New La Center councilor loves hometown, wants to preserve ‘small town feel’

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LA CENTER – The newest member of the La Center City Council has a few things setting her apart from her fellow councilors.

For starters, at 31 years old, Heather Birdwell-Currey is not only the council’s greenest member, she also is its youngest, which means Birdwell-Currey, who has worked full-time since graduating from La Center High School 13 years ago, is in the prime of her career – something that definitely distinguishes her from the other councilors, most of whom are retired or closing in on their retirement years.

Birdwell-Currey is a product of La Center schools. Her family moved from the Vancouver area to La Center when Birdwell-Currey was in fifth grade and she says she immediately fell in love with the close-knit community, her circle of school friends and the fact that everyone knew each other in La Center.

“Even now, I sometimes run into teachers I had,” Birdwell-Currey says. “Some of them are still teaching at the schools here.”

A baker at heart, Birdwell-Currey says she thought about going to culinary school directly after high school, but chose to work full-time instead. Over the past 13 years, Birdwell-Currey has worked for several La Center businesses, including two of the card rooms and the local Chevron gas station. Today, she leads food services for The Convenience Group, LLC, which owns the La Center Chevon and other gas stations/food marts in the region.

“I’ve always worked full-time,” Birdwell-Currey says. “At one point in my life, I was working 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.”

These days, the young councilor still wakes up before the sun to get to work, but is usually free in the late afternoons and evenings, which allows her to be more involved in local government and attend council meetings and work sessions.

On the weekends, she and her husband, Jacob Currey, enjoy spending time with friends and family, especially Birdwell-Currey’s young niece and nephew, relaxing at home and taking in their favorite football game or sporting event.



Asked what prompted her to run for city council, Birdwell-Currey says she became interested in local politics when her father, Bill Birdwell, served on the La Center City Council in the mid-2000s, and that she was interested in helping the town grow without losing its character and charm.

“I grew up here, so I want to see the town succeed,” Birdwell-Currey says. “I know we have to grow, but I’d like to see La Center grow and still be a safe place with a small-town feel.”

When Birdwell-Currey told her father of her council aspirations, she says the elder Birdwell counseled her that she had his blessing and that he would be around if she had any questions, but that he wouldn’t try to mold or shape her thinking on the council.

“He was supportive and helped answer some questions I had … but he said I had to do this for me,” Birdwell-Currey says.

In an interview with The Reflector on Jan. 26, after she had attended one city council meeting and one work session with the council and members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Birdwell-Currey said being a city councilor was more challenging that she had expected, but that she was looking forward to delving into the local issues and doing her part to keep her hometown a safe, friendly, beautiful place to live.

“Everyone on the council has been very nice to me and, because I’m the newbie, they’ve been really helpful,” Birdwell-Currey says. “So far, I like it … and it’s interesting getting to hear from so many different perspectives.”

Asked if she thought she’d still be involved with politics 10 years from now, Birdwell-Currey laughed: “I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to see if I still like this two years from now when (my term expires). I’ll let you know then!”