VOTE411 Voter Guide

I value face-to-face conversations and would like to see the City reinstate quarterly ward meetings. Public comment at Council meetings is limited—you only get three minutes, it’s only allowed at business meetings, and Councilmembers can’t respond. That format can be frustrating for both the public and Councilmembers. Ward meetings offer a more relaxed setting where attendees shape the discussion and Councilmembers can respond directly. They’re held in the community, open to all, and encourage meaningful dialogue. I also support holding regular office hours in public spaces like coffee shops or upstairs at T&C, as some Councilmembers already do. These informal gatherings create accessible opportunities for residents to connect with their elected representatives, ask questions, and share ideas in a more personal and productive way.

The City has a responsibility to protect the natural environment—critical areas, shorelines, habitat, groundwater, and surface water—through proactive, enforceable policy. This starts with integrating strong environmental protections into regulations and ensuring land use and infrastructure decisions align with ecological sustainability. Equally important is tapping into the deep expertise within our community. Bainbridge Island is home to residents with professional experience in environmental science, climate policy, and engineering that understand our ecosystems, unique characteristics, challenges and our community's values. Citizen advisory committees like the Climate Change Advisory Committee and the Environmental Technical Advisory Committee offer invaluable local insight and can help shape policies that reflect both science and community values. Their involvement also strengthens public trust.

I previously served two terms on the Bainbridge Island City Council, from 2012 through the end of 2019. During my time on the Council, I also served on the Kitsap Public Health Board from 2012 to 2017. In 2020, I was appointed by the City Council to the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission and was reappointed to a second term on June 13, 2023. I continue to serve on the Planning Commission today.

While the City has a Housing Action Plan, it lacks a formal strategy to address homelessness and housing insecurity. These complex challenges require a coordinated, community-based response. The City must partner with local nonprofits already providing shelter, food, case management, and mental health support. A major gap is the lack of permanent supportive housing, which should be prioritized in the Comprehensive Plan. This type of housing offers long-term stability and can serve as emergency shelter during disasters. It should be located near essential services like healthcare, behavioral health, and transit. The City must also address the lack of basic hygiene facilities—access to showers, laundry, and restrooms is vital for health, dignity, and stability. With strong planning, partnerships, and targeted investments, the City can begin to build an effective and compassionate response.

My vision for Bainbridge Island is one of balance, inclusion, resilience, and long-term sustainability. We must stay committed to focusing growth in designated Centers to preserve the rural character of our Conservation Areas and protect our environment, farmlands, and open spaces. The City should embed environmental stewardship into every decision—planning for climate change, protecting shorelines, monitoring groundwater, and enhancing ecosystems. We must celebrate and increase diversity, foster inclusion, and strengthen partnerships with local tribes through respectful, government-to-government relationships. Communication and collaboration with other local taxing districts and support for local human service providers are also key. Arts and culture should be recognized as essential to community connection and identity. All of this must be reflected in our Comprehensive Plan, which guides future policy.

At the heart of my campaign, and decades of public service, is a commitment to communication, connection, and engagement. I currently hold weekly 2-hour “Connect with Dawn” gatherings, and attend neighborhood get togethers to hear people’s concerns, encourage conversation and share information. If elected, I will continue both practices. I am responsive to emails and texts. If elected, I will host monthly South Ward community meetings, in-person and online, to ensure transparency and foster deeper relationships with residents. And I will hold monthly community-wide meetings to hear from all Islanders. I will ensure that city updates are timely and accessible. Just as importantly, I will champion quarterly interagency meetings, uniting public agencies to reduce redundancies, improve collaboration, and build a shared vision for Bainbridge Island. I want to encourage community engagement; it is vital to a healthy and vibrant community.

Bainbridge Island must proactively address climate risks like wildfire, drought, sea level rise, and shifting precipitation. That starts with retaining scientific expertise, educating residents, and building partnerships across agencies. As Park Commissioner, I helped create our IT and Natural Resources departments, insuring institutional knowledge, expert staffing, and consistent data guides policy. And when Parks transformed a degraded forest into an ecological success and world-class bike park, it showed how restoration and recreation can merge, achieving multiple goals in one location. Bainbridge can lead by example, pooling resources and modeling interagency cooperation to protect our aquifer, forests, and shorelines. Let’s build a future where environmental sustainability is not just policy it is practice, rooted in shared vision, community participation and bold leadership.

