Ensuring a healthy climate for economic development with smart growth standards is a goal County Commissioner Linda Streissguth stressed Tuesday during her campaign kickoff for reelection in Silverdale Tuesday night.

Streissguth, a Democrat, is running for the position that she was appointed to in January. More than 80 people attended the event at the Silverdale Beach Hotel.

Streissguth said she wants to remain a commissioner so she can continue working on smart growth and healthy neighborhoods.

“I am committed to doing the hard work and doing my very best to engage all of you in the process,” she said. “We need to talk about — as a community — what things we value most here … those things that are important to our quality of life here in Kitsap. And we need to ask ourselves, ‘What are the things that keep us here, and what do we want for future generations?'”

Streissguth said, in her heart, she’s a planner. She thinks that planning for the future and being willing to work hard toward that vision “bears fruit in the long run.”

She noted that Kitsap County has been through some very difficult years during the recession. She said county commissioners and county staff have done an “amazing job adjusting to difficult times while still providing exceptional service to residents.”

She listed her priorities as a thriving local economy that is sustainable and diversified, supporting local businesses and creating opportunities for employment. Keeping vibrant neighborhoods, housing, transportation and recreation are other concerns.

Prior to being appointed to the commission, Streissguth was employed as a community manager for Puget Sound Energy. She has been a resident of Kitsap County since 1993 and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a certificate in management studies from City University in Bellevue.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer was on hand and introduced Streissguth. He said she’s a great community servant and deserved to be elected to the commission seat.

He described her with four Rs.

“Respected, responsive, ready and retain,” Kilmer said. “Those are the four Rs I’d use to describe her. And we do need to retain her in this office.”

The other county commissioners, Rob Gelder and Charlotte Garrido, both Democrats, were at the event. Also at the kickoff was Sheriff Steve Boyer and State Rep. Sherry Appleton.

Streissguth represents Central Kitsap County and took Josh Brown’s seat when he left office for another job in Seattle. She serves on the Harrison Medical Center board and is active in other community groups.

Her only opposition to date is Bremerton attorney Ed Wolfe who is running for the seat as a Republican.