Meet the candidates for Skagit County Commission

Why are you seeking office?

I believe we have a responsibility to leave our community better off for future generations. We have challenges with aging infrastructure, increased population and housing shortages. I want to work together with our community to come together for solutions on these issues.

What will be the solution to zoning for agritourism?

We need everyone to have a common understanding of what agritourism looks like in our Washington State Growth Management Act and County Code. Soil dependent activities are allowed currently on Ag-NRL lands. Events such as weddings don't meet the soil-dependent requirements for Agritourism.

Any construction or change of use of a building needs to follow the current building codes. These include critical areas review, flood plain review, fire code, road access permits, septic and food handling permits, fill and grade permit if gravel is hauled into the site. All these are required if you are building a house in Ag-NRL land. Just because you say you are a farmer doesn't allow you to not get the permits. Agriculture is allowed to farm the land without permits, but as soon as you decide to stop farming it and bring in gravel to build a parking lot, you need to get permits.

How will you work with the county's cities to increase their municipal housing density?

The growth management steering committee, which is made up of three county commissioners and the mayors, are responsible for making population allocations to each city and the rural part of the county. Each jurisdiction decides what they can accept as we all plan for the next 20 years. The Growth Management act has a goal of 80% of the new population going to cities and their urban growth areas. The planning commissions of each of the cities and county have public hearings to come to a local plan on where that population could live. The county can't force the cities to increase housing density. We can point out the consequences if the county has to take more population in our rural areas..

How will you increase climate resiliency with county initiatives?

Skagit County is starting to work with our local tribes, Dike and Drainage Districts and local cities and towns on an Integrated Plan. We know the climate has changed, we know our dikes and levies may not be strong enough for all the changes that may come. The dikes and levies are owned and maintained by junior taxing districts that can levy property taxes to property owners in their districts. Decisions will need to be made on what areas are reinforced or elevated and what areas will be abandoned. We have a lot of infrastructure, homes, schools, roads and farmland that will be affected.

What will your advocacy be for a countywide library system with your fellow commissioners?

The county commissioners can vote to put on the ballot for the citizens to decide if they want a countywide library system paid for by a property tax. We voted to have the Sedro-Woolley Rural-Partial-County system on the ballot in 2012. A petition of 10% of the voters in the district, turned into the County Auditor starts the process.