Party Preference
Democrat
Phone
(360) 504-8502
Experience (Max 500 characters)
I was elected to the Port Angeles City Council in November 2017. I served as the deputy mayor for the first two years of my term, was appointed Mayor in 2020, and was appointed for my third term as Mayor in January of this year. I have a master’s degree in public administration and many years of experience working as a public servant primarily in rural health. I currently work as the Clinical, Outreach, and Accreditation Coordinator for the Nursing Department at Peninsula College.
Campaign Phone
(360)504-8502
Town where you live
Port Angeles
My elected and work experience have given me substantial leadership and policy skills that have let me work on regional issues, and with diverse segments of Clallam County. I have spent the last 7 years building relationships within our community: with other local governments, with non-profit organizations, and with community leaders. As the Mayor, I have been engaged in policy discussions that have been difficult and can be divisive. I have heard opinions on all sides, and have presided over public comment periods where I have strived to be fair, so that everyone feels heard. During these issues, I have tried to put our community first, and work to find consensus and compromise. At the end of the day, even when we disagree, I value hearing from all sides of an issue, and believe that thoughtful discussion means our community cares, and makes Clallam County a better place.
If elected, I would continue to advocate for thoughtful and sustainable development. We should continue to promote development within the cities and their urban growth areas, where increasing density will help reduce the utility burden, make it easier to maintain infrastructure, increase walkability, reduce housing costs, and help ensure that our rural areas stay rural. Regulating where and how development can happen, particularly in the County, is important for protecting our natural resources, including our local farms, rivers, and forests. As more people move to Clallam County water will also continue to be an important topic with County-wide policy considerations. Clallam County can provide leadership on this issue and ensure that all water providers and users are engaged in thoughtful conversation and working together to develop both short and long term solutions.
My top three priorities are to work collaboratively and quickly to find meaningful solutions to adequately address the housing crisis, increase affordable childcare so that parents can re-enter the workforce, and create a balanced budget that maintains, or even increases, the levels of service to appropriately address our community’s needs.
As an elected official I know first hand how challenging it can be to balance all of the different needs in our communities. An important starting place is to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard. Improving access to public meetings and availability of commissioners to engage in thoughtful conversation with the people we represent is critical to ensuring that community members have the ability to be heard. As a working parent, I know how difficult it is to attend public meetings during work hours, and a goal of mine is to provide better access for working families to be civically engaged on a local level. Additionally, I approach decision making with an equity lens, and know that taking the time to define the communities impacted by a decision can help ensure that the people most affected are consulted and their feedback is taken into consideration.
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