Sharon Kivisto announces candidacy for County council

— from Sharon Kivisto —

I’m Sharon Kivisto and I’m campaigning to be the council member representing Residency District 1 on the San Juan County Council. My 20+
years of experience as a journalist in the islands has provided me with insight about the needs of islanders and the workings of county government. I’d like to use the knowledge I’ve gained to help preserve and increase the social and environmental integrity of the county.

During my 29 years on San Juan Island, I’ve worked in the tourism
industry, owned and operated my own media business
SanJuanIslander.com, served on the school board and the Homes for
Islanders board, raised two daughters, purchased my own home as a
single mom through one of the affordable housing programs, and
volunteered in a variety of ways.

Like most of the candidates, I am concerned about the availability of
affordable housing, the lack of diversity in our economy, the health of the
Salish Sea and the Southern Resident Killer Whales, the proliferation of
vacation rentals to the detriment of neighborhoods, the preservation of the
environment and farming, and the cost of living in the San Juan Islands.
I graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Natural
Resources. I also have a two-year degree in Photography from Palomar
College. Caring about the environment and supporting groups such as the
Land Bank, Wolf Hollow, SeaDoc Society, and Preservation Trust is
important to me.

The pandemic has challenged us all in many ways and has also highlighted
some of the ongoing problems. One that is especially troubling is the lack
of equitable enforcement of county rules and regulations. Creating
regulations without providing enforcement processes is commonplace in
the county government and is unfair. Here’s a pandemic-related example:

An order was issued to close all lodging facilities including vacation rentals
for several weeks at the beginning of the pandemic. As the order was not
enforced, it was exploited. Most of the lodging owners/operators abided by
the order. There were others, however, who did not. Since there was no
penalty, the ones who suffered were those who obeyed the rules and lost
business. If the order had included some teeth, such as vacation rental
permits would be pulled for six months if the order was violated,
compliance would have been much more likely.

We’re facing challenging times and there’s a lot of hard work facing the
council. Completing the update of the Comprehensive Plan, diversifying our
economy, making difficult budget decisions about services, staffing, and
projects are just some of the challenges. Clear, timely communication
between the county and the citizens will be necessary in order to make
sure everyone is heard.

Moving forward we must embrace a perspective that encompasses the
past as it reframes the future. Read more about my campaign on kivistoforcouncil.com.

I’d appreciate your vote in the August 4 primary. If I’m fortunate enough to
be one of the two candidates moving on to the General Election, I’d also
appreciate your vote on November 3. Thank you for your time and
consideration.