Priorities

Thurston County is much more than the seat of state government. The port can bring together public and private sector partners to bring near and long-term community development benefits to Thurston County.

Bolstering Economic Development

The Port of Olympia is the only local government with the mission of creating economic opportunity throughout Thurston County. I’ll work to connect the Port with strong educational institutions and industrial partners to foster innovation, cultivate the skilled workforce of tomorrow, and recruit living wage jobs. I’ll work to connect small businesses and downtowns with amenities built on or leveraged by the port’s substantial real estate holdings. And I’ll work to connect farms and ranches to broadband.

Protecting Our Environment

A healthy ecosystem works for us all. The Port can be a leader in decarbonizing its own operations and electrifying its infrastructure at the airport and the marina. The Port must be a responsible partner in remediating past environmental contamination in Budd Bay. Together with local government and the state, we can restore the Deschutes Estuary in a way that supports wildlife and brings more recreational opportunity and income to our region.

Maintaining a Diverse, Inclusive Atmosphere

Infrastructure supports our communities and must be accountable to the community’s vision for its future. I will help restore public confidence and trust by ensuring the Port provides meaningful opportunity for public engagement and improves transparency in decision making. It will take strong collaboration with tribal governments, local governments, and business and civic partners to move our economy forward in a manner that brings opportunity to all of Thurston County. Let’s build community bridges together.

My position on the Marine Terminal, discussed in a recent article in the Olympian:

I'm running for Port of Olympia District 1 and writing to share my vision-- I support marine terminal operations and I believe change is necessary. The marine terminal and deep harbor are a critical public asset that can't be replicated in other parts of our county. The Port of Olympia needs to figure out how to maximize community benefit from our terminal, in terms of both keeping and growing living wage jobs and providing community access. My opponent is right, marketing is part of the answer. But what brand are we marketing? Olympia should partner with nearby ports, all of whom have taken steps to pivot to play a role in the clean energy transformation. Shipping ebbs and flows with supply and demand, but we can be confident that over the coming decades, energy and renewables-related demand will continue to strengthen. Instead of waiting for our ship to come in, we need to actively position our port to handle new non-containerized project and break bulk cargo such as offshore wind cables and anchors, battery components--maybe someday soon even new foil ferries that could someday serve passengers here in the Salish Sea. The combination of federal infrastructure dollars and new state Climate Commitment Act funding being deployed in all three state budgets means that there has never been a better time for "green marine" infrastructure development. If I'm elected, I'll work to adopt a green marine strategy that Thurston County can bank on.