In Island County, we have a shortage of housing at all income levels and it drives up the costs for families to live here. We need to increase our housing supply in order to make housing more affordable and to also support our local economy. However, when we’re increasing our housing supply, we must also preserve our open spaces and forests.

Our beautiful Island environment is the backbone of our community. Clean air to breathe and clean water to drink is essential and drives our economy through agriculture, fishing and tourism. We must act now to protect it. Extreme weather events like the polar vortex, floods, and rising sea levels are becoming too common and are affecting our wellbeing.

The ferry system has been under-resourced and poorly managed for far too long, causing many of us to cancel doctor appointments, be late for work, and miss family gatherings. I will work with our regional partners to restore the ferry service our community needs.

One of the biggest challenges for rural communities like ours is making sure that we all have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare and access to affordable prescription drugs without having to travel long distances.

I believe everyone has the right to make private decisions about their own healthcare.

It takes many dedicated public servants to serve our county– from South Whidbey to Oak Harbor to Camano Island. Law enforcement and first responders and other public servants are overloaded, impacting response times and other quality of care we receive from them. As Commissioner, I will work with our elected sheriff, local police, and fire departments to make sure they have the resources they need to keep us safe.