When considering the people I want to support in the role of County Council Person here in the islands, some of the attributes I look for are:

Strong familiarity with the area: some long-term acquaintance, friendship and understanding of the families who call our county home.

Awareness of the collective memories of the long-established families here: personal history with the area.

Knowledge of: current issues and challenges our community faces, local regulatory systems, how the local regulatory systems have proven positive or negative.

Also: an ability to listen well without a vulnerability to peer pressure from county personnel and a willingness and commitment to reading the material and a background in law would be a bonus.

I attended a candidate forum just before the primary and I was especially impressed by two of the candidates.

Those two are: Stephanie O’Day from San Juan Island and Justin Paulsen from Orcas.

I have to say … Stephanie stood out for me in all the ways I’ve just described. This is a rare opportunity to have an amazingly qualified person in this role.

Justin appears to be a problem-solver with business ownership and management skills that are impressive.

Please consider Stephanie and Justin for County Council.

Deborah Strasser

San Juan Island