In which I introduce myself

My friend Bob, an old political hand who has done hard time in Washington, D.C., suggested I write a 1-page speech introducing myself and explaining why I'm running for county commissioner.

I grew up in Central Washington: as a kid I remember shoe shopping at Mundy's; my family still farms north of Royal City. All my life I have worked hard to stay close to Central Washington, and in 1999 I had the opportunity to move here to teach at CWU. While I was at CWU I worked on real-world problems having to do with both education and agriculture. My work led directly to a multi-million dollar agricultural business on the other side of the Columbia. Of course, CWU is one of the most important employers -- and education and agriculture are two of the most important industries -- in Kittitas County, and I have an insider's respect and understanding for how both of them work.

About 4 years ago I left academics to start a biodiesel business with a colleague. It was the best thing I ever did, even though I haven't made much money at it. As a businessman, I learned more things, faster, than I ever had in any class in any school. I've been through the SEPA process. I've been through Department of Ecology permitting processes. Even better, I got in near the beginning of the latest surge of interest in renewable energy. We did some things I'm proud of: my company supplied the biodiesel for the Microsoft server farm in Quincy, for example, giving me a first-hand look at the kind of economic development that is happening just across the Columbia.

After a couple of years I started to miss academia, a little, so I started a renewable energy think tank, the Cascadia Carbon Institute, doing consulting projects at the state- and international level. Most recently I chaired the committee that organized the Renewable Energy Roundup and Art Show, a uniquely Kittitas County event that I expect to grow next year. We planned the Roundup specifically in response to the Economic Development Group's Development Plan and leadership, and we were extremely happy with the result.

At the regional level, I have been working with the Port of Chelan County and the Commerce Department on a project to install electric vehicle charging stations along I-90 through Kittitas County to Wenatchee and back. I think it's fair to say that I have a good understanding of existing and emerging forms of renewable energy and energy issues in general.

These are some of the key issues in Kittitas County: CWU, agriculture, economic development, responding to state regulations, and renewable energy, and I have solid experience in all of them.

There is one thing I don't have much background in, beyond dealing with DOE: land use issues. This is actually an advantage in this election. From my talks with people around the county, it's clear that there is an alarming amount of genuine anger and frustration about past land use actions and policies. I don't have any baggage in this department: no one is mad at me, and I'm not mad at anyone. We need someone without past hangups who can focus on doing what needs to be done, not on past problems.

As a businessman I learned the importance of branding, and Kittitas County's brand is in very poor shape right now. Our county's economy is in much worse shape than it should be, even with the national recession. We have water and land use challenges that didn't need to happen in the first place. Our county code is blocking sustainable economic development. The structure of our county government itself may be part of the problem.

I haven't run for elected office since I was ASB president for two years at Royal High School. I'm running now because our county needs someone with new ideas and broad experience and because I want to pitch in and help.

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