||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
Milene Henley is retiring after 16 years of public service as San J in Friday Harbor with light refreshments, well wishes, and more.
Henley has led the County through a recession, a worldwide pandemic, and countless elections. She provided outstanding financial guidance and remains a dedicated public servant through the end of the year. Stop by to wish her well as she sails into retirement!
WHAT: A celebration of Auditor Milene Henley’s County career
WHERE: San Juan Island Grange, 152 First St N, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
WHEN: Wednesday, December 21, 2022, from 11am-1pm
Contact: Natasha Warmenhoven, Chief Deputy Auditor, natashaw@sanjuanco.com, (360) 370-7551
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Milene
Thank you for your service to the Community
It was always a pleasure dealing with you !
Milene, you were the best and you will remain so in our memory. I hope you will find other ways to help our community of islands in the future.
Thanks, Milene!
I enjoyed working with you while at the Orcas Library.
Milene Henley is frankly one of the brightest and most dignified persons to ever be elected in San Juan County. Her no nonsense approach to balancing our budget while putting people first was impactful and helped thousands of islanders through making sure everything from public health to parks had the support they needed, but not what they wanted.
On this last point, let me clarify, while other elected officials write their own budgets and the county council ultimately approves the total budget, it is the independently elected County Auditor who pays attention to fiscal sustainability. And… because they are an independently elected official they can stand up publicly and not so subtly remind the county council when they are out of line with their budget – which Milene did often.
Finally, I must add that in this time of fear mongering around elections, it has been a blessing to watch our Auditor – who is also in charge of elections – be a powerful champion of democracy here in our small county – making sure every vote is counted and every voice is heard.
Through all of this however, I think the greatest gift Milene Henley has left us with is the team she has built. From the wonderful people at the counter when you get your license plates renewed, to the brilliant back office budget crunchers to the entire elections team to her replacement and next Auditor, while we will all miss this remarkable public servant, knowing that her team remains should give us all hope for the future of our county.
Thank you Milene for your tremendous and tireless efforts!
Throughout her tenure, Milene Henley has proven herself to have been the most consistently effective member of San Juan County’s staff.
We, voters and taxpayers, are sad to see her go, but nevertheless wish her a long and comfortable retirement.
We remain her appreciative fans.