One more week remains for voting in a one-race election that again this year is being conducted entirely online, for King Conservation District Supervisor. Three people are running for one position . The Duwamish Alive! Coalition, a community organization that works on activities such as habitat restoration, sent the candidates eight questions, and in partnership with Duwamish Alive! we are publishing their questions and the candidates’ replies. The candidates are Brittney Bush Bollay, Aaron Ellig, and Erik Goheen (each name is linked to their candidate statement on the KCD website, which is the source of the photos below).

What follows are the eight questions, each one followed by the candidates’ answers in rotating order (as we would do in a “live” candidate forum), unedited, and then a reminder of how to vote:

1. Why do you want to be a KCD board member?

BUSH BOLLAY: I was elected to King Conservation District in 2021, and my love for the organization and the work have only grown over the past three years. I’m excited to serve another term on the Board, helping to support and grow the District. Environmental action and local government both impact every person, every day, and that’s why they’re my twin passions.

ELLIG: My purpose for running for this seat is not politically motivated and I have no financial incentives to gain from any of the programs offered. I enjoy the programs the King Conservation District offers and regularly volunteer at restoration events they offer. I fully believe in improving and advancing existing programs that align with KCD core values of supporting local food, clean water, healthy forests, better soil, and accessible open spaces. My combination of education and practical experience planning and implementing a wide range of environmental restoration projects makes me an ideal candidate to supplement the existing board. I am uniquely qualified to provide science-based solutions for complex issues around conservation of natural resources, sustainable food production, and long-term planning.

GOHEEN: At the request of the farming community. Dairyman Bill Knutsen is retiring and we need farmers on the board. To help build a local, institutional food supply where local food is served in our schools and cafeterias. To help prevent a big fire in King County. Smoke season isn’t normal. We can do better to restore the salmon run here with infrastructure jobs, I’d like to see more of that work getting done. I want to empower local champions of the environment to succeed at their goals and I can make a leadership improvement with regards to the board.

2. What are your qualifications for this position?

ELLIG: I have a master’s degree in environmental science and am a certified professional wetland scientist (PWS) that specializes in ecological restoration of riparian and aquatic habitats. For the past 10 years, I have worked as a private consultant and public sector biologist as a subject matter expert for wetland and stream restoration. I have been involved in projects big and small and understand the actual effort and costs associated with getting things off the ground. We need a candidate that understands the process of starting with a conceptual idea, permitting, design, and project development. I have proven experience working effectively with local cities and counties as a third-party consultant to ensure projects are code compliant and conducted in environmentally responsible ways. My current position with Sound Transit focuses on environmental mitigation that aims to maximize environmental benefits for communities we operate in.

GOHEEN: B.A. Political Science, Western Washington University. Farm owner/operator the last 7 years. I am a user of KCD services: plant sale customer, conservation planned, conference presenting, riparian planting, pea-patch volunteering, habitat building participant in the programs. Former site and stormwater researcher with Building Code Innovations database. Trained Firefighter Type 2 (wildland) and Eagle Scout, former IAMAW machinist in Alaska salmon industry. My background spans a wide breadth of KCD’s suite of services, programs and policy areas.

BUSH BOLLAY: In addition to my three years of on-the-job experience, including serving as Board Vice Chair and Auditor this year, I have nearly a decade of local and state environmental work to my name. I understand not only the science of conservation and climate change, but the political and economic forces that influence our environmental work in King County. I’ve also spent these years carefully listening to and developing relationships with community members, elected officials, and other conservation partners, which strengthens my work on the Board.

3. What are your priorities if you are elected?

GOHEEN: Vote NO, big westside fire. There are simple and holistic remedies to prevent fires, good science. Smoke season isn’t normal. King County should lead on this work.

Support a local food system. Farms have been swept aside by the KCD at the exact wrong moment. A workforce of young and aspiring farmers, but grants designed to support them aren’t moving the needle.

Clean Water Now. I like the Duwamish River’s wet weather treatment station and there are jobs to be had boosting salmon success in this field. The Duwamish river and the ship canal should be viable habitat, too.

