CAMAS — The bucolic Fallen Leaf Lake stood silent in the background as U.S. Sen. Patty Murray addressed a small audience gathered for a Tuesday afternoon ceremony recognizing the city’s purchase of 55 acres of land, including the lake.
Murray, D-Wash., celebrated the leadership and teamwork it took to make the $2.05 million local project come to fruition then turned her remarks to an item of national importance with trillions of dollars in the balance.
Murray listens to concerns of veterans, their advocates
Murray was recently named the co-chair of a “supercommittee” tasked with developing a debt-reduction plan. She participated in the Fallen Leaf Lake Park dedication ceremony after holding a 90-minute meeting with veterans in Vancouver.
“As many of you know, I have taken on a tough new challenge that will create a lot of stress in my life,” Murray told the Camas crowd without the benefit of a microphone. The device lost power earlier in the program.
Murray predicted she would reflect on people enjoying the tranquil Fallen Leaf Lake when her work resumed in Washington, D.C.
“Know that in the back of my head I’m remembering you,” she told the crowd before being whisked off into a Subaru en route to an unknown destination.
Murray’s closing remarks caught the ear of Camas City Administrator Lloyd Halverson.
“There was an important glimpse into the senator’s responsibilities when she talked about how beautiful and calming (the lake) was and talked about the stresses” she would face in Washington, D.C., Halverson observed.
