Greg Brotherton

The workload for a county commissioner can be demanding. How many hours per week do you plan to devote to your job as county commissioner?

From experience, I can tell you that really leaning into this job can take all the time you will give it. I currently spend around 50 hours per week spread over all seven days on direct duties, readings, and research. I spend much of my free time on extra credit like volunteering to make PSA videos for Public Works, Public Health, Community Development, and COVID communications. I work with nonprofits and members of the community in District 3 and around Jefferson County.

Reading for pleasure, I gravitate toward research on managing systems and social sciences. I work to educate myself on bias, both institutional and personal. I live this job, and it follows you everywhere in the county. That can be hard for my family, sometimes, but I don’t stop thinking about these issues so don’t mind chatting about housing at the grocery store.

What has been the county’s greatest accomplishment in the past two years?

The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest tragedy of our lifetime. It has been a generational event and has driven many localities into divisive conflict. 

In Jefferson County, we have done better. As the chair of the Board of County Commissioners when COVID-19 hit our shores, I have done my part to lead this county on an even keel and with a positive attitude. We have focused on communication and a data-driven, public health approach, and we have kept our vulnerable population safe. 73% of our population is boosted, which is the highest in the state. Our fatality rate is about half that of Washington which itself is about half the national average. 

We continue to have weekly public updates from our Health Officer on KPTZ. Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management worked effectively to manage contact tracing, mass vaccination clinics, and partner coordination, despite a very small staff.

What has been the county’s biggest mistake in the past two years?

In the middle of our building boom, DCD started to receive applications to build old plats at urban level densities in the rural landscape without public input, utilizing a loophole in our code. The need for a moratorium on development of these old plats was clear.  

The mistake was how we implemented the ordinance.  On October 4th, 2020 we passed an ordinance instituting an emergency moratorium on any land use application with a legal lot of record before 1971. The unintended consequences on people’s ability to build were massive. We pivoted appropriately and had two more public hearings to hone the moratorium down to a minimum of collateral damage while we worked on the code.

Despite being an emergency, we should have published the potential ordinance and made sure we could receive informed public input. Our code is stronger when the public has an opportunity and tools to contribute. 

A follow-up to the previous question: How would you have done things differently?

I think that we responded appropriately by staying with the ordinance until we had it edited appropriately. I would have liked more time to review prior to making the initial decision, but the mistake that still gnaws at my insides is my own initial lack of inquiry into the issue.

This is complicated stuff and we process an amazing breadth and depth of information every week, but that is no excuse. Our responsibilities require an extra level of diligence, and I’ve learned that lesson. I do that work. When we get something wrong, I make sure we correct it. 

Describe your leadership style.

Action, compassion and teamwork.

Whether it is the lens of inquiry and equity and I bring to the many meetings that we use to steer this county, the PSA videos I make for the county in my spare time, or working through issues with Jefferson County residents where they are impacted, I am very active.

I demonstrate my compassion in my commitment to universal basic services, like our free fares on Jefferson Transit that I pushed for. Housing First comes from a compassionate place, but is grounded in best practices that are proven to lead to the best social outcomes.  

The teamwork I have helped develop in the county and with our partners is stronger than ever.  From the multi-agency response to COVID-19, to developing collaboration with our municipal peers and non-profits, we have leveraged an unprecedented amount of state and federal money back into our county infrastructure and housing continuum. 

Who inspires you?

I think about systems a lot, and the cogs in the machine inspire me. Even a small county like ours has a huge number of interrelated systems, and I am so proud of front line staff and volunteers at the Public Works, JeffCom, Public Health, Emergency Management, public desks across the county, law enforcement, fire, school districts, Jefferson Healthcare, nonprofits, restaurants and retailers.  The front line is everywhere.

We responded to COVID as a community and the front line workers are where the rubber met the road. We have continued services throughout an unprecedented pandemic because our front line came to work in uncertain times, chin up. To all those on the front line who kept us going and kept us safe, thank you.

Who has been your greatest mentor in life? How so?

I would say my father has been my greatest mentor. He’s certainly put in the time, and I still learn from him. I would say my biggest lesson from him is in terms of equity on a personal level. This is the lesson I’ve learned from him, that I try to live by:

If he sees someone who needs help, and he can, he does.  

Whether that is stopping to help someone on the side of the road, serving on the Kent City council, or the numerous non-profits he helps with, he is happy to lend a hand. We need more of that.

He’s a lawyer, now, too and if I have someone who really needs help, I connect them. He tries to help. He’s my own personal A-Team.

What do you imagine will be the county’s most difficult issue to resolve over the next four years?

