King County Elections - Karen Porterfield - Commissioner of Public Lands Candidacy Statement lyrics

Elected Experience: No elected experience. Other Professional Experience: Principal, Meta Management Group. Associate Dean, Seattle University College of Art and Science. Vice President, United Way of King County. Director of Development, Salvation Army. Education: BA - Political Science, Western Washington University. Master of Public Administration, Seattle University. Executive Certification - Economic and Community Development, University of Maryland. Community Service: Bellevue College Foundation Board - Board Vice President. Teens in Public Service Board - Board Member. Talus HOA Board - Board Member. Belltown Food Bank - Volunteer Executive Director. Statement: The Commissioner of Public Lands is the executive responsible for leading the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This is a role for a proven executive, not another politician. DNR's mission is more than just protecting trees. It's about utilizing our public lands to generate revenue to support our schools, colleges, and our economy. For too long, a succession of professional politicians has mismanaged the agency. Poorly maintained forests and rangelands have left us fighting ma**ive wildfires, caused loss of lives in places such as Oso and Twisp, and generated costly lawsuits against the State - costing us, the taxpayers, millions of dollars. As your Commissioner, I will balance the need for preserving our environment while generating revenue for our schools. We can meet our commitments to schools, colleges, and the environment, but only if DNR changes how it does business. It's time that we take a business approach to our public lands - not a political one. I have a vision, a plan, and the executive experience to lead and bring fundamental change to how the DNR operates. We need a proven executive leadership for this executive position. Thank you for your support.