She has lived in the Pacific Northwest for 20 years. When asked why she is running, DeGard answered that she was approached to run for the position by a group of local people of both parties with ties to the emerging telecommunications industry as well as the environmental movement, whose views reflect her own.

“It is obvious to me that there is a leadership void in Kitsap County,” stated DeGard. “If we’re going to accomplish the kind of economic development we need and still address the environmental issues at hand, the county needs stronger, more aggressive leadership. We’ve been hearing a lot of talk about ‘Smart Growth,’ but we have no definition of it. That unwillingness to define it continues to polarize people. The time for talk is over. It’s time for action.”

DeGard’s business background includes owning her own consulting firm, starting a management training school in northern Poland, managing a start up manufacturing company, designing online educational programs, working with the Boeing Company and the US Navy on its business process re-engineering efforts, and working with a software company to deploy enterprise-wide business systems.

She is the general coordinator for the recently completed KitsapKids Playground at Stampede and Tracyton Boulevards, a member of the Silverdale Rotary, a fellow for Advanced Design Institute, a member of the Bremerton and Silverdale Chambers of Commerce, on the Admiral Theatre Foundation Board of Directors, and a graduate of Leadership Kitsap.

DeGard’s platform has four basic planks, which are all intertwined — economic development, the environment, telecommunications and leadership.

On economic development she commented, “This is a beautiful place, and I believe that people want to live and work here in Kitsap County, but also don’t want the negative impacts that growth can have. Balancing work, recreation and quality of life is something I feel must happen. Meanwhile we have to increase the number of family-wage jobs in a way that increases quality of life wile growing the tax base of the county.”

Unusual for a Republican, DeGard is zealous about the environment, and believes her approach will help her win votes from what has been a traditional democratic constitutancy — especially in Kitsap County.

“I moved to the Pacific Northwest because of its natural beauty and I am passionate about preserving our rural lifestyle,” she said with conviction. “We have a responsibility to care for the water and air quality of our environment. We are the landscape for our neighboring communities and live on the edge of many natural systems.”

She cited the restoration of Sinclair Inlet as an example of preserving and enhancing the environment while creating jobs without using county taxpayer dollars. “Through innovative watershed based approaches and creating public-private partnerships, this project demonstrates the kind of win-win situation we need to continue to bring to Kitsap County,” She said.

She also recognizes how the proper telecommunications infrastructure offers the ability to attract high-tech companies here as well as provide business, work at home and distance learning opportunities without necessitating development.

“Telecommunications can offer new jobs that infuse new money into the community without large-scale, physical development,’ she noted. “Telecom is a basis for attracting businesses that don’t require industrial types of complexes. Telecommunications must be designated as Kitsap’s “Fourth Utility.”

DeGard says she sees the county suffering from a lack of common sense leadership that has a more to do with political agendas than what’s best for the county. She cited her experience as a mediator and arbitrator, saying it provided her with a skill set that can help facilitate resolutions and eliminate the ongoing polarization.

DeGard can be contacted at (360) 830-0871 or pdegard@charter.net.