As a past board member and president of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce I am pleased to support Jill Johnson and her efforts to serve as our next Island County commissioner.

Jill’s leadership has given the business community a voice in many of the decisions facing our community. She has worked hard fostering relationships of trust with local decision makers. I have seen her phone ring as various local leaders seek out her opinion and insight on issues facing our community.

Jill’s vision has helped the chamber grow from an organization that simply implemented festivals and parades to an organization of leaders who are engaged, informed and influential. She believes that the business community should be respected and have a voice in shaping our governing priorities.

In the midst of one of the worst economic downturns, Jill has been able to provide services that the community needs and expects from the chamber of commerce and she does it with enthusiasm and a positive spirit, focusing on the chamber’s core services and the essential needs of members.

The thing that I respect most about Jill is her ability to stand her ground when she needs to be unwavering and still recognize when something didn’t work out the way it was planned and accept accountability and quickly change course when an idea has gone wrong. She is not afraid to make mistakes, nor is she afraid to let you know when something failed. She takes ownership of the good and the bad, learns from it, and keeps moving, even when popular opinion is against her and the personal costs to her are high. Jill doesn’t put her own needs or ego ahead of doing what is right for those she represents. And that is why she is effective.

For those of us who know Jill, who have worked with her, who have watched her balance the interests of a variety of community stakeholders over the years and implement fair and productive solutions, we can attest that she is smart, loyal, hardworking, dedicated and results-oriented. The chamber’s loss will be Island County’s gain, and we will all be better for it.

Gloria Carothers
Oak Harbor