March 2026 Message from Deputy Mayor Owen Rowe

March 4, 2026

Connecting to Joy

Port Townsend celebrated the arts with joy last weekend. Arts of every variety bloomed across the city, from the Jefferson County Fairgrounds to City Hall to Fort Worden, during the Soundcheck Festival. Soundcheck and the Port Townsend Creative District stretch back nearly a decade. This was the first time the festival was presented in February, and the first time with the Creative District as part of the City’s Community Services Department. It was a moment in time, with deep links to history.

The Port Townsend Arts Awards on Friday acknowledged the complexity of our local history and the role of the arts in creating community. We all gain from access to diverse visions and understandings of our history and our world. Artists exercise creativity in visible (and audible, tangible, even edible!) ways, and the audience too exercises our creativity and empathy.

On Sunday, we launched the 2026 Community Read. While the arts give us access to other people’s experiences, Ian’s Ride is about access to nature and mobility—a “journey to joy” for Ian Mackay. Both kinds of access are part of how we build community, and it’s part of the job of government to ensure that access.

Sometimes, my role on Council seems to be about setting rules and boundaries, not ensuring access. Arts and nature help remind me that humans are inherently communal and collaborative. We welcome neighbors from around the world at the same time as we work to preserve the place we share. To me, that means encouraging mixed-use neighborhoods where everyone can live, work, and play.

Governments, at their best, are also inherently communal and collaborative. That’s why the City is part of the Intergovernmental Collaborative Group (ICG) with the County, Port, and PUD. We’re also helping sponsor the Connectivity Summit at Fort Worden, March 27^th-29^th, to build those community and intergovernmental relationships.

Back in Roman times, the year began in March. In 2026, Soundcheck was a great way to mark the end of the quiet season. Now in March, our journey to joy as a community starts with connectivity.