Long-time Orcas resident Patty Miller is making a bid for the county council.
Miller announced her candidacy last week for District 5, Orcas East, the position vacated by councilman Gene Knapp.. It will be on the August ballot, and only members of Orcas East (the eastern half of Orcas Island, divided by North Beach Road and Eastsound) can vote on the position.
“I feel like the issues we are having as a county are the types of issues that I have a great deal of experience working through,” Miller said. “With the type of business experience I have of solving problems, and my financial background, it seemed like a good fit. I had a sense that Gene might retire, and I wanted to make sure we had someone in the role who had the skills to address the issues we are having.”
Miller has a nearly 40-year connection with Orcas; she moved here with her parents Richard and Velma Doty in 1971.
After graduation from Orcas High School, Miller attended the University of Washington, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earning a certificate as a certified public accountant. Miller began her career in accounting with a real estate subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser, which focused on the redevelopment of historic areas of Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. Miller then moved into wireless telecommunications, where she was a senior vice president with T-Mobile USA.
Upon returning to Orcas in 2005, Miller immersed herself in volunteer opportunities, including such council advisory committees as Eastsound Planning and Review Committee, Citizen’s Critical Areas Ordinance Committee, the Stormwater Committee, Housing Solutions Committee, and the San Juan Initiative. Miller is currently president of the San Juan County Economic Development Council and a board member of Eastsound Water Users’ Association.
“I’ve enjoyed being on the advisory committees because it gives me an opportunity to work from the groundroots level,” Miller said. “The county council right now seems to come in so late in the game. One of the things that I would like to see happen is that shift. I want to see the council provide more strategic direction at the beginning, rather than waiting until the end of it.”
Miller says the council faces several complex issues in the coming years, including fixing the current solid waste model, implementing Growth Management Act and Shoreline Master Program requirements, and working to build a feasible budget in the face of a struggling economy.
“We need to create a sustainble budget for the county that meets the basic needs of our citizens,” Miller said. “We also need to facilitate a balanced, common sense approach to land use regulations and modify the nonsensical regulations. We’ve adopted a lot of regulations over the last 10 years, and we see now they don’t fit our communities. I’d like to shift the focus of our county council from a reactionary mode to execution of a long-term vision.”
If elected, she also hopes to make progress with a “comprehensive plan for housing affordability” and wants to encourage more community involvement through better county outreach.
The deadline to file for the August ballot is June 11, and Miller says she hasn’t heard of any other candidates running for the position.
“I’ve heard of a few people considering, but I haven’t heard if they’ve made a decision,” she said.
Miller owns Doty’s Marketplace in Eastsound, and lives on 84 acres in Olga with her partner, Ray Chavez. She says her loves are gardening and her horses, dogs, and cats. Chavez spends most of his time working their land.
“He is very supportive of me, but it’s not his gig,” she said.
Miller says part of the reason she became involved in land use issues is because of own “special piece of property.”
“Also, I grew up in Eastsound. I am passionate about seeing Eastsound evolve in a way we can all proud of,” she said.
For more information, email electpattymiller@gmail.com or call 376-6840.
