With Gary Edwards set to retire from the Thurston County Commission following the conclusion of his second term, two new local candidates are seeking to replace the independent on the board of commissioners.
Ballots for the upcoming election will be mailed on Oct. 10, and ballot boxes will remain open until 8 p.m. on the Nov. 5 Election day.
JW Foster
JW Foster, former mayor of Yelm, is an independent seeking election to represent District No. 2. He believes his prior experiences in the fire service and Marine Corps, combined with his experience in local government, makes him a fitting candidate for the position.
“After a long career in the fire service and working in local government, I established a good deal of knowledge, experience and connections with other people that will help me make a real difference for the county. Being in the Marine Corps for five years and being in the fire service for 34 years, I really learned how to work with people, how to listen to really understand what’s going on, and then being able to communicate back with them and work with them in any particular situation that we’re in,” Foster said. “My time on the [Yelm] planning commission, then on City Council and then my four and a half years as mayor, I built on those skills and experiences and got a lot of work done that helped our local community. At the same time, I was elevated to positions like the chair of the Thurston Regional Planning Council, in large part because of my ability to work well with people on both sides of an issue, collaborate and move the team forward.”
Foster, who also served as the board president of the Nisqually Land Trust, believes, with Edwards’ departure from the Thurston County Commission, an independent voice is needed to represent the people of Thurston County.
“What we need on the County Commission right now is an independent voice with a lot of experience and the ability to “hit the ground running” as they say, and be a voice for not only District No. 2 but for everyone in the county,” Foster said. “Right now, we have four Democrats and an independent on the commission. I think it’s important to continue to have a non-partisan voice in those conversations.
“I totally respect the commissioners and the work they’re doing,” Foster continued. “I just want people to understand that I represent everybody, and this is a great time for me to be in the position of county commissioner.”
Foster said that he’s faced challenges of politicians strictly endorsing same-party candidates.
“I work on that because, while they might not be able to talk with a person on a far side of the division on any particular issue, I can,” Foster said. “As an independent, I’m not beholden to any party ideology. I can listen to you, I can listen to them, and I can bring those voices together in our conversations at the county commissioner level.”
Foster said he’s received “real solid” endorsements from Democrats, Republicans and independents. He said he’s also received endorsements from all of the mayors in Thurston County “regardless of their political affiliation,” along with all of the Yelm City Council, all but two Lacey city councilors and several members of the Olympia and Tumwater city councils.
“They’re all from different parties, but they’ve worked with me and they understand that I can do the job and have done the job,” Foster said. “The vision is very similar to what I had when I ran for mayor, which was to have a safe, happy and healthy home for all. That translates well to the county level. Remember, too, that the county commissioners serve on the board of health, and the mission there is to create safe, healthy home environments for families to thrive in. That’s my mission, to see a county where everyone feels inclusive, valued and has the same opportunities as everyone else to thrive.”
Foster noted that he and Dreon were the only two candidates in the Thurston County primary election several months back, which led to both candidates automatically advancing.
“It’s very telling that 58% of the votes in our district went to me because they know me well and know that I’m the right person for the job,” Foster said. “I would hope that people take the time to look at my website, look at my Facebook page, and get to know me a little better. If they have questions, there’s ways to get ahold of me through email on my campaign website. I would hope they reach out and do that. I want people to be educated voters, and choose the right person they believe to represent them at the county commissioner level.”
Foster’s website is www.FosterForCommissioner.com, and he can be reached via email at fosterforcommissioner@gmail.com.
“I will be working for everybody in the county. I’m elected to represent District No. 2, but all five of us commissioners would be working together for the greater benefit of the county residents,” Foster said. “Importantly, we have to be very careful about spending our money efficiently and effectively. We’ll be looking for fiscal responsibility and transparency, meaning the county residents see, know and understand what we’re spending their money on, and that they can feel good about our decisions there.”
