'I am a connector:' Katie Walters' journey to Kitsap County commissioner candidate

SILVERDALE — A shortage of law enforcement officers and mental health professionals has been a vexing problem facing Kitsap County. But Katie Walters had an idea that, as has often happened in her career, would require "bringing people together," she said.

Walters, who is running to replace Ed Wolfe on the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, arranged for sheriff's office leaders to meet with Olympic College staff to see about the prospect of establishing a criminology program — a homegrown solution to help with staffing.

More: Election 2022: Candidates for Kitsap County Commissioner, District 3

"I am a connector," said Walters, who is running as a Democrat. "I see a need and I take care of it."

With a wide network of Kitsap County leaders — many of which have come through her doors to complete the Leadership Kitsap program, where she's been executive director since 2015 — Walters believes she can make a difference on a bigger level as county commissioner in Central Kitsap.

"What I do connecting people is a big part of what the commissioner does," the 55-year-old said.

Walters was the top vote-getter in the August primary with 37% of the vote, with her opponent, Republican candidate Josh Hinman, getting 27% as a field of five candidates was whittled to two. Hinman, also a newcomer to politics, has currently raised more money, almost $65,000 to Walters' more than $34,000 in the race. But Walters likes her chances and is on leave from Leadership Kitsap so she can focus on campaigning.

Advocates of Walters' candidacy acknowledged an "uncanny ability to work with and motivate people," in the words of Cary Bozeman, former mayor of Bremerton and Bellevue.

Bozeman said she took Leadership Kitsap and broadened the organization, with most of the county's leaders from nonprofits, governments and businesses going through the program.

"When you see Katie something just draws you toward her," added Harriette Bryant, also a past board member who founded teen mentorship programs OurGems and OurGents in Kitsap County schools. "She is a great communicator who cares about our community."

A career around connecting people

Walters, who grew up in Helena, Montana, often organized her fellow youth into community projects, including a carnival for charity and a neighborhood newspaper. She once got the governor of the state to come to an Arbor Day event.

"I was politically involved from the start," said Walters, who enrolled in Gonzaga University and got a degree in public relations.

It was at Gonzaga she met her husband, David, who became a fifth-generation engineer at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Raising three boys together, the pair have lived all over Kitsap, from Bainbridge Island to Manchester, since 1991.

Walters attained a master's in communications from Washington State University.

She's taught communication studies at Olympic College, and, after attaining her museum studies certificate, has helped curate exhibits at the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor. She helped raise the $15 million needed to build the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Since 2015, she has run Leadership Kitsap, expanding its reach to also encompass the Kitsap "20 under 40," program, taking over the program from the Kitsap Sun.

When COVID-19 hit and it suspended its classes of students, its programming could've stopped. But Walters felt it was important that the organization live up to its title and lead. Online Zoom meetings and forums for leaders, including networks designed to help women specifically, were born in the pandemic's darkest days.

If elected, Walters sees her highest priority as being accessible to residents.

"The biggest thing you can give your community is ensuring they're heard, ensuring they're served," she said.

Walters is excited about the ideas for Old Town Silverdale, where she sees the prospect of new sidewalks abutting new housing developments and even a community center. She wonders how the Kitsap County Parks Department can add additional recreational opportunities, rather than just parklands.

A top concern is public safety and ensuring that the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office is back up to full staffing, she said.

"Nothing works if you don't feel safe in your community," she said.

On homelessness, Walters said the county's course of using its newly founded HEART Team to find housing and permanent stability for those on the street is a step in the right direction.

"I understand the frustration but the personal approach we're taking will lead to long-term solutions where we're not moving the problem down the street," she said.

She wants to see Kitsap Transit re-establish Sunday bus service and likes the concept of more intra-county fast ferry service to places like Old Town Silverdale. She also opposes new taxes on residents, saying she has seen and heard how painful inflation and surging prices have been on those she's met on the campaign trail.

Walters said the county's comprehensive plan, due for a complete update in 2024, will be a critical part of the next commissioner's term. She wants to see more choices in Kitsap for housing at all economic levels and she'd like to see "more density where density is supposed to go."

"We have a lot of unproductive urban space," said Walters, noting wide areas like the parking lot of the Kitsap Mall. "We need to see upzoning near transportation hubs, helping to make it easier for people to get around."

Walters' work in the community has helped her garner support from what are perhaps unlikely places. Longtime Silverdale Artist Lisa Stirrett, a Republican, said she'll be supporting Walters.

"There are times when I get to know a candidate I support across the aisle and this is one of them," Stirrett said. "Katie is running a selfless campaign. She listens and works to bring everyone's voice together for the betterment of our community. I think she'll be a win-win for all sides."

The winner of the race Nov. 8 will earn a four-year term and serve alongside fellow commissioners Charlotte Garrido and Rob Gelder on the three person board. The position pays $152,000 a year.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Walters' skill connecting people seen as strength for commissioner