To the editor:

We are longtime residents of the county and Bainbridge Island. We have misgivings about the candidacy of Edward Wolfe for county commissioner.  Here they are.

Outlook: A county commissioner should share the outlook of the people of Kitsap County. Wolfe appears headed in a different direction than most county residents.

Wolfe opposed Islander Jay Inslee, who was elected governor in 2012.  Wolfe served as Kitsap chair for Rob McKenna, the candidate endorsed by the Kitsap Patriots Tea Party and the GOP.

In 2008, Wolfe was the Kitsap county co-chair of the McCain/Palin “Washington Leadership Team.”

Wolfe ran for Bremerton Municipal Court judge in 2009. According to the Kitsap Sun (Oct. 30, 2009), Wolfe’s campaign signs came under criticism because they said he was “rated highly qualified.” Apparently, out of 63 lawyers in the Kitsap County Bar Association poll, 15 rated Wolfe “highly qualified”, but 26 rated him “not qualified.” Wolfe was defeated in the election.

Experience: The incumbent Democratic commissioner, Linda Streissguth, has significant experience.

She served on the Bremerton Housing Authority, the Bremerton Planning Commission and the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners. She is a current member of Kitsap Transit and other boards.

Wolfe’s primary government experience appears to comprise posts in the State Department in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s.

We urge voters to consider these issues.

CHANNIE PETERS, DOUG MACKENZIE, STEFAN PASKELL AND JOHN MUENSTER

Bainbridge Island