Ever wonder who the brains behind the Ballard Bridge is? Well, the good folks over at the SDOT Blog have you covered.

In a series of profiles they are doing on "hard working employees," in honor of Labor Day, the Seattle Department of Transportation is featuring our very own David Leask, the Senior Operator of the Ballard Bridge.

Other than giving the neat, gnitty-gritty details of how he operates the bridge (yes, there is a specific angle the bridge gets raised at), the article also gives us a look at the man:

"Leask has been employed with the city for 25 years now and has been helping SDOT keep people and goods moving through this important corridor since the mid-90s. He has managed the bridge through various retrofits, paint jobs andeven the Nisqually Earthquake of 2001. One of his favorite parts of being a Bridge Operator is enjoying the view from the tower of sunrises, the various vessels going by and the birds he gets to see like Peregrine Falcons, eagles, Blue Herons and Osprey."

Also, they give us a bonus. Poor Leask says he isn't "allowed to sing karaoke" and that he even lip syncs "Happy Birthday." Yeesh!