Last week’s article about upcoming Mullis Center elections for District Committee seats reflected diverse perspectives and illuminates the confusion that exists about Senior Services in San Juan County. Perhaps this will help untangle things.

There is a body of distinctions that must be made about the different organizations and how the roles and responsibilities are titled. The upcoming election is for San Juan DISTRICT COMMITTEE (DC) and there are 15 positions open.

Once the election is complete, these Committee Members will be responsible for oversight of the Mullis Center. The DC will identify and recommend THREE members to serve a 1 year term on the BOARD of the Senior Services Council of San Juan County (SSCSJC) which is the 501(c)(3) corporation that is the official oversight for the three senior centers. Each District Committee (Lopez, Orcas, San Juan) has 3 reps.

Then there is Senior Services of San Juan County, the GOVERNMENTAL division that manages and staffs program managers at each senior Center. Barbara LaBrash is the Manager of this Human Services division and there are 5 employees delivering services on the islands https://www.sanjuanco.com/429/Senior-Services.

As complex as this seems, even greater is the need for knowledgeable, balanced and collaborative leadership who understand complex systems to be elected to provide stability, creativity and stewardship in service to our growing population of those over age 60, and our disabled islanders.

More info on the Mullis Center is at www.mulliscenter.org.

Gretchen Krampf

Mullis Center Communications and Organization Development consultant