Letter to Editor | I support Katherine Bryant-Ingman for council

||| FROM JAMIE STEPHENS |||

Katherine is a leader. As a former District 3 County Council Member, I’ve watched her work in this community over the years, and I know a leader when I see one.

When the University of Washington chose not to continue operating the Lopez Island Medical Clinic last year, Katherine, as president of the Catherine Washburn Medical Association board, a role she still holds today, played a critical role on the leadership team that searched for a new partner and negotiated the contract with SeaMar to provide expanded medical services for the Lopez Island community.

Early in her time here, Katherine co-founded and managed the Lopez Island Food Share for the Lopez Island Family Resource Center, purchasing produce from local farms and working with local restaurants to turn it into meals, feeding island families while supporting our farms and businesses at the same time during COVID. She also was part of the team with Housing Lopez to bring the first affordable rental units online, now home to 21 Lopez households.

Katherine currently works full-time as Senior Manager for the Washington Women’s Foundation, which funds organizations across Washington state working on some of the hardest, most complicated issues communities face.

She’s not afraid to take on and lead tough problems, and that’s exactly the kind of steady judgment San Juan County needs on its Council.

She has the experience and perspective needed to make the progress we deserve. She has my vote for County Council, and I hope she’ll have yours, too.