Q & A

Below is a list of real Questions & Answers about Heather's candidacy. If you would like to submit a question, please send it to heather4jefferson@gmail.com:

Q: Will you commit to resigning from the board/management of any business or organization, including nonprofits, which receives funding in any direct or indirect form from any part of Jefferson County government?

A: I love my job at Bayside Housing & Services, but I'm actively seeking to serve as Jefferson County Commissioner and I fully recognize that it is a full-time commitment. We are preparing for succession in my position as Deputy Executive Director, should I be elected. Although I did for many years, I do not otherwise currently sit on any boards or committees, or act in a management role for any businesses or organizations that receive county funding.

The bulk of the work for our current county commissioners includes active service on various boards and committees, some of which do receive funding administered by Jefferson County. I think that's a practice worth questioning because it comes with potential inherent conflicts. At the same time, in a county of our size I can see the value in having public representation on boards and committees, especially those that provide social service safety nets. I don't plan to attempt to change that, but I do want to continue to question where those inherent conflicts may create any inequitable bias and to suggest changes where necessary.

Q: Do you understand that county commissioners are elected to serve all residents of the county equally and fairly and not to represent only the residents of the district in which they each live?

A: Yes. The district system allows three areas of the county to vet candidates who live in their home region, during the primary election. However, each commissioner is elected in the general election by the whole county and their constituents thus include the whole county - not just the district in which they reside. Likewise, I would be honored to serve those who vote for me and those who don't, equally. I understand that responsibility. In fact, I would consider it a welcome opportunity to better understand and represent the varying needs of my county neighbors. This is who I am. I'm a person who believes at a core level that the expression of diverse needs and perspectives gives our community the balance it needs to be whole and to thrive.

Q: Will you affirmatively commit to not exercise favoritism toward Port Townsend or to any other political or regional subdivision of the county?

A: Yes. The areas of focus for the commissioners are shaped by their committee assignments. So, for instance, Commissioner Dean’s role on the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Legislative Steering Committee has led to her working countless hours over nearly eight years lobbying to ensure state (and eventually federal) funding for the UGA sewer project. I will do my best to represent Jefferson County’s interests in whatever committees I might one day serve.

If I were running to represent Port Townsend’s interests, I could choose to run for City Council and to sit on the same or similar committees representing the city’s interests. That’s not the job I’m seeking. I live in District 1, and I work in District 2 serving the entire county. I served 13 years on Jefferson County's Economic Development Council - where I learned many important lessons about how our needs and community cultures vary from district to district. My focus is county-wide and I won’t be pitting one area against another; I’ll be working to bring us together.

Q: Are you in favor of the current (code enforcement) policies or would you support a move toward proactive enforcement? Explain why, in either case.

A: In principle, I favor enforcement because when the government makes laws it does not enforce, the rule of law suffers as the public loses respect for the laws that the government does not uphold. In real life, code enforcement requires awareness of a violation. Often code enforcement personnel are not the first to notice the infraction. So citizen complaints will continue to be a necessary part of enforcement action.

I’m not an expert on code enforcement, but I don’t doubt that this is both an issue of adequate resources (staffing) and a sensitivity to the public’s natural reluctance to have law enforcement proactively showing up in their lives, checking to see if they’ve done anything wrong. The effort to instill greater respect for the county code will require more than diligent enforcement. It also requires regulations that respect the reality of what our citizens need in order to live safe, affordable and fulfilling lives. Providing clear communication, training opportunities, and even reasonable incentives for busy citizens to engage more in public policy-making can help to ensure that once policies are set, they are ones that we are willing to consistently enforce. Likewise, if there are policies on the books that we are not - or are no longer - willing to consistently enforce, we should work to change those policies.

Q: (Do) the following statements accurately describe (your) own positions and, if not, why not:

I believe that government in Washington belongs to the citizens it serves.
I believe that government functions best when its discussions and decision-making occur in the light of day.
I believe that citizens of Washington have the right of access to all records, discussions and decisions, outside of narrow exemptions specified by law.
I pledge to support the public’s right to know at every opportunity and endorse the preamble to the Washington State Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act:

"The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed and informing the people's public servants of their views so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created."

A: Yes, the principles cited above do describe my position. I am the daughter of a public servant, a career Coast Guard officer who taught me that public servants accept a responsibility to serve all members of the public fairly and transparently. Before moving to Jefferson County 17 years ago, I also worked for King County government where one of my roles was to teach Public Records Act training (and other employee guidance) to all new county employees. My advice, especially to anyone who was new to working in the public sector, was that if you're writing an email and you're completely comfortable with it being published on the front page of the newspaper, go ahead and send it!

Q: I need to see a platform, a series of actionable measures you would propose once in office. What, specifically, would you not just talk about but try to convince the board to do?

A: As a new commissioner, I wouldn't be coming in with a list of projects I want the county to take on. Our community needs adequate childcare for working families, plenty of jobs with wages that can support individuals and families, and a safe and comfortable home for every person at a price they can afford. Our local businesses deserve every fair advantage to thrive. And I’d like us to be the first rural county to offer sufficient and excellent mental health services to its citizens.

I’m not naïve enough to think that the county is suddenly going to open a daycare facility, build hundreds of houses and apartments, create brighter futures for businesses or immediately provide inpatient and wrap-around outpatient services for all our residents who struggle with mental illness. But it can support those outcomes by attracting more state and federal resources, and collaborating in the community to effectively direct those resources. I will be watching for synergy and opportunities to play a part in improving the lives of people living in Jefferson County.

I’ll also be focused on the quality of the process. Trust depends on timely, transparent and appropriate process. The perspective I have today is not the perspective I will develop as I read meeting packets week after week and year after year and come up to speed on all the county concerns that take shape over those months and years. I don't think I would be the kind of commissioner our community needs if I came in with my mind already made up. Everyone tells me I will have a lot to learn as a commissioner, and I don’t doubt it. As I campaign, I will also be fully committed to my current position working for a nonprofit that uses both private and public resources to serve Jefferson County people in need. As such, I will continue to work together with the Board of County Commissioners and others to find innovative and effective ways to ensure that all Jefferson County citizens have access to the basic services they need to thrive. And should I be elected, I will be reading and listening and asking questions. You will see me use my skills as a project manager, as a negotiator, a communicator and a collaborator. You will also see me giving my best and my voice - advocating for the systems, resources and policies that support our ability to thrive. That is what I can promise you today.