Brent Alfred Butler has been named director of the Department of Community Development for Jefferson County. 

County officials said Butler will focus on making the department more customer-oriented and responsive.

A Port Townsend resident, Butler previously worked for Jefferson County as a lead long-range planner, and has been involved in government and other organizations with a focus on housing and economic development in city and county governments in Idaho, California, and Washington state. 

He also helped found the Homeward Bound Community Land Trust. Butler was previously a member of the Critical Areas Advisory Committee, and helped develop the Critical Areas Ordinance.

Additionally, Butler was a long-range planning lead with Port Townsend, and successfully ran for a position on the Port Townsend City Council.
A certified planner who managed planning and housing for municipalities in Washington and California, his most recent position was policy lead of the World Health Organization’s Age Friendly Communities program in Seattle, in which he identified the activities of daily living that older adults can no longer perform for themselves or pay for because of their income. 

Rather than commuting to Seattle, Butler said he was happy to be working on this side of the bridge.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be really great,” he said. “Now my commute is 14-minute walk to work, maybe 15 minutes.”

Initially Butler will focus on getting to know his department’s team, understanding what their needs are to be more efficient and effective, and how the Department of Community Development can deliver client-centered services while recognizing that the health and well-being of employees are critical in the effort.

“There’s a need for us to understand what the community’s concerns are and to see if there is a way that we can address them within what the law allows,” Butler said. 

“My goal would be to have some actionable changes after six months,” he added. “I feel that you really need to sit back and for the first six months not make any changes, and just observe and understand what’s going on.”

Butler earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Williams College in Massachusetts, a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington and a master of design studies from Harvard University.