As the Herald continually strives for perfection, sometimes big events just seem to fall right through the cracks. Unfortunately, so do well deserved kudos at times.

Sorry about that Jackie.

After 12 years of service last month, former Poulsbo City Councilwoman Aitchison (don’t call her “baby”) heard her final gavel as a member and entered the ranks of the everyday citizen — not a bad place to be at all.

We hope she’ll forgive us for our tardiness and that the old saying “better late than never” holds true as we give her our sincerest thanks for the countless hours of service she gave to Poulsbo and the greater North Kitsap community.

It’s no secret that we’ve always liked Jackie (having endorsed her in both her bids for re-election). She always proved herself to be a knowledgeable, caring and, best of all, listening member of council. We owe her a debt we can’t repay with a simple “thank you.”

But a “thank you” it’ll have to be.

Her stewardship and hard work to make this area a better place will continue nonetheless — Jackie never was one to shy away from hard work, whether planting foliage or shaping the look of the city.

Her work as an environmental voice on council will echo in this area for many years to come. While many saw this a conflict of interest with her duties at times, she viewed it (and still does) as doing her job not just for current residents but for future citizens as well. We appreciated all your efforts in this regard, and those yet to come.