A message from Council Member Fuller | ‘An honor and a privilege’

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

“After much deliberation I have decided I will not be seeking re-election this year,” writes Councilmember Fuller. “In the meantime, I will continue working in service to the residents of the County through December as has been my privilege throughout.”

To my San Juan County friends and constituents,

Since January 2023 it has been my honor to serve as your elected council member for Lopez Island, District 3, and the entire County. This is the fourth and final year of my term, so I am faced with the decision whether to seek another term in office.

In the past three years I have been working on many challenging issues and concerns facing residents across the County, at a time when our local government was going through major staffing and Council transitions, and more recently significant financial constraints. Throughout these transitions important progress has been made and milestones reached in service of the residents of San Juan County.

The issues I campaigned on originally in 2022 – improved ferry service, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience are all areas where I have made important contributions. During my term I worked tirelessly on ferry issues securing emergency support and investments from the Governor to address the social and economic impacts of the ferry crisis on our San Juan Islands-Anacortes route throughout 2023-24, including $1.5 million in emergency funding to pilot passenger-only ferry service, and as a result we have seen improvements in WSF service, with more to come. This year I also founded the first WA State County Ferry Caucus. With my strong support a one-tenth of one percent sales tax for affordable housing was passed in 2023, the Land Bank was renewed by the electorate in 2024, and a new Climate Element was added to our County’s Comprehensive Plan in 2025.

I served our Lopez community as a champion for State funding of our Lopez Island School District; initiated the establishment of a Parks and Recreation District on Lopez to secure a sustainable funding stream for school sports, and activities for children and youth; successfully advocated for State funding of the Lopez Swim Center (FLIP); and more recently assisted the Lopez Island Hospital District with ensuring that UW Medicine signed a contract with our County’s only health insurance carrier – Coordinated Care / Ambetter, so the self-insured could continue to use their health insurance at our local clinic through June of this year.

While there are many challenges ahead for the County, after much deliberation I have decided I will not be seeking re-election this year. In my five years of service to the County in elected office, including one year as an elected Charter Review Commissioner (2021), I take pride in the work I have done for the Lopez community and the County as a whole.

Upon completion of my term, I am excited to be resuming my career in the field of international affairs and governance. I will of course remain an active member of our community.

Throughout my term I prioritized listening to community and individual voices and sharing information with constituents, as well as uplifting and seeking resolutions to constituents’ issues and concerns, both proactively and responsively. I also served as a strong advocate to our State and Federal legislators, and the Governor for San Juan County interests.

I have deeply valued the opportunity to serve as your council member and the relationships I developed have been tremendously meaningful and rewarding to me. What I most enjoyed about being in this role was working with constituents and County government officials and staff to find solutions to local issues and challenges, helping to make our County a better place to live, and growing together from our shared experiences.

As I reflect on my experience as your council member, I would like to thank each of you for your support, collaboration, honesty and most of all your enduring commitment to making our County an incredible place to live for everyone. I would not have been able to perform in this role without your support. At the end of my four-year term, I look forward to seeing you around the islands as a fellow resident. In the meantime, I will continue working in service to the residents of the County through December of this year as has been my privilege throughout.

Jane Fuller, Council Member, District 3, San Juan County

March 9, 2026