It has to be affordable housing. Places with high housing costs have the most homelessness. That certainly adds up. Addiction and mental health can be factors, but the fact is that working people can't afford housing here. We have made progress with shelter. Now we need to create permanent housing.

What we can do is help fund and support creation of affordable housing that is often grant funded, like the 43 unit 7th Haven with occupancy in early 2023. We can set the table with appropriate infrastructure, like the $30 Million we have for the Port Hadlock Sewer and the $500,000 we have given Habitat for Humanity to develop 120 units of permanently affordable workforce housing in that Phase 1 Sewer area.  We can continue our work at regulatory reform to create stock plans and incentives to encourage long term rentals, and discourage short term rentals.

We’re all human, and people make mistakes. Please describe a failure you have experienced in your life, and what you learned from that experience.

During the state eviction moratorium, when we had an unsanctioned encampment at the fairgrounds, I met weekly with stakeholders, including neighbors and campers to address issues and work out a plan. I promised the stakeholders that I would find a place to move the campers before the end of the moratorium.

After a lot of work, I found what I thought was our best option and took it to my seatmates. But they weren’t convinced. I had committed myself so deeply to the solution that it was difficult to accept a different path.

But I apologized, pivoted and kept working until we could come up with a solution, as the moratorium ended. I kept my promise. We got most everyone into an innovative outdoor shelter that continues to improve, Caswell-Brown Village.

I’ve learned to keep my peers and stakeholders informed, and I don’t promise what I can’t deliver. 

If you could instantly change one thing about the way the county operates, what would it be?

I have already unsuccessfully been arguing that we should start permitting outhouses, or pit privies (including writing and performing a "Paint It Black" parody).  

Pit privies are the most common waste disposal system in the world today, are culturally relevant, and are a low water, extremely low-cost alternative to septic systems. Developing a careful plan to upgrade and permit existing pit toilet systems in the county would allow many households to come into compliance and enter the regulatory framework; new guidelines would also offer a safe, sanitary, and affordable waste handling system - in appropriate soils and sites - lowering the barriers to building in rural Jefferson County.

No one wants to contaminate an aquifer with an outhouse. Let’s keep them safe. As we face a housing crisis, being able to develop rural land with a pit privy looks like an Appropriate Technology to me.

Jon Cooke

The workload for a county commissioner can be demanding. How many hours per week do you plan to devote to your job as county commissioner?

Current commissioners spend most of the day on Monday in their weekly meeting.  Other than that, they attend meetings of the other boards that they advise.  Their wage currently exceeds $90,000 per year. Since that far outpaces the average wage in the county, I feel any commissioner should have a 40-hour work week each week. I would work 40 hours per week when elected. As an elected representative, I need to be available to the people of District 3.

What has been the county’s greatest accomplishment in the past two years?

I feel the advancements toward the Port Hadlock sewer is the most important development for our county. The sewer system would open retail expansions and boost the housing deficit we are experiencing currently. It has been a long process getting as far as we have come, but there is still work to be done to complete the process.

What has been the county’s biggest mistake in the past two years?

The biggest mistake would undoubtably be the fairgrounds fiasco. The current commissioners came up with this idea to open our fairgrounds to a population of people who are in need, but there was no accountability for lawlessness. The fairgrounds turned into routine calls for law enforcement and the officers became social workers for the influx of homeless people. I had friends, who live in that area, that were harassed by mentally challenged people from that homeless camp.  The solution to that problem has been to spend more money purchasing land to expand the problem. When asked why our county would get so involved in the homeless crisis, Glenn Morgan (We the Governed) said, “For the cash. They are grifting off the grants that they get.” Basically, Jefferson County or OlyCAP apply for grants, the county skims its’ “administrative fee” and the rest goes to a non-profit to manage the situation.

A follow-up to the previous question: How would you have done things differently?

If Jefferson County did get involved in the homeless crisis, I would have said we need to house our single parents first, the homeless people in our community secondly and then open it up to other people. The camp would need to be a dry camp with no illegal drug use allowed. Counseling for alcohol and drug addiction would be available to those in need and counseling for transition out of homelessness would be a priority.

Describe your leadership style.

As a great listener, I look for opportunities to enable people to do their job better. In turn, those people will enable their employees to serve the county residents. A leader must get people to “buy in” to their plan. The elected people and managers need to come together to provide services to our residents.  I feel that as a representative of the people of District 3, I would need to listen to their concerns and find common sense solutions.

Who inspires you?

