||| FROM SCOTT BRENNAN |||
Our San Juan County Commissioners race has two very different candidates. Stephanie O’Day is an islander, who has lived and worked here for 40 years. She wants to simplify and streamline county government, making our islands a place where a young family can live and have a career.
When I read her opponent, Kari McVeigh’s, platform statements the things that jump out at me are that she worked in ‘big’ cities, for ‘big’ agencies, with a ‘big’ staff, and ‘big’ budgets. But ‘big’ is not what San Juan County needs. We need to plan to manage and live within a budget where an average person can afford to be here.
When long time local EMS Chief Frank Wilson passed away he was replaced from off island with Jim Cole, a ‘big city’ EMS administrator. Cole immediately started making things ‘big’, spending the budget surplus that Chief Wilson had carefully managed. Big new aid building, new ambulances, all the latest equipment/toys. When Cole used up that surplus he tried to double his budget levy, which was voted down. He tried again for a budget increase and was voted down, so instead of managing with what
he had, he left his mess and went to another agency.
We didn’t learn and brought in an off island ‘big city’ Fire Chief. One of his first ‘big’ moves was to try to absorb the EMS Unit under his command, making his agency and empire ‘bigger’. We voted that down, so his next move was to try and radically increase the fire levy, making his budget ‘bigger’. When that was voted down he packed up and went to another agency.
We don’t need ‘big’, we need a long time local for commissioner, who understands our island, our budget and most of all the regular people who want to live here full time and raise a family to make a caring, successful ‘small’ community.
That person is Stephanie O’Day.
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I don’t really see your logic here Scott. You are using your experience of other people to define Kari McVeigh’s intentions and commitment to a community she has lived and worked in for at least eight years. The fact is we need a council person that has a wider skill set than knowledge about land use law in San Juan County and a history of legally arguing against regulatory authority. If Stephanie wants to streamline county government, improve housing affordability, and improve the health of our community, what are her actual suggestions and experience other than with land use law? I hear her talk about a lot of problems but not many solutions other than reducing regulatory authority over development here. What community boards has she served on and what community services has she volunteered for?
In contrast, after relocating to San Juan Island in 2016, Kari supported San Juan Island School District (SJISD) as a leadership coach. Within two years she became the district’s superintendent, leading the district through tough budgetary times and the early stages of the pandemic. A year after Kari retired from SJISD, she served as part-time Superintendent at Shaw Island School District and has taken the lead to build teacher housing there.
She has also been active locally in community service. Kari has served on the board of Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor, as a Board member and Treasurer of San Juan Island Public Schools Foundation, was a member of the San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Logistics team, volunteered for the Joyce L Sobel Family Resource Center, and is currently a member of the League of Women Voters of the San Juans. In my view, these experiences and roles signify a much stronger commitment to community involvement and providing for a small caring and successful community.
How can you simplify and streamline San Juan county government to make our islands a place where a young family can live and have a career ?
I am very glad that Orcas has TWO excellent county council candidates to choose from; either of which I trust will do a good job for us. Unfortunately, both of the candidates for the San Juan island position seem to have embraced the divisive politics of the mainland. How a candidate runs their campaign tells us something about how they will behave if elected, don’t you think?