My public service spans decades—from youth sports and arts organizations to most recently as an elected Parks Commissioner. In addition to my work with Alpine Ascents International, I was a founding member of the Alpine Ascents Foundation, to provide education for Sherpa children in Nepal. I currently serve on the No Child Left Inside Advisory Committee for Washington’s Recreation and Conservation Office, and I have led innovative community initiatives merging arts, parks, environmental stewardship and community members like bringing the Way of the Bird King troll installation to the Pacific Northwest. On Bainbridge, I was project lead for Pia the Peacekeeper, a public art icon that celebrates sustainability, peace, and community—proof that bold vision, with strong management, and fiscal responsibility can bring new ideas and forward thinking solutions to all kinds of challenges.

Homelessness is not just a housing issue—it is about human dignity. Local agencies Helpline House, Housing Resources Bainbridge, Bainbridge Youth Services and more are our partners in addressing at risk populations. I will seek to strengthen the City’s relationship with these agencies and work toward an island-wide strategy and educational program to address unhoused and potentially unhoused folks on the Island. I will work with other county municipalities to share education and solutions about homelessness, so there is a broad understanding of how homelessness affects not only Bainbridge Island, but how we can address this regionally and at the state level. Our city must also lead in wraparound services: mental health care, job training, and substance use support. Regional collaboration will be key, and I will advocate for solutions that combine empathy with evidence—always putting people first.

I envision Bainbridge Island as a place that balances sustainability with livability and fiscal responsibility. We can be a national model in creative planning, transportation and environmental stewardship. It starts with inclusive dialogue, bold collaboration, and shared resources. Leadership must be proactive and forward-thinking—not bogged in policy paralysis but motivated to reflect the will of its citizens. Bainbridge is a jewel and a place I love. I envision Bainbridge as a model for how community can work to both preserve and protect our natural resources and also make space for future generations. I see an island, rich in diversity of home styles, recreational opportunities, small business innovation, transportation options, thriving schools and active senior communities, miles of trails, diversity of flora and fauna, places to retire and place to raise families, and places to gather for community, celebration and care. I see a bright future!

My plan is to have regular listening sessions at local businesses. I have done this for my campaign. It is a great opportunity to connect with members of the community and to better understand what matters to them. As far as how these interactions should be conducted, I believe they should be characterized by respect, open-mindedness, transparency, responsiveness, and be solutions-oriented. We can’t forget that we are here to serve the people and to solve problems.

Our City is at the forefront. Our City is currently engaged in the important work of updating our Comprehensive Plan where we seek to balance and prioritize the 15 goals listed in the Growth Management Act. One very important goal of the statute is around the environment, asking that we “protect and enhance the environment and enhance the state’s high quality of life, including air and water quality, and the availability of water.” Bainbridge Island has the unique challenge of being designated as a Sole Source Aquifer and having all of our drinking water come from groundwater. This means that we have a limited and increasingly stressed water supply. In is incumbent upon us to be good stewards of this important resource during the growth planning process to make sure that it will still be here for future generations.

I am a dedicated public servant who has spent my career serving the people of Washington as a state employee.

I think homelessness is a larger systemic issue that is difficult to handle in isolation; one town alone will be unable to tackle this important challenge. I think the best ways to address this issue are by improving housing affordability and by improving our mental health systems. Unfortunately, much of what is driving the homelessness in our state is mental health challenges, such as schizophrenia. I believe we need better systems in place to house, feed, and provide medical care to this extremely vulnerable population.

My vision is to Keep Bainbridge Bainbridge! Sometimes something is quite rare and beautiful as it is. Sometimes the vision is not to make some dramatic change but to keep what you have. I think Bainbridge is beautiful the way it is. I am very concerned by the current City Council’s plan to massively upzone Winslow and the surrounding area. I think this plan will destroy the special character of the Island, strain existing infrastructure, cause congestion, and increase taxes, all without meaningfully addressing housing affordability. One of the main reasons I am running is to oppose this plan and to protect what we have.