BUSH BOLLAY: My top priorities are:
-Fixing our election process to make it easier for people to vote and to run
-Removing barriers that make it harder for small organizations, new organizations, and people not fluent in English to use our programs
-Finding new partnerships and funding opportunities and cutting red tape so we can do more conservation work, faster
-Protecting farmland by fighting climate change and our farms’ number one enemy, urban sprawl

ELLIG: As a certified professional wetland scientist (PWS), my priorities are supporting and advancing programs that focus on riparian restorations, wetland enhancement, and stream buffer enhancement across the county. The benefits gained from the relatively small investment are huge. This will involve partnering with local agencies, local community organizations, and private land owners through voluntary or subsidized conservation and restoration. Some projects will come to the board through grant applications, but others require outreach and partnership.

4. What would you like to accomplish?

BUSH BOLLAY: In my successful second term I’ll bring more cities into the Conservation District, so we can help more people in a wider area. I’ll bring our farmers and local food vendors a fairer, more effective grant process and greater economic growth. I’ll double and triple down on outreach so more King County residents will be familiar with the Conservation District and our work and will participate in our elections by either running or voting. Finally, I’ll address the number one concern of my constituents and bring our elections to the modern era — first by moving our three elected positions to districts, then to a paper ballot like every other election in Washington State.

ELLIG: The King Conservation District has many wonderful programs and services designed to benefit people and the environment, but many of these are underutilized. Raising awareness of KCD programs by providing public education and technical assistance will be a primary goal of mine. The election should also be more recognized by being on the standard election ballot held in November. This has been an ongoing objective many KCD board members have tried to initiate, and I intend to fully support that effort to receive legislative approval.

GOHEEN: Empower emerging leaders. Building trust with the non-regulatory, voluntary services offered for more meaningful projects. Speeding up Seattle’s clean water plan and infrastructure. Lots of jobs to be had in Clean Water Now. Seeing the local farmers scale up to send fresh food home with 10,000+ food-insecure kids in Seattle Public Schools every week. There are many aspiring farmers, and land to be worked sustainably.

5. What are the major challenges KCD is confronting?

ELLIG: One of the primary challenges KCD is facing is balancing conservation of natural resources with an increasing pressure from land use development and capital projects. As populations in the region continue to grow, there will be a strong demand for programs that prioritize conservation and restoration near critical areas and within rural communities.

GOHEEN: Leadership. The board is politically divided and lacks a good decision maker. They are bogged down in semantics, wordsmithing and people pleasing. I am the most familiar with the full spectrum of policy, services, and realities of the District. I look forward to the appointment process after Mr. Knutsen’s retirement this spring and adding another new face to the board. I have been impressed with Ms. Favorini-Csorba’s work on tribal consult and approach to equity initiatives and look forward to serving with her and the others for the next few years.

BUSH BOLLAY: KCD has more people that need our help than we have the ability to cover. We have a limited amount of money we’re able to collect, and our funding is not keeping up with inflation. Luckily, our Board and finance team are looking several years ahead and have a budget plan I’m proud to be a part of and support. By working with the state and county to increase our funding, as well as finding new partnerships and grant money, we can grow our level of service while making sure our hardworking staff still get the living wage and benefits they deserve.

Farmers also face a grave threat to farmland from development. We can use our position as respected experts and the voice of King County farmers to remind legislators that we must allow more homes in urban areas so we can protect our precious agricultural lands from being paved over.

Finally, our out of date election system keeps voters uninformed and uninvolved. KCD runs on public money and the public deserves a real, democratic say in how that money is spent. Accessible, predictable, and transparent elections with the same rules voters are used to will make it easier for people to participate and raise our voter turnout above 1%.

6. What can KCD do to address/mitigate climate change in our region?

GOHEEN: Riparian planting is a good start, and the state and federal entities have been working on this for a long time, too. I’d like to see more projects to help keep seasonal water upland, balance soil moisture, and improve habitat. Seasonal pond projects are both critical for fish and a convenient fire-fighting reservoir. Starting more plants for the annual plant sale to help homeowners with backyard projects. Support the conservation planning team as they continue to do good work. Finally, I’d like to encourage air polluters to curb operations during periods with poor air quality, especially in the most adversely affected parts of the county, i.e. White Center to Sodo.

BUSH BOLLAY: Climate change is real, and addressing it is baked into our work. Using native plants in our projects prevents soil erosion and reduces wildfire damage in addition to providing a good home for wildlife. Shade plants near streams lower water temperatures to give salmon a better chance at life. Growing food closer to home cuts down on the pollution caused when we ship fruits and vegetables long distances.

