Kitsap County Treasurer Meredith Green won't seek re-election
Kitsap County Treasurer Meredith Green has announced she will not seek re-election in November, setting the stage for Kitsap County's investment manager, Pete Boissonneau, to fill the office in January 2023.
Green had filed to run for her fourth term during the state's filing week for elected office last week. Boissonneau, a Democrat, put his name in as a candidate shortly before the deadline on Friday. Green withdrew from the race on Monday, the deadline for candidates to exit races without their name being included on the ballot.
"I wasn't sure until Friday that (Boissonneau) was going to do it," Green said of filing to run and then withdrawing, adding that it's a "big step" to go from being an employee in the office to being the elected official in charge of it. "I'm thrilled he made that decision."
More: Filing week wrap: Races set for August primary, November election
Boissonneau, 37, has worked for the county since 2019 and oversees investments for the treasurer's office. The office, which serves as the bank for the county and its junior taxing districts (including schools, ports, cities and fire districts), invests funds not required for immediate spending. The funds are pooled together in the Kitsap County Investment Pool and invested in government-backed securities.
Green said the county's investment pool has averaged $800 million and provides tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the county and its taxing districts.
As Green prepares to transition out, so is the 39-year chief deputy of the office, Vickie Fick. Fick will retire on Friday and Boissonneau will become chief deputy through the end of the year before taking office in January, Green said.
Green, who ran as a Democrat, was appointed treasurer in March 2010 by the Kitsap County commissioners, filling a vacancy left when Barbara Stephenson took a job with the city of Bremerton. She ran unopposed in November 2010 and in elections in 2014 and 2018.
When she took office in 2010, Green noted that the nation was recovering from the Great Recession and the county was in an era of cutting expenses, with the general fund borrowing money from public works to make payroll. Added to the mix was figuring out how to pay off a $40.5 million loan that fell to the county's shoulders after the luxury Harborside condo project developed by the Kitsap Consolidated Housing Authority failed to pencil out.
Today, Green said the county is on solid financial footing, with debt from the housing authority loan set to be paid off in 2028. She said the county's level of reserves meets what is recommended by the Government Financial Officers Association.
"It's been a joint effort of the commissioners, the treasurer and the auditor, having great financial statements," Green said. "It's teamwork."
Green was also proud of the work she did as a member and past president of the Washington State Association of County Treasurers, which she said worked with the Legislature to enact laws that allow for monthly payments of property taxes and provided a mechanism for taxpayers with delinquent taxes to make payments over time.
She also said the association lobbied against a bill that proposed forming a "State Bank" that would have been collateralized using local government investment pool and state retirement funds.
"I believe a State Bank is like the Housing Authority situation on steroids," Green said of the proposal, which was billed as a way to offer low-interest loans for low-income housing while promising high-interest rates for those providing collateral.
The bill that moved forward in the Legislature excluded using the government investment pool and retirement funds as collateral.
In January, Green said she will go "job-free" with the intention of continuing her community service. Green said she is proudest of her work with the Poulsbo Rotary in supporting Coffee Oasis programs, which aid youth in crisis in Poulsbo and Kingston, and as president of the Olympic College Foundation board, which she said has granted hundreds of scholarships to OC students.
But first, she and her partner plan to set sail on a Pacific sailing adventure aboard a 43-foot sailboat. They'll launch in Poulsbo.
"We plan to start off and see how far we go," Green said.
Other withdrawals
Candidates who filed for office during filing week but changed their minds had until 4:30 p.m. Monday to withdraw from the race without their name appearing on the ballot for the August primary or the November general election.
Other candidates who withdrew were in the 26th District Position 2 House seat, currently held by Republican Michelle Caldier. By Friday, the race had four candidates, with Caldier being challenged by fellow Republicans Rachel Harter and Oran Root and Democrat Matt Macklin. On Monday, Harter and Root withdrew from the race, meaning Macklin and Caldier will go on to face each other in the November general election.
Kimberly Rubenstein is the local news editor of the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached at kimberly.rubenstein@kitsapsun.com or 360-792-5263. Support coverage of local news by signing up today for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap County Treasurer Meredith Green won't seek re-election