There are many aspects to all our lives, so many people that I meet can inspire me in  many different ways. When I was in college, I was inspired by the Oregon State University Head Wrestling Coach, Dale Thomas, and his Assistant Coach, Greg Strobel. I went from an average high school wrestler to an athlete they offered a partial scholarship. That inspiration took me to over 30 years of coaching wrestling at the high school and middle school level. When considering all aspects of my life the wisdom, compassion, and righteousness, that most inspires me would have to be that of Jesus of Nazareth.

Who has been your greatest mentor in life? How so?

The greatest mentor in my life would have to be my father. He raised three boys and one girl to be great people. My father was a real cowboy, boots, hat and all.  He never acted like someone he was not. He mentored us by example. He worked as a road maintenance foreman for eight hours a day and then came home and put in another four hours on our ranch.  We were expected to do the same after we got home from school. My work ethic, enjoyment of life, and leadership style came from his example.

What do you imagine will be the county’s most difficult issue to resolve over the next four years?

I believe that all the money floating around with federal funds and state funds during the pandemic will end. I think the biggest issue will be when the county must cut back on all the extra spending it has been doing. An example is the Auditor’s Office, as commissioner I have no control over their operations, but the funding comes through the commissioner’s budgeting process. The Auditor’s Office has expanded from the courthouse office to an extra office annex in town with an additional five people there. When that federal money ends, there will be some belt-tightening necessary. They will have to decide how to budget, but that day is coming for all the county offices.

We’re all human, and people make mistakes. Please describe a failure you have experienced in your life, and what you learned from that experience.

When I was a freshman in high school one of my brothers and I were shooting a .22. My brother accidentally touched an electric fence with the rifle. He got shocked and dropped the gun and it shot me in the head. I fully recovered, after a month-long stay in a Eugene hospital. Many years later my brother was diagnosed with cancer. He was not doing well, and the family was visiting him in the hospital. My brother said that I never forgave him for dropping the gun.  I said, “Robert, it was an accident. I never blamed you for it.” Somehow, I had communicated to him that I blamed him for the accident. At this point in his life and mine, I found out how important communication is in life. As a new member of the Quilcene School Board, I have seen how important communication is, as it has been lacking in the district. Now the hard part of repairing lost trust will begin.

If you could instantly change one thing about the way the county operates, what would it be?

I would work to change the attitude of the leadership of the county administration. It seems to me, as an employee of the county, the administration is more active in maintaining their popularity and being re-elected than serving the employees and their constituents. It is a matter of leadership to enable the employees to serve the people of the county and go beyond programs that treat surface problems. Everyone should be treated with respect. There seems to be a definite gap between service to people of the city and citizens out in the county. I believe Port Townsend should remain that special city that it is, but as a long-time resident of District 3 – not just “the area” - my wife and I have acclimated to the rural area we love. We should receive the same respect as the north county.

Marcia Kelbon

The workload for a county commissioner can be demanding. How many hours per week do you plan to devote to your job as county commissioner?

For most of my career, I have worked positions that required 50-60 hours/week, and I do not expect the commissioner position to be significantly different than that. This of course includes attendance at the full variety of official meetings, but also independent research and preparation on issues and community engagement. Regular engagement with both groups and individuals is required, as well as participation in local events; fortunately, these are events that I would be doing regardless of my official role. I commit to being open and listening to people but also being honest as to my thoughts on topics.

What has been the county’s greatest accomplishment in the past two years?

First, I am grateful that we did not fully follow Port Townsend’s lead in defunding and hamstringing our law enforcement personnel. The Sheriff’s department has earned and deserves full funding and support. Second, after over twenty years of delay, we finally have most of the funding required for a Hadlock sewer system. I say most because when I last met with Public Works we were still between $2M-8M short, and I expect construction costs are only rising. The sewer system is badly needed to enable both residential and business growth, and we need to complete it and move on to connecting “downtown” Brinnon to the State Park sewer system and designing and funding a community system for ”downtown” Quilcene.

What has been the county’s biggest mistake in the past two years?

I expect that few will dispute that the County has a severe housing emergency. While the County has been spending on homeless encampments and subsidized housing, it has done little to enable reasonably-priced housing for those seeking to house themselves without subsidies. Our commissioners put in place a year-long moratorium on the construction of houses on pre-1972 platted lots instead of just resolving a specific proposed development. Annual review and potential amendment of our comprehensive plan were frozen other than for potential variances for affordable housing. Regulatory and policy barriers to building ever-increase. And those are not all state-driven, or we would not find so many of our workers commuting from neighboring Kitsap and Clallam counties. We simply must find a way to enable the building of starter, rental, and multi-family housing while still protecting our environment and rural culture.

