Truth. Transparency. Trust.
Priority 1
Protect the budget — claim every state dollar.
Skagit County faces roughly $10 million in cuts going into 2027, after a 2026 budget that eliminated 51 positions. In that climate, the Coroner’s Office is one of the very few places where cuts can cost the county money instead of saving it.
Washington reimburses counties up to 40% of contracted autopsy and transport costs, up to 30% of pathologist salaries, and 100% of certain child-death autopsies (RCW 68.50.104). Skagit contracts out every autopsy it performs.
But the state withholds 25% of those reimbursement funds from any office that falls out of compliance. Funding follows accreditation — period.
I will claim every reimbursement dollar the county is entitled to, lock in durable multi-year autopsy contracts before the national pathologist shortage tightens, and pursue federal Coverdell forensic-science grants.
Priority 2
Defend our accreditation — permanently.
There are approximately 1,500 to 2,000 coroner offices in the United States. Skagit County earned IACME accreditation in early 2024, it is the 39th office in the nation and the 7th in Washington for accreditation placement in a country where 83% of death-investigation offices still operate without it.
State law now requires continued accreditation (RCW 36.24.210). It is not a plaque earned once — it is an ongoing legal obligation that takes trained staff, documented procedures, and re-inspection.
Losing it would take no vote and no announcement — only a few budget cycles of quiet attrition in a six-person office.
I will treat IACME standards as the operating baseline, budget for re-inspection years, support ABMDI certification for every investigator, and report compliance publicly — not wait for a state audit.
Priority 3
Answers and compassion for every family.
When the Coroner calls, it is the worst day of a family’s life. The first job of this office is to meet them there — with respect, patience, and clear communication.
- Timely, accurate death investigations. A Coroner’s report is a piece of the truth a family is waiting for — and a document courts, law enforcement, and public health rely on. Getting it right the first time is not optional.
- Turnaround time as a published metric. Days-to-answer is the number families actually feel. If it is tracked and posted, it can be defended.
- Humane notification and real follow-up. No family should feel forgotten the moment a case file closes — and every community’s customs will be honored, including the Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, and Samish nations.
A Note on Experience
Character is the qualification.
The State of Washington certifies the training; it cannot certify judgment, discretion, and honesty. I have spent a lifetime being trusted with things that matter — the highest civilian clearance in the nation, the systems at the heart of America’s defense, and a children’s readership that depends on me to tell them the truth. I am asking for the privilege of bringing that same care to this office.
Truth. Transparency. Trust.
Dignity for every family. Honest answers for every community.