Government
San Juan County Council appointed Dr. Herbie Duber as the County’s new acting Health Officer. Dr. Duber is the Washington State Department of Health Regional Medical Officer for Northwest Washington. In this role, he supports the development of healthcare policy and programs across the state and serves as a key liaison between local public health in Northwest WA and the Department of Health.
“Dr. Duber’s CV speaks for itself,” said Councilmember Cindy Wolf in reference to his extensive medical experience. “Having watched him at the Board of Health, I’m very comfortable appointing him.”
Responsible for maintaining the health and wellness of the community, the County’s Health Officer works with local organizations such as schools and medical centers, to ensure the health and safety of county residents. The Health Officer conducts outreach programs and provides counseling and education on various health topics.
Dr. Duber will serve as the acting Health Officer as the County recruits a permanent replacement.
“I feel we are very fortunate to have him in this interim position,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller before approving the motion to appoint Dr. Duber.
Dr. Frank James, the outgoing Health Officer, announced his resignation after 31 years of service at the March Board of Health meeting. Dr. James’s last day as Health Officer will be Apr. 20, 2024 and his years of service will be recognized at a future date.
Contact: Kyra Jahanfar, Program Coordinator – Emergency Preparedness & Communications,
About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services
San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.
With a tentative start date of July 15, Jessica Hudson will be responsible for serving as a staff liaison to Council, overseeing County department operations, managing the budget, and more.
San Juan County Council is pleased to announce the hiring of a new County Manager – Jessica Hudson. Hudson is currently the Director at Fairfax County Public Library in Fairfax, Virginia where she oversees a system of 23 public facilities, a budget of $35 million, and 550 staff. In this role, she has developed and administered strategic plans, initiated public service operation expansions, uplifted underrepresented communities through programs and services, and supported a capital renovation budget of more than $90 million.
San Juan County Receives $1.5Million from WA Governor to Support Local Transportation Infrastructure
San Juan County is thrilled to receive new funding from the Washington State Governor’s Office to address ferry service disruptions in the San Juan Islands. Today, Governor Jay Inslee met County and Town officials, essential service providers, business owners, and residents in Friday Harbor to award $1 million to the County to finance temporary marine transportation alternatives, and an additional $500,000 to support Interisland weekend service during the winter which would add a third set of crew to that service.
San Juan County is seeking volunteers to serve on various boards and committees that help shape daily life in the San Juan Islands. Are you interested in participating in local government and sharing your skills? See if one of the vacant positions is right for you!
The Sherif seems to think an RCW trumps Trump
8 U.S. Code § 1324 - Bringing in and harboring certain aliens
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office (SJCSO) continues to prioritize public safety, fairness, and trust within the community while upholding state law, county code, and ensuring that every member of the community feels secure. In line with RCW 10.93.160, which governs the interaction between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, SJCSO reaffirms its commitment to protecting all residents, regardless of immigration status.
Editor's Note - County Council aproves more government bloat while still insisting on four day work week.
The San Juan County Council has approved a series of steps in an effort to improve services from the Department of Community Development (DCD). The County will begin contracting out services in the land use division, and hire an additional code enforcement officer, planning manager, and land use permit technician.
Thanks Interim Team for Transitional Support
While the organization searched for a new County Manager, the County was supported by an interim leadership team of dedicated staff.
San Juan County is pleased to welcome a new County Manager and thanks the invaluable support of the interim leadership team. Within one month of starting, County Manager Jessica Hudson is already diving into key County projects including the comprehensive plan update, budget amendments, and capital projects.
“In these first few weeks with the County I’ve been introduced to this amazing community full of passionate, smart, and dedicated staff and community members,” said Hudson. “I’m delighted to be here and look forward to supporting and uplifting priority work and projects.”
In total, the job posting yielded 39 applications from around the country.
San Juan County is moving forward in its interview process for a new County Manager which will culminate with a community meeting in each district on May 6 and 7. The job posting yielded 39 applicants from around the country that have been screened and vetted via a variety of steps including resume reviews, video interviews, and written responses.