Rachel Dreon
Rachel Dreon, a Democrat with a background in public administration in the state and a native to the region, has been previously elected to serve as a precinct committee officer and appointed by county commissioners to the Thurston County Treatment Sales Tax (TST) Advisory Committee. In addition to her work in Thurston County, she was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the State Advisory Council on Homelessness.
She believes her work in both Thurston and King counties and her familiarity with Thurston County and District No. 2 make her a fitting candidate for the Thurston County District No. 2 Commissioner position.
“I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve lived in Thurston and Mason counties my whole life, and I’ve used many of the services that Thurston County Board of Commissioners oversee, things like the courts, public safety, the Department of Health, behavioral health services. In my story, that’s something that’s really important to me and also what I do professionally. I thought all of those things combined would really set me in a good spot to be considered as a viable county commissioner,” Dreon said. “For over the last 30 years, I’ve navigated as a single mother in Thurston County. I have quite a story about going from ‘down low, to CEO’ is how I put it. I have about 15 years of professional experience leading for the state of Washington for DSHS, for the Department of Corrections. I’ve worked for Health Care Authority, which is the MediCaid authority. I’m currently leading, as kind of an executive leader, for King County, one of the largest jurisdictions in the state, overseeing some of the funding.”
Dreon has her master’s degree in public administration from Evergreen State College and has served as a DSHS budget chief where she was responsible for a nearly $1 billion Medicaid budget. She has also served as a strategic operations administrator, a strategic planner and has worked on legislation, building and shaping policy, and has looked at “overall systemic issues in jurisdictions” to learn how to do “more with less.”
“As I was serving [on the Thurston County TST Advisory Committee], I was starting to ask some questions. I ultimately asked too many questions, and someone said, ‘Have you ever thought about running for county commissioner?’ I had some questions about how we were using the funding, where that funding came from, what was the history of the funding, why were we not able to get regular reporting on the funding,” Dreon said. “Essentially, through digging through that, I learned more about what the commissioners’ roles are.”
Dreon stated she’s a 2004 Thurston County Drug Court graduate due to “struggles as a young person.” She knows first hand what it’s like to rely on local resources and wants to ensure that all Thurston County residents have readily available access to the help they need.
“I had to work really hard and utilize the resources we can bring as public servants to our county. I was on housing. I’ve attended recovery meetings. I went to parenting classes,” Dreon said. “Through all of those pieces of me, working on myself, I was able to work toward building a better life for myself and my children. After I was given a HUD voucher for myself and my family, that gave me the ability to actually get my master’s degree, and two years later I bought my own house.”
Dreon believes the most important thing that a county commissioner can do to serve the people within their district is to “be available.” The candidate said, if elected, she’s going to make herself available for community members to approach her with different issues faced within the district.
“[I will] reach out and talk with people who are actually feeling the strain of the issues coming down, of the affordable housing, of the builders dealing with prices rising around different conditions they have to put into their houses,” Dreon said. “In District No. 2 alone, I’ve knocked on almost 2,500 doors, and I feel it’s key that our leaders, especially our local leaders, are out talking to people who don’t always have the time to come to public meetings.
“I want to make sure that I’m out in the community talking to people all the time and reaching people who don’t necessarily have a voice,” she continued. “I want to bring their voice to all of the decisions we’re making.”
Dreon’s vision as Thurston County District No. 2 commissioner is to bring Thurston County residents closer together and to provide resources to everyone in need, regardless of age or social standing.
“The vision for the district is to create more community, to make sure that anyone needing help or needing services, anywhere from the age of 10 to the age of 90, are able to access services and access help when they need it,” Dreon said. “That’s the number one vision for me: How do we make sure that my father is able to get health services when he needs it, and how am I able to make sure my grandchildren are able to access a mental health counselor or able to get free lunches? Whatever someone needs, they should know where, how and who to call. Right now, that isn’t currently happening.
“The number one thing that I really think we have to focus on is how do we all play together, and how do we work toward really understanding what our neighbors need and how to really be there for them,” Dreon added.
Visit Dreon’s website at www.RachelDreonForThurstonCounty.com. As well, she can be contacted via email at RachelDreonForThurstonCounty.com.
