Climate & Environment

What I would work towards:

  • I support ongoing intergovernmental collaboration like the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC), and would work to fully implement the Thurston County Climate Mitigation Plan.

  • I would work with my fellow commissioners to take all lawful action to meet Thurston County’s key growth management goal of 95% of new housing in urban areas. This includes up-zoning to encourage the development of dense, walkable cities.

  • I support strengthening protections for Thurston County farmland and would work to increase use of sustainable agricultural practices, such as more organic farming and maintenance of stream buffers. I would also collaborate with local farmers and local environmental and farmland organizations to identify specific sections in the comprehensive plan where we need changes.

  • I oppose logging legacy forests. These forests are the lungs of our state - logging them not only increases pollution, but removes local options for carbon sequestration. I support the creation of a Washington State Ecological Reserve that will save 5 percent of forest lands from commercial and corporate harvest, including in our beautiful Capitol Forest.

  • I would use my role to advocate for public power. Our local electrical infrastructure is controlled by Puget Sound Energy, which gets a majority of its power from fossil fuels. Large corporations like PSE are focused on their bottom line, not decreasing costs or fossil fuel dependence. Public power means that our utilities are owned by the people, and we can decide how quickly to move away from fossil fuels. In the short term, our utilities, including electricity, should be controlled by the local Public Utility District (PUD).

  • I support the expansion of clean energy resources like wind and solar, and I oppose the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. These projects are a bad investment, they increase pollution locally and lock us into energy sources that are being phased out across the county and across the country.

  • I recognize the dignity in all labor, and believe we need a just transition for the fossil fuel workforce as we transition to renewable power and cleaner energy sources.

Affordable Housing & Supporting Our Unhoused Neighbors

What I would work towards:

  • A social housing program for Thurston County could collaborate with or expand upon the county-level Home Fund. This program is an opportunity to create development outside of the housing market, protecting residents against the predatory nature of the national housing market. The housing could also be co-owned or managed locally instead of run by a corporation that isn’t invested in our community. Housing is a human right, and a social housing program could help make that a reality.

  • I would support more conversations with our unhoused neighbors to identify what services they need and where those services are provided. This feedback is critical as we consider where to place shelters and permanent housing. By ensuring housing is developed near critical services like food, counseling, transportation, medical facilities, and general public services, we’re making it easier for our neighbors to get and stay housed.

  • I know that developing permanent housing projects will take time, but we need to get people housed now. I support an equivalent to the Scattered Sites project and expanding encampment support. By doing this we can rapidly develop transitional shelters and expanded support services while Home Fund projects are studied and developed.

  • I would support using impact fees to expand sidewalks, protected bicycle infrastructure, housing projects, and other enhancements to the fabric of our communities. Impact fees would allow us to fast track urgently needed shovel-ready projects.

  • I believe we can learn from other communities across the state. One example is Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) project, which either requires development of some low-income housing in new private developments (based on units per development) or requires developers pay into a fund used to develop low-cost housing. We could implement this in new mid-to-high density developments and use potential funds for social housing projects.

Public Safety & Police Accountability

What would I work towards:

  • I believe in community-based solutions, including establishing a Community Management Board in collaboration with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department.

  • I would explore models similar to the City of Olympia’s collaborative design process to increase transparency and accountability in the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department. We could model work off theirs involving the Social Justice and Equity Commission and select members of the Olympia Police Department.