David Sullivan

After serving four terms as a Jefferson County Commissioner, David Sullivan announced last week he will not seek reelection to his position serving District 2.

Democrat Lorna Smith, who has served as an appointed planning commissioner in Jefferson County, announced Feb. 13 she will run for the District 2 seat, which represents the Tri-Area and communities just south of Port Townsend.

Sullivan, who was first elected in 2004, said he decided not to run again because the county is in good shape right now and because it’s time to let someone else have a chance.

“We’ve got probably the best team working together that we’ve ever had,” he said. “I feel really confident about stepping aside for someone new to learn the job.”

Being an elected commissioner throughout the Great Recession had a large effect on Sullivan’s work serving the public, he said.

“There’s growth times and then there are times when you’re just trying to keep what you’ve got together,” he said. “A lot of my work has been stabilizing the county government. It’s been in a good place since the recession.”

Some of his biggest successes he credits to a team effort, like working with the PUD on the Beckett Point wastewater project, or with the Conservation Futures Program to preserve farmland in the Tri-Area.

“I feel really good about getting the Tri-Area sewer project shovel-ready,” he said.

Installing a sewer in the Tri-Area urban growth area has been a project Sullivan championed throughout his time as commissioner. Now, with a group of invested property owners and new, cheaper technology, the county is getting its funding lined up for finally breaking ground on the project.

Sullivan has worked with fellow commissioners in the past few years to update the county’s comprehensive plan and Critical Areas Ordinance to protect farmland, forestland and rural Jefferson County, while also allowing for growth.

It isn’t often that you see clean enough waters to harvest shellfish in a designated urban growth area, he said.

“We have a situation in Port Hadlock where we’ve prevented sprawl,” he said. “We’ve protected that area, and now we’re ready for growth.”

Moving on from his position as commissioner, Sullivan said he hopes to spend more time with his four granddaughters and do some traveling with his wife.

What he will miss the most about the job is working with his fellow commissioners and the team of county employees.

“I’ve been really fortunate to work with some really good people,” he said.

Over the years, with different commissioners coming in and out of service, Sullivan said he has seen the commission grow stronger and more collaborative.

“It’s a much more collaborative process than it used to be, and my fellow commissioners, from Phil Johnson, John Austin, Kathleen Kler and now Kate Dean and Greg Brotherton, have been a big part of that,” he said. “We never do anything alone. It’s a shared legacy.”

LORNA SMITH RUNNING

Lorna Smith said her decision to run for commiss-ioner in Sullivan’s place is rooted in her love for the county and her experience working as a planning commissioner.

Smith and her husband, Darrell, have lived in Cape George since 2012.

Smith is well-known for spearheading a multi-year effort to establish a National Wildlife Refuge on Protection Island with Eleanor Stopps.

She has also been a District 2 Planning Commissioner for the past six years. On the planning commission, she has worked on revision of the county’s comprehensive plan, critical areas ordinance and drafting of new shooting range ordinances. Smith is a long-time member of the Conservation Futures Citizen Oversight Committee and is currently vice-chair of the Olympic Forest Coalition.

Smith has been the executive director of the non-profit “Western Wildlife Outreach” organization since 2012. Before moving to Jefferson County, she worked as a land use and environmental planner for Snohomish County.

“Lorna has over 25 years in county government management, she has devoted her life to environmental protections, her family history runs deep in the Salish Sea,” said Jean Ball, a Jefferson County citizen who is supporting Smith. “I have found her to be reasonable, deeply experienced, competent to manage difficult situations, well-informed and committed to the residents of our county and the environment.”

Smith’s family history has deep roots in Puget Sound. Her grandparents were lighthouse keepers who arrived in Jefferson County in 1903.

“I have an emotional connection to this area,” Smith said. “It’s where my heart and soul is. That’s what is driving me to run, my love for this place.”

But Smith also has hopes for the future of the county’s economic development.

“There is a network of services we have to provide that will support working families here,” she said. “The infrastructure really is key.”

Smith said she hopes the board of county commissioners can bring together partnerships and advocate for state and federal funding to help push the sewer project forward, while also working on bringing high-speed internet to more areas in the county, as well as improving routes and ridership on public transportation.

Not only that, Smith hopes to bring the climate crisis to the foreground of the commissioners’ agenda.

“The biggest issue not just facing Jefferson County, because I like to think globally and act locally, is a response to the climate crisis,” she said. “We’re going to have to have a vigorous response to climate change. That is an issue that needs to be quickly put on the front burner.”

Candidates can file anytime between May 11-15 in person at the Jefferson County Courthouse, by mail or online. More information can be found at co.jefferson.wa.us/elections.