A state lawmaker and two Bainbridge City Councilmembers are among the candidates for Kitsap County commissioner.
Whoever wins out will take the place of Rob Gelder, who has moved on to Thurston County.
State Sen. Christine Rolfes is one of the 12 candidates, along with BI leaders Clarence Moriwaki and Joe Deets. Also in the running is well-known distance runner Greg Nance of BI, who is a leader in the nonprofit sector.
Candidates are scheduled to appear at forums May 5-6 with the top three finalists announced by the Kitsap County Democrats May 13.
The candidates
Tami Bowen: Of Hansville, she is president and owner of CB’s Nuts, a multimillion-dollar manufacturing business in North Kitsap. She graduated from college in 1994 with a focus on government. She was an intern in the U.S. Senate for two summers. She volunteers with Kingston High School boosters, North Kitsap Options School Program, community fundraisers and environmental cleanups.
Joe Deets: Bainbridge Island councilmember; serves on regionals committees for transportation, land use, ecosystem recovery and disaster preparedness; worked over 10 years in the solar industry. He also worked 10 years overseas as a government regulator, protecting small investors. He has degrees in finance from Montana, business administration from Seattle University and environment and community from Antioch University.
Brynn Felix: General counsel for Peninsula Community Health Services, directing all legal matters, and created a partnership connecting patients with health-harming legal needs to free counsel. She was a litigator and clerked for Justice Mary I. Yu at the state Supreme Court. Prior to that she was a teacher and worked to advance marriage equality, voting rights and criminal justice with the ACLU. She lives in Suquamish and volunteers in the tribe’s emergency management and community advisory council. She is also on the county’s housing task force and Community Resources board member.
Lou Krukar: He has lived in North Kitsap for 37 years, raised three children and is now involved with the education and recreation of his six grandchildren. He’s involved in politics, open space trail running and helping friends and neighbors. He says he would be honored to serve and would bring energy, management and communication skills to the position.
Steven Marchese: He would bring over 30 years of experience as a legal professional, city department director, former elected official and nonprofit board member to the position. He is director of the Seattle Office of Labor Standards and is a member of the mayor’s cabinet. He is a member of the board of directors of Columbia Legal Services and a licensed attorney. (Photo unavailable).
Clarence Moriwaki: A graduate in communications from the University of Washington, he has served on numerous civic and government boards and committees; he is a past president of the BI Japanese American Community and BIJA Exclusion Memorial. The BI chamber named him 2017 Citizen of the Year. A former Tukwila City Councilmember, he has held positions for President Clinton, Gov. Mike Lowry, Congressman Jay Inslee, Sound Transit and ACLU.
Greg Nance: He is CEO of Run Far Foundation, a nonprofit that builds after-school running clubs to help young people find purpose, have fun and stay healthy through community service. He ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans in a fundraiser for youth mental health. He previously founded Dyad Mentorship and Moneythink, organizations that helped students earn over $27 million in university scholarships. President Obama recognized Moneythink in 2012.
Michael Robinson: He works for the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, serving as mitigation, operations and GIS officer. He also serves as coordinator for the region for Homeland Security. He volunteers for community groups and supports local charities. He is fiscally conservative — stay within budget — but socially progressive in supporting the needs of all residents, the environment and wildlife.
Christine Rolfes: She is state senator for the 23rd District that runs from BI to part of Bremerton. She has been elected six times. She is chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and has helped guide the legislature to adopt four-year balanced budgets without a special session for five straight years, which had not been done since the 1800s. A former BI councilmember, she has worked for over two decades to protect open spaces salmon habitat; expand workforce training and childcare opportunities; and support the military, affordable housing and health care.
Melody Sky Weaver: A Poulsbo resident, she is Port Townsend’s public library director and has degrees from UW and Boise State in Library Information Services and Fine Arts in sculpture. In Boise, she was awarded an Idaho Woman Making History Award for her activist artwork highlighting social justice. She’s a graduate of Leadership Kitsap and in 2012 was one of the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for her work with community building. She ran for Poulsbo City Council in 2013, knocking on over 1,000 doors.
Danielle S Rueb (Castillejo): She attended graduate school at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. She was invited to The Allender Center, a Story Workshop, and master’s in counseling psychology. She completed levels one and two of the Certificate in Narrative Focused Trauma Care and is enrolled in the externship this coming year. She has found healing and restoration through therapy. As a healing practitioner, she plans to address things like internalized racism.
