Two Democrats, a Republican and an independent are campaigning for the seat that will be vacated at the end of this year by Commissioner Jan Angel. She announced early this year she would not run for reelection, and that announcement was followed shortly later by one announcing her candidacy for the state House in the 26th Legislative District.

Former County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, of Olalla, and Port Orchard’s Monty Mahan, son of former county commissioner and current Port of Bremerton Commissioner Bill Mahan, are the two Democrats hoping to get the job. They’re competing against Port Orchard Republican Tim Matthes and Paul Nuchims, a Port Orchard candidate running as an independent.

Their platforms have similar issues, but the four candidates are very diverse otherwise.

Matthes said he was disappointed to hear Angel wouldn’t run, and when no one from the GOP stepped forward, he decided it was up to him, even though he’d never considered the idea before. “It was a wake-up call for me. I didn’t realize how difficult would be,” he said.

Born and raised in Bremerton, Matthes retired from the shipyard and currently serves on the county’s Board of Equalization, whose role is to arbitrate assessed valuation disagreements between the assessor and property owners. He was appointed this year to the Port Orchard Planning Commission and is the vice president of Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners.

He said he is running a frugal campaign, designing his own brochures and using recycled sign posts, and believes in self-sufficiency — something he wants to see the county do. “They can’t write more checks than what they make , the budget was also in a critical condition, and commissioners introduced a strategic plan that included the collaboration of different departments for resource sharing, which meant cost savings.

“I would like to review how it’s being done now and how can be more aligned,” she said.

The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance contracted Garrido recently for the project pushing for expanded baccalaureate degrees in the county.

She said she came back into the commissioner race with a strong interest in improving the economic climate in the county. She has a doctorate degree in urban planning.

However, Garrido has long been criticized for lacking decision-making skills, and for her record of devotion to “process.”

Nuchims, a Port Orchard art gallery owner with a doctorate degree in art, is a retired art professor. He’s held several board positions, including currently serving on the Port Orchard Design Review Board. “I got interested in how the county worked vis-à-vis how the city works in terms of vetting proposed projects,” he said.

He said he has watched some commissioner meetings turn into disasters, and disagrees with the recent approval of condominiums in Manchester, which have now brought on lawsuits against the county. “They shouldn’t have approved anything without a master plan for what the downtown Manchester should look like,” he said.

He feels it’s his responsibility to be involved in the public process, and supports ideas like a university in Kitsap County and the creation of a rapid transit system similar to the one in the San Francisco Bay area.

Nuchims doesn’t plan to post any campaign signs, he said, and will keep his campaign spending to $5,000. “Being commissioner is not about being a figurehead, a placeholder, on the way to other political stations,” he said. “It should be about the ideas and getting things done, including evaluating the county bureaucracies and enunciating a vision for the people of the county.”

Mahan grew up surrounded by the political arena. He is a former 10-year Kitsap County employee, having worked in the Public Works department. For the past seven years, he has been the director of Pierce Conservation District, and has a real estate background. He has been running a blog since January, sharing his views on various issues.

“My beliefs are out there for everyone to see so they don’t have to wonder I’m thinking,” he said. “I’ve always been in the public eye… I want people to know who I am — if they don’t want to vote for me after that, it’s fine but I didn’t want to do it based on soundbytes .”

Mahan supports the idea of a zero-base budget, which means every year the budget is increased by a certain percentage across the board, no big discussion. “In lean budget times, it will be important to make sure staff stay motivated and inspired,” and he has strong relationship with employees to do that, he said. His priorities include Bethel Road development, and being more hands-on at managing county affairs.