One-term commissioner challenged by at-large Mount Vernon council member
In a year fraught with challenges to agriculture in the fertile Skagit River delta, the farming community has largely lined up behind county commissioner Peter Browning. He is nearing the end of his first four-year term in the District 2 position, which represents some of the more populated areas of central Skagit County.
Browning’s challenger in District 2 is Richard Brocksmith, a relative newcomer who arrived in the Skagit Valley in 2013 to assume the position of executive director of the Skagit Watershed Commission. SWC is a nonprofit group that plays a major role in directing grant funds to salmon recovery projects.
Browningdefeated 20-year incumbent Ken Dahlstedt in 2020, presenting himself as a change agent in the way the county works. He says that he discovered shortly after taking office that the county planning staff had failed to meet the deadline for updating the county Shorelines Management Act. But state law only requires that the county address climate change in its comprehensive plan, so the commission proceeded with that effort.
Now Browning finds himself confronted with Brocksmith, who defines himself as a sort of change agent, seeking to address what he calls the county’s “blind spots.”
Skagit County is governed by three commissioners elected by large districts spread across the county 95 miles from Puget Sound to the Cascade Mountains.
The county, for decades, has been riven by disputes involving the fate of the Skagit River’s iconic and endangered chinook salmon and other species of salmonids and the survival of the river delta’s highly productive agricultural community. The great bulk of Skagit County’s agricultural value is in the fertile flatlands of the river delta. The delta is also where some see opportunities to convert some farmland into restored estuarine habitat.
The endorsement lists of the two candidates are suggestive of where their supporters fall on issues of fish and farms in the delta. Aside from Browning’s solid support from delta farm interests and Brocksmith’s support from Democrats is where the treaty tribes of the county divide.
Browning has been endorsed by the Upper Skagit and the Samish tribes. Browning supports the Upper Skagit’spush to require Seattle City Light to provide fish passagearound its three dams. The Swinomish tribe, based on Fidalgo Island, have long sought greater estuarine habit recovery on the delta that could pull some farmland out of production. Brocksmith has only said that he wants to work with both sides to achieve a solution.
Browning served 18 years as the county’s public health director and still chairs the county’s hospital district commission.
Brocksmith has a master’s degree in marine fisheries from the University of Washington. He worked 10 years with the Hood Canal Coordinating County (HCCC), the agency that has been recognized for its success in restoring coho salmon runs on the Skokomish River. He said he was recruited by the Watershed Council to the executive director job.
Shortly after arriving in Skagit County, Brocksmith immersed himself in community organizations. He serves as chairman of the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club and is on the board of the Mount Vernon Public Schools Foundation, among other activities.
Brocksmith won the at-large position on the Mount Vernon City Council in 2016, defeating long-time council member Dale Ragan. He was unopposed in winning the 2020 election.
Browning lists himself as an independent on the 2024 ballot. Brocksmith declares as a Democrat and draws heavy support from Democratic legislators and party organizations.
Among Brocksmith’s biggest individual donors are Ken and Ann Winkes of Conway, according to thePublic Disclosure Commission. They each contributed $1,000 to Brocksmith after he emerged from the primary election trailing Browning by 5,755 votes to 4,142.
“Decisions have to be made about not building on the flood plain,” said Ann Winkes in a telephone interview. “Richard is a very good listener and compassionate.”
Ann Winkes sees Brocksmith as an environmental advocate and one who would push the county to think farther into the future.
Browning said recently that the county already bans develop in the flood plain and has been able to negotiate with Seattle City Light for more flood protection upriver behind Ross Dam.
The Skagit treaty tribes have an abiding interest in anything that affects fish habitat and habitat, too, with the Upper Skagit Tribe and the Samish Tribe endorsing Browning and the Swinomish endorsing Brocksmith.
The separate interests of the Upper Skagits and the Swinomish as concerns fish passage are not fully known, and neither tribe has been willing to discuss that matter openly.
“I think rather than continue to be at odds with and marginalize the Tribal and regulatory agencies that are trying to help Skagit County and dike and drainage districts move into this century, we should openly embrace that dialogue,” Brocksmith says.
