My name is Brian Ehrmantraut, and I have lived on Orcas Island with my family for 25 years. I served as a San Juan County Planning Commissioner from 2006 to 2018, and I am currently an elected Fire Commissioner for Orcas Island Fire and Rescue. I am writing to endorse Justin Paulsen for County Council and ask for your vote in support.

I’ve known Justin since he arrived in 2003 to help OPAL build affordable homes and workplaces on Orcas. Over the years, I’ve seen his deep dedication to our community, especially his commitment to helping those with little voice or influence. His broad-based, effective and consistent work in our community helped him win the primaries on Orcas with the overwhelming support of the islanders who know him best.

Justin’s candidacy represents a rare opportunity for our County to move forward with island-scale solutions to island-scale problems. The County is presently engaged in the Comprehensive Plan Update, which includes a new Climate Element and Climate Action Plan. The new Comp Plan will also address affordable housing, transportation and economic issues. These are all pressing and growing problems for our community. We have a chance to not just adopt a business-as-usual off-the-shelf plan produced by non-island consultants, but to craft something truly meaningful for our community. Beyond that, we have a chance to be regional leaders on these issues, to show people what can be accomplished when we thoughtfully and kindly work together. I have confidence Justin can lead us through this process.

Justin’s proven ability to identify problems, gather opinions, data and support from all parties, and craft and deploy innovative, workable solutions leads me to conclude that he is the best candidate for guiding our island community to prosper and be resilient in face of the challenges of the next 10, 20 or even 50 years.

Please consider giving Justin Paulsen your vote, and visit his campaign site, www.paulsen4council.com, for more detailed information on his views and background.

Brian Ehrmantraut

Orcas Island