Now that San Juan County has two brand new county council members, we at the Journal thought it’d be nice to introduce island residents to the people who will be representing them. Up first is Christine Minney, who was elected to represent San Juan County District 1.
J: Please tell me a bit about your family. (And pets!)
CM: I have been married for 11 years to my husband, Patrick and I have 2 grown children, Sam is 23 and Dakota is 20 years old and both live on San Juan Island. I have two of the best ever Yorkies named Max and Ruby as well as two cats, Savage and Sulley. Sulley has three legs and one fantastic story!
J: How long have you lived on the island? What brought you here? Where did you live before?
CM: I moved to San Juan Island in 1996 and have been here on the verge of 25 years. Does that make a local yet?
Prior to moving to SJI, I spent the majority of my adolescence living in Kingston and going to school in Poulsbo. I’ve spent my life riding ferries!
J: What do you like to do in your free time?
CM: I have a small obsession with all things soft as well as sharp! I love the fiber arts and crochet, knit, felt, sew, and quilt. One of my favorite places to be is in the fiber arts barn of the San Juan County Fair. I also have a stained glass studio in my home and love the colors, textures and various combinations that I can create in glass pieces. I also have a greenhouse that I revere and a garden that I love.
J: What are your hopes and dreams for San Juan County?
CM: I want to live in a place that nurtures and provides for young families, and seniors alike. Invested in sustainability in a way that protects our residents when vulnerable situations arise. Finding a path to better policy to protect our environment while allowing for human enjoyment and creating space for the varied approaches, ideas and opinions that do exist here.
J: What are your hopes and dreams for yourself?
CM: I have already walked into many of the hopes and dreams I’ve had for myself along the way in this thing called life. I am certainly still hoping and dreaming though. I want to be successful in my new role, yet humble. I hope to be of service in ways that foster mutual appreciation and respect and I want to remain proficient at relationship building in my new position on Council.
J: Tell me about some of your favorite things (Animal, movie, book, musician/band, artist, etc.)
CM: I love audiobooks of many genres! Being able to “read” as much as I do while accomplishing daily chores, gardening, knitting or sitting on a ferry is fantastic. I most recently finished Michelle Obama’s Becoming and I am currently into a Brene Brown book called Dare to lead. I have been digging into YouTube videos on minimalism and I love listening to Van Morrison on Pandora.
J: What else would you like to share with the community?
CM: Thank you to this community that allowed me in years ago and has supported and nurtured the path to who I am today. We are all individually responsible for ourselves certainly but I feel the spirit of people also making it their responsibility to be of service to others is alive and well here and for that we are so fortunate.
“Do one thing every day that scares you,” Eleanor Roosevelt.
