Oak Harbor residents shouldn’t be surprised to see Island County Commissioner Kelly Emerson pushing a cart through Safeway, browsing for socks at Walmart or walking her little dogs around Fort Nugent Park.

Emerson has moved in.

The Tea Party Republican commissioner famously lives on Camano Island with her husband, Ken, on acreage that may or may not contain a critical-area stream. But this summer the couple purchased a second home on Fort Nugent Street in Oak Harbor and she now lives there about half the time.

The main purpose of buying the house, Emerson said, was to make it easier to do her job.

“I am currently the Republican representative for the county. Folks from all over the county reach out to me,” she said. “It’s made it a lot easier to make more events and meet more people.”

Plus, she said it’s saved a lot of wear and tear on her car because she doesn’t have to drive between Camano Island and Coupeville four or five days a week, as former commissioners from Camano have.

Emerson is not even the first Island County commissioner to purchase a second house to better serve constituents on another island. Former Commissioner Bill Byrd, a North Whidbey resident, bought a house on Sunset Boulevard on Camano Island.

Oak Harbor City Councilman Jim Campbell, Byrd’s former campaign manager, explained that Byrd was in the process of fixing the house up when he lost the election to Camano Island resident John Dean. He said Byrd has since moved to California.

Like Byrd, Emerson is the District 3 commissioner, which means she represents a divided district that encompasses both Camano Island and a large portion of North Whidbey, separated by Saratoga Passage. But unlike Byrd, her second home isn’t in her district, but intrudes into Commissioner Angie Homola’s District 2.

While Byrd was the exception, the District 3 commissioner has traditionally been from Camano, causing North Whidbey residents to occasionally complain about a lack of representation.

Emerson aims to change that. She acknowledged that the atmospheres on the two islands are pretty distinct. She said Camano is more laid-back, with a population dominated by retirees and commuters who value peace and quiet.

“Whidbey has a lot more happening, especially on the north end,” she said.

Emerson characterized her little rambler as a “fixer-upper” — it’s getting a new roof soon — but it sits on an acre, which is great for her little dogs. She said everyone she talks to seems to be familiar with the house.

“I think every family in Oak Harbor has lived in this house at one time or another,” she said.

Emerson originally had planned to use the office in the home to meet with citizens, but she said that hasn’t worked out very well so far. One of the problems, she said, is she can’t get the dogs to stop barking when people are over.

Nevertheless, she hopes to start meeting with citizens on an appointment basis, which may mean bark collars for the pooches. This being Whidbey, somebody will probably complain that she’s limiting their freedom of speech.