Emilio Alejandro Santiago wants to serve as your next Mayor of the Town of Friday Harbor

||| FROM EMILIO ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO |||

Emilio is an energetic and sociable archaeologist and cartographer that fell in love with the Friday Harbor community when he first washed ashore in 2017. His eleven years of work in cultural resource protection and historic preservation for government land management agencies such as the Forest Service and the National Park Service have sowed in him a deep appreciation for people and place. Whether interfacing with environmentalists as a representative to the Stewardship Network or digging through files of untold island stories as a member of the San Juan Historical Society, Emilio is always thinking about our island home. You might see Emilio training as a volunteer Wildland Firefighter, organizing social events for the local chapter of Friday Harbor Green Drinks, or bartending island weddings on weekends. Emilio has dedicated his time towards building partnerships that strengthen the Island’s resilience and sense of community.

Emilio values transparency, connection, and equity. His desire to serve as Mayor grew out of conversations with fellow town residents, where he realized that his innate strength in connecting people and organizations would be well-suited for the role of Mayor. His investment in place, paired with his experience serving in different community roles that emphasize empowerment through collective action, has afforded him exceptional skill at navigating conflict and solving complex problems. His passion is rooted here, in the community, history, and abundance around him.

While connecting with residents and understanding their needs, Emilio has found common themes in many of his conversations. His primary concerns are providing a commitment to town transparency, cultivating positive relationships with key partners such as the Town Council, and other County and State entities, supporting access to affordable housing, investing in infrastructure, and attracting and retaining talented local employees by supporting workers’ rights. Visit www.ElectEmilio.com for more expansive information regarding Emilio’s primary issues and areas of focus.

Approachable, friendly, and charismatic, Emilio loves to listen, to learn, and, fundamentally, to connect with people! He is hosting a campaign kick-off event on Saturday, May 24th from 12pm to 3pm at the San Juan Island Grange. He can’t wait to see you there!