Additionally, this year we’ll pass a new strategic plan that explicitly centers climate change and environmental justice and was built with input from communities of all shapes and sizes. This plan will guide our work for the next five years, and includes broad goals such as “Incorporate climate change information in technical assistance” as well as smaller, countable objectives like “Complete forty farm conservation plans per year.” KCD can also explicitly partner with Indigenous and Tribal communities to learn from and elevate their conservation knowledge.

ELLIG: Climate change is not going anywhere, and no single action of an agency will mitigate all impacts of climate change. What KCD can do is continue to improve riparian functions of wetlands and streams, provide habitat for threatened and endangered species, and reduce the effects of excessive heating across the region. KCD is also well positioned to provide assistance for at-risk communities and local farmers by offering programs to increase canopy cover, maintain hydrologic functions for agriculture, and assist with wildfire preparedness.

7. What are your ideas for activating & engaging citizens for your plans?

BUSH BOLLAY: I’m the only Board member with a Twitter account, which I use to spread word about our meetings, grants, classes, and other events to a new and younger audience. I’ll build on that by providing regular outreach and updates at community meetings across the county. I’ll also create opportunities for King County residents to reach out to their other elected officials in support of our needs and priorities, such as organizing letters to legislators or public comment at meetings and hearings. In the summer I’ll make myself available at farmers markets across the county to talk with my constituents, answer questions, and share ideas and concerns.

ELLIG: Over the years I have built and maintained relationships with community organizations and local planning and parks departments across King County. These groups provide a nexus that connects individuals to larger projects in their local communities. I intend to expand partnerships with local agencies by working to combine similar efforts and programs. Doing so will help improve processes and engagement.

GOHEEN: More stakeholder involvement. I would like to develop a participatory budget that increases micro grants for classroom and backyard projects. Native landscaping is in vogue and low-maintenance landscapes are popping up all over. Even kids can plant live stakes and cuttings, we should champion that involvement. Partial grant awards would help encourage participation, and get more folks into stewardship. I will work to strengthen the KCD advisory council to steer regional policy making by recruiting more top talent there. The advisory council has a deep bench and should be empowered to succeed in their communities rather than given afterthought status.

8. Which are KCD’s most important programs & which should be scaled back or eliminated?

ELLIG: KCD operates all programs and outreach on a budget around 12 million dollars. In the grand scheme of environmental work, it is a small budget and responsible use of funds is extremely important. The riparian restoration and land stewardship programs are extremely important and provide education and technical assistance to achieve successful projects. The benefits gained from the relatively small investment are huge. These programs are also more accessible for landowners since the bulk of the expense is covered by KCD and the Washington State Conservation Commission.

I do not have a program that should be scaled back or eliminated at this time. KCD is set to grow in the coming years and these resources need to be supported however possible.

GOHEEN: Riparian habitat is so critical and part of a larger wildfire mitigation strategy. We’ve been working on this for decades and we’re close to turning the corner and calling the program a success, so I’d like to see that through.

There are jobs to be had building clean water infrastructure, planting gardens, and keeping forests healthy, that remains important work.

The member jurisdiction grant system has helped suburban cities approach infrastructure with a green thumb, I’d like to see Seattle team up with the KCD to fastrack sewage overflow prevention with more wet weather infrastructure.

Farm services should adopt a lean approach, and work to be more responsive while also costing the department less. Regional Food Systems Grant awards should be more available to farms working through conservation plans. Too much goes instead to PR, parties, and projects that do a poor job justifying their expense to taxpayers.

BUSH BOLLAY: We are fortunate enough to live in a county that has the capacity to fund clean water, wildfire protection, and fresh, healthy food for all. We don’t need and I won’t ask for austerity or cuts to work that literally saves lives. However, it is still my responsibility to make sure we’re making the best use of public money, so we should see if we can reduce overhead in non-program areas such as rent, as well as find overlap and redundancy with other county and city governments and work together on these shared priorities to save time and money.

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HERE’S HOW TO VOTE: If you’re a registered voter in King County, follow the link on this page of the KCD website and get your vote in before 8 pm next Tuesday (February 13).