PORT ORCHARD — Kitsap County Commissioner Ed Wolfe, who has represented District 3 since 2014, announced Dec. 19 that he plans to run for reelection.
Wolfe ran in 2014 on a platform promising to “Bring Balance Back” to Kitsap County policy-making and leadership.
“I pledged to provide a balance to our County Commission and am satisfied that we’ve accomplished that,” Wolfe said in an announcement of his re-election bid. “I look forward to continue collaborating with my colleagues across the aisle for the betterment of Kitsap County residents.”
Prior to his election as a commissioner, Wolfe served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state with the rank of ambassador under President Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. One of his signature achievements was negotiating the 1985 Pacific Salmon Treaty, in which the United States and Canada agreed to cooperate in the management, research and enhancement of Pacific salmon stocks of mutual concern.
Wolfe is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law and West Virginia University, completed the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Management Program, and served in the U.S. Army. He founded Wolfe Law Offices here in 1997, and served as president of the Kitsap Bar Association and as judge pro tem in Kitsap County District Court and the municipal courts of Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, and Gig Harbor.
A Republican, Wolfe was elected to the County Commission in November 2014, defeating incumbent Linda Streissguth, Democrat, 41,263 to 39,998 votes.
Wolfe counted his work during the past three years helping to manage the county’s budget as a highlight of his term. He also cited his collaboration with U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, to bring a new veterans clinic to Silverdale, and his work to help move forward the Bucklin Hill Bridge project in 2016 and leading efforts to develop the Central Kitsap Community Campus.
“Serving as county commissioner is more than a full-time job,” Wolfe said in his campaign announcement. “I will continue to seek input from the county’s citizens to help shape public policy and collaborate with my fellow commissioners to help the families and taxpayers who deservedly expect much from our county government.”
County commissioners are elected to four-year terms; Wolfe’s annual salary is $126,077.
The Board of County Commissioners oversees county operations, sets policies, enacts code provisions, and adopts budgets that guide the delivery of county services. The board oversees four county departments: Community Development, Public Works, Human Services, and Parks. The board also oversees the county administrator and Commissioners’ Office staff.