The County’s core hiring committee which consists of the Human Resources Director, Interim County Manager, and the Council have been working with the recruitment firm Strategic Government Resources (SGR) to narrow the applicant pool. During the April 16 Council meeting, Council selected the finalists who are invited to participate in the final interview phase.
The selected finalists are invited to in-person interviews as well as a community meeting in each of the three districts on Monday and Tuesday May 6 and 7. During these community meetings, the public will have the opportunity to meet and learn about the candidates via a moderated Q&A. The exact times and locations of community meetings are still being finalized and the public will be notified of further details as soon as possible.
The final round of interviews will be conducted by panels comprised of Council members and other elected officials, County staff, and board members from various County committees. The County Council is the ultimate hiring body for the County Manager position.
Currently, San Juan County’s Health & Community Services Director, Mark Tompkins, is serving as the Interim County Manager and the County’s Parks and Fair Director, Brandon Andrews, is serving as the Interim Assistant County Manager.
The Democrats are loud with claims that Trump and DOGE are slashing millions for the Medicare/Medicade roles. They never mention how many real, living breathing, persons are being affeccted by these cuts. However, it appears that the Trump administration is removing those who do not quilify. Maybe dead, maybe never existed or maybe getting kickbacks via laundering.
During the week of November 4, Washington State courts are experiencing a system-wide outage that prevents access to the State case management system and court documents. San Juan County Superior Court and District Court are impacted by this outage.
The state agency that provides superior courts with a case management system, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), has reported an unauthorized system event that has forced them to remove access to critical systems. AOC also maintains the statewide Judicial Information System, which contains important case information for district courts. This affects all counties statewide, including San Juan County, resulting in a temporary loss of access to these AOC-provided systems. AOC is actively working to restore service, but the disruption is anticipated to continue through the week or longer. Due to this event, the Washington Courts website is also down – a site the public uses to access court forms and other court-related resources.
Now that the bloated County government only works four days a week it seems that is not bad enough. Now the County Council is full steam ahead with ' let's make a bad situation worse' program. Yes, you guessed it, DEI with a touch of belonging. I guess they missed the news of all the corportations and organizations that are leaving DEI (aka DIE) for the obvious reasons. Hopefully we don't get stuck in space.
From the Councel:
“Having this initial data is a great first step,” said Council Chair Jane Fuller. “The County is undertaking this work in the spirit of being an organization that embraces these values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and creating the framework to strengthen those values within our workforce.”
Bellevue—Washington did NOT “turn bluer” in this month’s general election, despite faulty reports from the mainstream media. In fact, by standard political metrics, Evergreen State voters turned slightly more toward Republican candidates in 2024. This continues an incremental move toward the political middle that’s been in place for several years.
With the ever increasing gap in the budget, Washington legislation will be changing untaxed services to taxable retail sales with ESSB 5814.
Go Washington.
Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 5814 added new business activities to the definition of retail sales. This means sellers must begin collecting sales tax on these services on October 1, 2025:
- Information technology services.
- Custom website development services.
- Investigation, security, and armored car services.
- Temporary staffing services.
- Advertising services.
- Live presentations.
- Sales of custom software and customization of prewritten software.
- Modification of digital automated services (DAS) exclusions.
Once again Washington wins to push more business to other states because Washington's legislators seem to think micro-governance is the healthy way forward for the people of Washington. I'm sure the red state of Florida embraces our backwards thinking.
Washington State commissioned Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a Florida-based shipyard, to build new hybrid-electric ferries. This marks the first time in over 50 years that Washington's ferries will be constructed out of state. The primary reasons behind this decision are outlined below.
By Tom DeWeese @ American Policy Center
In nearly every community of the nation the policy called Sustainable is the catch-all term for local planning programs, from water and energy controls to building codes and traffic planning. The term “sustainable” was first used in the 1987 report called “Our Common Future,’ issued by the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development (UNCED). The term appeared in full force in 1992 in a United Nations initiative called Agenda 21.
San Juan County is pleased to host a series of grocery store information booths and open house events on three islands where the community can learn more about the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) Update and provide input. Come join us in planning for the next 20 years and beyond!
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