,
dealing with personnel issues, and more. Now
imagine that this isn’t a company that
specializes in a single product, but instead is
a widely diversified organization with
investments and subsidiaries in electrical power
generation, complex water systems, street
building and maintenance, fire protection
services, and much more. As CEO, you would need
to have a working level of expertise and
understanding in all of those diversified
services.
And all the employees that are required to
operate the organization. And all the millions
of dollars worth of capital assets the company
owns to achieve the goals of the business.
And all the thousands of “customers” that depend
on you to keep everything together and running
to provide your company’s needed services.
And throw in some parks.
And for good measure, throw in maintenance of
river dikes for flood control.
Add all that together, and more not even
mentioned, and you are looking at the job Lisa
Ailport just took on when she accepted the job
of City Administrator for the City of Bonners
Ferry.
And she is excited about the prospects for
Bonners Ferry as she steps into this new
position. ”There is so much to look forward to
in the coming years, and being readied for
growth is something we will
focus on as more and more people realize what a
gem the Bonners Ferry community is,” she says.
Ms. Ailport is now eight days into her tenure as
City Administrator for Bonners Ferry.
She was raised in small rural communities in
Washington and southern Oregon, which she
describes as being very similar to the scenic
environment and people of North Idaho.
She graduated from Washington State University
in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Natural Resource Sciences, and signed up in 2003
to work in the Planning Department for Bonner
County. After about four years with Bonner
County, she left in 2007 to work with a private
company that consulted with municipalities on
developing land use codes. During this time, she
represented four rural North Idaho cities, one
of which was Bonners Ferry. In August 2016,
after a few years as a consultant for the City,
she was lured away and hired by the City of
Bonners Ferry as an administrator of the City’s
planning services.
She has been a City employee for 21 months now,
since being hired in 2016. However, adding in
her prior time as a consultant, she has worked
with Bonners Ferry for about 5 ½ years.
During her time consulting with the city and
later as City Planner, the city’s Planning and
Zoning Commission moved ahead with many
advancements in City planning, including
rewriting the sign ordinance, updating portions
of the comprehensive plan, creating new planning
documents and updating others, developing a bike
and pedestrian plan, updating the transportation
plan, and securing funding for educational
opportunities and to study issues related to the
health of youth in the community.
“Quite honestly, we have made some significant
strides to really build a community where people
and families want to be, live, and do business
in,” said Ms. Ailport. “It's exciting,
invigorating, and satisfying all at the same
time. I couldn't be more proud of the community
for what they have accomplished over the past
two years. I am even more excited to see where
all our passion and work will lead us in the
future.”
(Story continues below this
photograph)
She lives with her husband and two daughters,
ages four and ten, in Bonner County between
Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry. She and her husband
have lived there since 2002. Her husband is a
professional forester and serves also as the
fire manager for his company.
“We really consider ourselves lucky to have had
the chance to pursue careers and build a life in
North Idaho and even luckier to have the
opportunity to raise two children here as well,”
she said. “When we located to this area, we knew
we'd be here to stay. Nearly 20 years later
we've put down some very deep roots, and try to
impart on our children there really is no better
place to be, than where we live now.”
In Bonners Ferry the position and
responsibilities of City Administrator have at
times been split between the City’s Engineer and
an Administrator. At other times those
responsibilities were shared by one person,
which is how the position was configured until
recently. Over the past two years, the workload
on the City Administrator / Engineer has
increased substantially as the City faces major
capital improvement projects such as, among
others, resurfacing the spillway along the Moyie
River Dam, reconstructing the sewer main on the
sewer bridge, and developing a new well site.
With this increasing workload for the Engineer,
the City Council voted at its recent April 3
meeting to split the position into the separate
positions of Engineer and Administrator. Two
weeks later, the Council approved hiring Lisa
Ailport, who at the time was serving as City
Planner, to be the new City Administrator for
Bonners Ferry.
So what does the City Administrator do? One
might say that when the Mayor and City Council
vote, approve, authorize, set policy, or take
other actions as part of their work, it is the
City Administrator who directs carrying out
those policies and directives.
And there are other significant responsibilities
that go with the job. The Administrator also
directs and manages the operations of the City’s
public works, water, wastewater, electric,
building, street, pool, golf, and parks
departments. The Administrator manages the
operation of the City-owned electric utility and
negotiates purchase of wholesale electric power.
The Administrator develops an annual budget,
oversees purchasing, pursues grants for City
projects, oversees compliance with federal,
state, and local laws, and reports to various
governmental agencies.
Add to that the several after-hours meetings,
and out-of-town meetings that are required. And
serving as a public relations officer for the
City, which includes preparing and issuing
necessary public statements. And any complaints
that might arise in any and all of the areas in
which the City operates—those all go to the City
Administrator also.
All that sounds like a very tall order for
anybody. Ms. Ailport has a philosophy that helps
to guide her in these responsibilities. “Cities
are more than just streets and pipes. The most
beautifully tree-lined street is just a road
without the people that make it come alive.
Cities are people, people are cities. Without
both we can't build resilient communities. My
goals are the people's goals. I will look to
city leadership and residents to help develop
the City's direction. Building from my planning
background, I view my role as the Administrator
as the catalytic energy to building
collaboration and directions towards a shared
vision and goal.”
She sees some challenges ahead for the City. She
cites the Moyie River Dam, which needs
resurfacing along the spillway and dredging of
silt behind the dam. Also, the sewer bridge
pipe, which transports sewage to lagoons on the
north side of the Kootenai River, needs to be
replaced, and the City is looking at developing
an alternative water system.
“The City's streets and utilities employees do
an incredible job of making sure the current
infrastructure serves the residents and users in
the best ways possible,” she said. “We are
steadfast in our stewardship of our community
infrastructure.”
But she hastens to add there are more challenges
beyond the City’s infrastructure, and other
important goals that require City attention.
“While I believe these infrastructure issues
need to be dealt with in a proper and fiscally
responsible way, the City needs to not lose
sight of ways to continue improving on education
and technology, advancing capacity of our local
businesses, and increasing quality of life.”
No one can do all this alone, and Ms. Ailport is
happy to have what she considers a great team to
work with at the City. “The City employees are
an incredible group of individuals. From the
water and sewer department to the police and
fire departments, everyone works hard to provide
the taxpayers and customers with excellent
service,” she said. “I can't say enough great
things about what they know and what they do for
everyone. If you get a chance to meet any of
them, say thanks for what they do. Most often in
public service you hear a lot of what people
don't like about your department, and rarely the
good things. A simple thank-you should be a
bright spot in someone's day.”
She has passions outside of water works and
street lights, and pursues some of her interests
when away from work. “I am an avid photographer
and horse rider. I love capturing lifestyle
photographs of local farmers and ranchers, as
well as capturing photos of horses and children.
My family has the opportunity
to own four beautiful horses and also to live
next door to a Clydesdale breeding operation,
which in both cases never fails on providing
fantastic photographic content. I have been
extremely blessed to have a few Bonners Ferry
businesses pick up some of my work to put on
display. Check out Potlatch Credit Union for a
display of my work, and occasionally Mugsy's has
had my work on display, too.
As she embarks on her new responsibilities as
Bonners Ferry City Administrator, she shares
some final thoughts: “The Mayor and Council are
optimistic and passionate about the future of
Bonners Ferry, as am I. When I hear folks say,
‘Well, it’s just Bonners Ferry,’ I am quick to
correct them with, ‘No, we ARE Bonners Ferry!’
We deserve the attention and we deserve
opportunity to be a great community, and I will
work hard, alongside our Council and Mayor, to
bring those opportunities to Bonners Ferry.”
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