Whoops, hollers and loud clapping from around 140 people filled the cavernous Kitsap County commissioners chamber in Port Orchard as Edward Wolfe was sworn in as commissioner for district 3 Wednesday morning.

Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Sally Olsen swore Wolfe in. After she was finished, someone rushed up to Wolfe as he stood at the podium and put a ball cap on his head that read “Commissioner Ed Wolfe.”

Wolfe took the hat off saying he’d wear it later.

“It’s obviously a special day for me and for my family,” Wolfe told the crowd as he thanked supporters. He acknowledged fellow commissioners Robert Gelder and Charlotte Garrido who were in attendance.

“I’m certainly looking forward to working with the two of you and the team that I think we’ll be,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe defeated outgoing District 3 Commissioner Linda Streissguth in this month’s election with 50.7 percent of the vote. Streissguth had 49.1 percent.

Wolfe said there were three reasons he moved to the area from Seattle 17 years ago: the sense of community, quality of life and the natural environment.

“What do I mean by natural environment? I mean the 200-plus miles of shoreline that we use regularly. I mean the Olympics, hiking in the Olympics. That’s our lifestyle. One of the principle reasons we moved here was because of that environment.”

“Whenever I make a decision with my colleagues, all those factors are going to be in my head: the quality of life, the sense of community and the environment. Whatever decision I’m involved in on behalf of the county and the citizens, all of those areas will be on the top of my brain and I feel that with all of my heart,” Wolfe said.

“I’m energized. I’m ready to get on with the county business. I understand I’m starting pretty soon.”