A follow-up to the previous question: How would you have done things differently?

As imperfect as it is, we must finally breathe life into the framework of our comprehensive plan, including the building of homes at all levels of affordability, enabling a robust economy, and building within both our urban growth centers and also at our historic village centers and crossroads. We need to review and amend our comprehensive plan, under the annual and/or emergency review processes, to create smaller, buildable lots at our historic village centers and crossroads. We should do all we can to permit rental, multifamily, and starter homes. We should revise local ordinance that requires non-failed septic systems with sufficient capacity to be upgraded whenever a residential structure is replaced, expanded, or added, which makes the replacement of aging mobiles and the addition of ADUs impractical. We need pre-approved, engineered septic plans for given house sizes and soil types, and a trusted builder program to cut permit fees.

Describe your leadership style.

I have been fortunate to work with many brilliant people during my career. Many had MDs, PhDs, and JDs. Many did not. In my former company, Omeros, where I was an executive and general counsel for 19 years, we were all on a first-name basis, a practice I hope to implement at the county. Your title and degrees should give you no assumption that you know best. That is reflected in my management style, to welcome and respect input from all sources. And to recognize that the role played by folks at all levels are equally valued. I tend to be calm in emergencies and slow to anger. I find humor to help all day-to-day activities. I will push to roll back the extra salary increase that the commissioners awarded their positions in December, and to ensure that we fairly compensate those at the lowest positions in the county.

Who inspires you?

I am always inspired to meet young people in the county, particularly those under the age of forty who are managing against all odds to live and work here. Some are working three jobs and couch-surfing or living in an RV in someone’s backyard. It used to be that such a work ethic would ensure success, but not here. We need to fix that. We must enable a greater supply of reasonably-priced housing. And we must undertake true economic development, to create jobs that actually pay a local living wage. Examples are light manufacturing and technology jobs that are light on our environment. I have an extensive background working with start-up businesses of all types and want to utilize that to help our community. The attitude of “I have what I need so I don’t care about who comes next” is killing our community, both young and old.

Who has been your greatest mentor in life? How so?

While I have been blessed by many mentors, the most important was my father. He never finished high school, dropping out to support his family after my grandfather was impacted by WWI. Yet my father read voraciously at night, working his way up to manage an engineering department at a company that made presses and freeze dryers. I am proud to have later used that very equipment in developing life-saving pharmaceuticals. My father was honest to a tee, and could not sell a car without telling the buyer everything that might possibly be wrong with it. He taught me to value hard work, to live with honesty and integrity, to be self-reliant, and to care for those who were unable through no fault of their own to do so themselves. I continually strive to live up to his standards.

What do you imagine will be the county’s most difficult issue to resolve over the next four years?

We have had a surplus of funds from ARPA and CARES and record excise tax revenues from greatly appreciated real estate sales. While we likely have an influx of federal infrastructure funding, I expect the county’s financial resources will dip. In prioritizing spending, we must take care of our core functions first – public safety including law enforcement and EMS, disaster planning, roads, and infrastructure. And we need to avoid tax increases – people are already feeling the financial squeeze. To do this we must work in partnership with private developers and businesses, to let them start addressing our housing shortage and create true living-wage jobs. We should grow our tax base, not our tax burden. And we should start screening and treating the unsheltered who are often addicted or mentally ill, instead of warehousing them in encampments that do not move them forward in life but impact our community.

We’re all human, and people make mistakes. Please describe a failure you have experienced in your life, and what you learned from that experience.

I trust myself and my capabilities. Early in my legal career as a patent lawyer, I tried to do everything. The result was that things slowed down as my practice grew, and I lost a couple of clients that I really valued. It was a lesson in recognizing that there are many competent people in the world, even if they do things differently. And I learned through this to delegate where appropriate, not to micro-manage, and to let people work up to their ability. When asked to rise to the challenge, it is gratifying to see how many successfully do so.

If you could instantly change one thing about the way the county operates, what would it be?

Simply put – get out of the way. Consider local regulations and policies, particularly concerning development. Are they really needed to avoid harm to others or our environment? If not, let people make their way forward in life without making their way more difficult or costly. We must protect our environment and rural culture – that is why we all live here. But we have gone overboard the last thirty years or so and are now living the consequences of that. Working-age people who did not have the luck to buy a place ten years ago find it very difficult to live here. Retirees find it increasingly difficult to find contractors, healthcare providers, and others needed to take care of themselves and their properties. And those on fixed incomes are at risk of being taxed from their homes. It will not happen overnight, but a series of small course corrections are needed.