Two dramatically different candidates are running for the Island County commissioners seat that represents Oak Harbor.

Incumbent Jill Johnson, a Republican, is seeking her fourth term representing District 2. She grew up in Oak Harbor, earned a communications and economics degree and has a long history of public involvement, from leading an effort to pass a bond measure to build the Wildcat Stadium to serving on the city planning commission for many years. She is the former director of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

Christina Elliott, a Democrat, is running for office for the first time. She moved to the area two years ago with her husband, who is an active duty member of the Navy. She is an experienced attorney who is knowledgeable about trademark law and a successful online personality who already created and sold an online legal technology business.

It might be a tight race. Elliott dominated in the primary election, although the Republican vote was split between two candidates. While Elliott is fluent in social media and has created a savvy online campaign, Johnson has name recognition but has struggled with politics in cyberspace.

Both women said that their backgrounds have prepared them for the job of commissioner.

“As a bootstrapped, small business owner, I learned how to build the best team possible and to put their needs first,” Elliott said. “I had to find ways to create a great work culture without paying them more, because sometimes I couldn’t afford to do that. Similarly, the county can’t always pay people more and more – we have to create a great internal culture from within and to incentivize the talent we hire to stay by more than just financial means.”

Elliott said that lifelong ties to Oak Harbor is not a necessary qualification for being a county commissioner. Like many Whidbey residents, she comes from a military family and has seen how other communities handle similar issues.

“In fact, I bring a lifelong perspective from living in many geographically dispersed locations, many of which were rural and faced similar challenges to Island County,” she said.

Johnson said that as a commissioner for 12 years, she has invested countless hours understanding the complexities and nuances of local issues.

“My background in journalism has instilled a natural curiosity,” she said. “I ask questions instinctively. I don’t assume I know the answer. I recognize there is a perspective or some limiting factor that I need to understand. I think that trait serves me well.”

Johnson said it’s important for elected officials to deeply understand their communities.

“This is my home county. Oak Harbor is my hometown,” she said. “This place raised me, so my connection and desire to serve runs deep.”

While Elliott has a strong progressive message and support from her party, Johnson admits to having grown less partisan during her years in government and hasn’t sought or received a lot of monetary support from her party.

Johnson said it’s easy for candidates to throw out “pipe dreams” but that she is focused on pragmatism in local government. She pointed out that county government is about providing on-the-ground services, and the commissioners’ job is to determine the level of service the community can and should receive.

“County government is implementation government,” she said. “Our job is to deliver services primarily based on state standards and get those services out the door with the revenue we have available.”

Among her accomplishments in office, Johnson said, is supporting public safety by nearly doubling the number of deputies in the sheriff’s office and bringing the first mental health stabilization center to Whidbey Island. She advocates for funding of mental health and chemical dependency funding on regional and statewide boards.

Elliott said she is committed to building a future in which families can afford to live in the county. She has described her own family’s struggles with finding a home to purchase on Whidbey.

“I want the next generation to be able to afford housing here and also continue to enjoy the natural landscape,” she said. “But in order to build that future, we need to work hard now to grow our supply of housing that is affordable for families, including those who rent, while also safeguarding the environment.”

Elliott pointed out that her endorsements “by pro-choice, pro-women and pro-workforce organizations speaks volumes more than I can convey in any given 60-second forum response, especially in light of my opponent’s lack of endorsements from such organizations.”

Early in her campaign, Elliott focused on some issues that were not directly related to county government, like education, health care and state transportation.

“It is normal to see a candidate’s policy positions refine as they campaign,” she said. “In fact, that’s a sign they’re listening to voters. The fact that I focused on state-level issues early on is a demonstration of the lack of connection constituents currently have to how Island County functions, and another reason I wish to improve county transparency with constituents.”

In addition, Elliott said as a county commissioner, she will be a strong advocate in Olympia and beyond for all issues that impact the county. As a member of a military family, she will have a strong working relationship with the Navy base. She also emphasized that she is a practicing attorney.

“That means for (nearly) 11 years now, I have honed my ability to see how things could go wrong, and my skills around how to mitigate those issues,” she said. “This is a skill the county needs in order to avoid costly lawsuits. I look forward to working as a peer with our legal team. This proactive, cooperative approach is what the county needs right now more than ever.”

Elliott