Browning says that he and other county representatives have lately been meeting with Swinomish tribal officials in an attempt to open the way to more cooperative relations as concerns salmon recovery. He and the other two commissioners favor an “integrated” salmon recovery plan that brings all the tribes together with county government and the several diking districts that protect delta farmland from tidal inundation from Public Sound waters.
Among his priorities as county commissioner have been securing a flood protection agreement with Seattle City Light through the relicensing process the utility is in the final phase of completion. He and county officials say that they have secured an agreement that is workable.
Browning says that he also wanted to improve the county government’s relations with the cities and was pleased to have all cities join in calling for better flood protection. He has been endorsed by Jill Boudreau, former mayor of Mount Vernon, as well as the current mayors of Burlington and Sedro-Woolley as well as councilmembers of all three cities.
The seasonal flows of water released by Seattle City Light from its upriver dams can help fish runs otherwise impeded by the loss of the Skagit’s natural flow. The flooding due to periodic overflow of the river’s banks as the valley floor flattens out has often been prevented or diminished when the utility provides enough storage capacity behind Ross Dam to capture the heavy rains of winter. All three dams are actually located in Whatcom County where the river passes into Skagit County.
Brocksmith, as a Mount Vernon councilman was criticized by some local officials for being the only elected official in the county who refused to sign a joint letter of countywide office holders asking that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hold City Light to more flood storage behind the dams.
“We had fish people far smarter than Richard working on this and agreeing with the plan,” says Browning. “He clearly does not understand how planning and negotiation can work together. This is more of an indication of how he works toward agreement. He takes a hard stance and is not willing to listen.”
Ultimately, county officials negotiated a flood storage understanding with Seattle City Light that gives them both a guaranteed amount of flood storage behind Ross Dam and some flexibility beyond that when unusually high water flows on the river require adjustments.
Jill Boudreau, Mount Vernon’s popular three-term mayor, found Brocksmith at times difficult to work with. “As to the flood control letter,” she said, “He didn’t advocate for the county position.” Boudreau said she and Brocksmith clashed on some occasions, including issues of housing needs in the county. “He had a rather grandiose vision.”
“Richard was often hard to understand,” Boudreau said. “He is very ill-suited for authority and public policy.”
“Jill’s really swinging for the bleachers,” Brocksmith said, in response. He didn’t seem surprised at the former mayor’s assessment of him. He offered his own evaluation of his style.
“On her quote, I’d just say there are different kinds of leaders,” he said. “Some are more interested in command and control and others like me want to try to improve people’s lives and help them succeed as they see fit.”
A post on Brocksmith’s Facebook page from William R. Gregory of Sedro-Woolley supports Brocksmith’s style: “As the executive director of the Skagit Watershed Council, he has successfully led initiatives to protect our natural resources while promoting economic growth. His scientific background and collaborative approach have fostered strong partnerships across government, nonprofits and citizen groups, ensuring that diverse voices are heard and respected,”
In District 1: essential services, ‘beacon of hope’
Ron Wesen is the incumbent commissioner for the District 1 position, now seeking his fifth term. He identifies as Republican.
Wesen has been long established in the dairy industry as a leading organic producer. He received a degree in dairy science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California. He is president of the Skagit County Dairy Federation and serves on the Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Coordination Board.
As commissioner, Wesen says he has worked to maintain essential services, including public health and safety, as state and federal governments reduce their support.
“My goal is a safe, attractive and affordable community with good jobs, good schools, and a healthy environment that maintains our community’s heritage and natural beauty,” Wesen says in his candidate statement.
Wesen’s opponent is Rylee Fleury, a third-generation resident of Skagit County who identifies as independent and a member of the Free Washington Constitutional Clubs.
His website proclaims him as a “beacon of hope” in the upcoming election: “With a steadfast commitment to upholding the law and supporting our vital agricultural community, he is preparing to address critical issues that our current administration has either neglected or exacerbated.”
— By Dick Clever
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