Contributed by Steve Carrington
I want to honor a Palmer leader who passed away this summer, Mayor George Carté. For me, George Carté was an excellent example of a servant leader.
For many people the name may seem familiar. One reason is Palmer has named the George Carté Plaza after him. The George Carté Plaza is at the edge of where Friday Flings take place during the summer. It is a quiet square plaza with hedges around its perimeter and a couple of picnic tables. The Plaza is there as an appreciation for his many years of service on Palmer’s City Council and as Mayor of Palmer in the 1980s and 1990s.
But the things I remember about George Carté are from even further in the past. I remember him as a devout man of faith. By that I mean more than he attended church regularly, although that is true enough. But he was his own man in how he expressed his faith. I recall sitting in the back of the St. Bart's Episcopal church with my friend Buster, decked out in our football gear for the game right after church. One of the ushers took the offering plate forward near the end of the offertory song. But the other, George Carté, stayed in the back. At first, I thought he was sleep-standing or daydreaming with his eyes closed. But as I watched him, I realized he was truly worshipping his Lord. It was a “spirit and truth” kind of worship (ref. John 4). George was an authentic Christian. This is something I have admired about Mayor George Carté for all these years.
One of the other ways I felt a connection with Mayor Carté was how he went and taught English in another land. I did something similar, except mine was in my youth I worked in refugee camps for the Boat People in Hong Kong for 4 months. George’s service was more impressive as he served 4 years where I only did 4 months. But it’s a desire that I understand and appreciate. Teaching English as a second language is a challenging project in any country.
What I enjoy most though is that Mayor George Carte stepped down from his position as mayor to go and work with Palmer’s Sister City, Saroma. He believed it was the right thing to do, so he did it. Again, he was his own man. The only thing more impressive is that his wife Cathy not only tolerated his service as mayor but followed him to Saroma for those years! My hat’s off to you Cathy!
As I have served off and on over the years with the Palmer City Council, I have come to appreciate that it can be simple. It doesn’t have to be difficult. During Mayor Carté’s time he worked well with the council and the city manager of that time. I believe this was because another aspect of Mayor George Carté was he was a humble man. His ego didn’t get in the way of serving the community. That’s something I appreciate and attempt to model in my own life.
And one of the things I most appreciated about Mayor George Carté was he was a big man with a big Alaskan beard! At least that’s how I will always remember him. Mayor George Carté was a true servant leader. He didn't have various agendas. He simply served his community for many faithful years. I plan to attend his memorial service at 2 pm Oct. 10 at the United Protestant Church (Presbyterian) in Palmer.
For more information about Mayor George Carté and the Saroma Sister City Program, see the article, “George Carté – A Cultivator of Culture and Connection” in the Sister City News Summer 2019 newsletter available: https://www.palmerak.org/sister-city-program
