Editor,

I vote for a lot of Democrats. I vote for a lot of Republicans. Mostly I try to vote for good people. Jill Johnson is a good person.

I’m still with Jill.

Jill gets the big issues, lke public safety, which improved during her first term as Island County commissioner. She’s also balanced and makes social services a priority. Affordable housing? Check. She’s leading and making it a priority, now, and in her second term. Is she trying to fix the world? No. But, here again, she’s focusing on an important issue that touches a lot of us.

Same with mental health. She serves in important state groups, helping our county make services stronger and more accessible. I know she is a quick study on important local environmental issues. She is also with the Marine Resources Committee, which supports our great local land trust and balances growth with land stewardship.

Jill also tells the truth — even when I’m guessing it costs her votes. Sometimes these truths are hard to hear. Like reminding us that state directed local tourism tax dollars should be shared fairly and focus on state mandated direct tourism benefits. Most recently, she reminded us this election season that even local political events can be biased and hard to watch. She helped us see that the League of Women Voters is partisan in practice, though the say they’re non-partisan.

Jill did an excellent job her first term, helping the county transit board come out of near-bankruptcy after the last board watched it nearly go broke.

Jill. Fiscally sound. Socially responsible. Tells the truth. Has my vote.

Rex Porter

Oak Harbor