His smile makes you feel like $1 million.While we Seattleites know Snohomish

His smile makes you feel like $1 million.While we Seattleites know Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon as the handsome, young chair of the Sound Transit Board, his relationship with fellow government employees back home is strained. Reardon and the Snohomish County Council have clashed over everything from whether or not to add commercial airline service at Paine Field to how to resolve Snohomish’s budget deficit. Two days ago the Everett Herald reported that the council will be focusing its attention on reviewing Reardon’s ability to run the county. Yesterday, attempting to make things right, Reardon used his annual State of the County speech to reach out to his fellow elected officials. “I am committed to moving forward and I am resolved to put past differences to rest and agree to start anew,” he said. “I genuinely extend my hand and ask for equal effort towards rebuilding a partnership rooted in honesty and mutual respect.”As any couple going through financial hardships can tell you, nothing puts a strain on a relationship like money trouble.In the last year, Snohomish County lost a Boeing plant and all its accompanying jobs to South Carolina. A budget deficit still hasn’t been resolved as unions mull over unpaid furlough days. And the county’s reserve fund may go broke by 2015.Those financial hardships still exist, so for Reardon to repair his and the council’s relationship will be no easy task. As we’ve discovered, though, he has the necessary listening stance. And when expressing himself, his smooth baritone voice is confident without being combative.But Reardon’s secret weapon for bringing the council back to his side is his smile. Too often, politicians have a grin that bears eerie resemblance to a used-car dealer. Sincerity, it seems, is too often lacking in public servants’ grins. As the photo above shows, Reardon gets genuine, open-mouthed joy from working for his constituents.