Election 2026County Council Candidate Profiles

Published 1:30 am Monday, July 27, 2026

Writer’s note: These profiles are less formal than typical newswriting, where we strive for objective language. At a time when candidates are frequently boiled down into bullet-point beliefs and resume line items — which are still available on their campaign websites, in voters’ forum summaries and in the voters’ pamphlet — I wanted to offer voters a glimpse deeper. While it’s not possible for each constituent to sit down for a coffee and a conversation with each candidate, it is possible for me to capture what it’s like to do so and share it with you.

Katherine Bryant Ingman

We all know those faces that pop up everywhere in the community. They’re at the sign-in table for a fundraiser, dropping off cupcakes at the bake sale and somehow also blowing the whistle after school at practice. Katherine Bryant Ingman is especially familiar to the community on Lopez because not only does she have her finger in every pie, but she’s doing it with a mop of curly hair that’s almost as big as her personality.

“I love Lopez. I’ve been part of the community for over a decade, and I’m involved in almost every corner,” Bryant Ingman told the Sounder. “If you come over, you’ll see my signs are in people’s driveways and yards — I am the choice for District 3. There’s lots of support and endorsements!”

Bryant Ingman works full-time for the Washington Women’s Foundation as the Senior Manager of Membership, and also currently serves as the President of the Catherine Washburn Medical Association and President of the Lopez Island Community Tennis Association. Prior to those positions, she was a founding member of Lopez’s Food Share, the property manager for Housing Lopez’s first project, worked for the Lopez Island Prevention Coalition and served as the program director for Leadership SJI.

“I’m the only candidate who has a master’s degree — I very much value education,” she said.

This answer opened the door to ask about the first of a few potential contradictions I’d noticed on her website and at the voter’s forum: her education background shows that she attended conservative Christian institutions, while her campaign website has a sticker and link to the progressive Everyone is Welcome club.

“I’m proud of the institutions I was a part of, and I don’t align with them on everything,” Bryant Ingman said — not the last time she’d use “both and” language in this interview. “I’ve been endorsed by the National Women’s Political Caucus, so I think that really sums up the question of what I believe.”

Bryant Ingman’s answers tend to follow a similar pattern. She’s a track coach for the district and personally voted to fund the rec levy on Lopez, and also believes the school budget is a state funding issue rather than a local voter issue. When it came to the county levy lid lift, she was disappointed it didn’t pass and got to work trying to understand why people voted the way they did.

“That’s the kind of leader I want to be,” she explained. “I have my personal opinion, but it’s not the most important thing. This role, as I see it, is about stewarding what the community wants and needs and helping achieve the most equitable outcomes for the county. I am not a black-or-white leader – I’m someone who can hold many different truths at the same time. If [the levy] is going to go back on the ballot, there needs to be broad listening sessions, community awareness and a communications campaign to truly understand how our fellow neighbors are feeling about the levy and the economy in general.”

Bryant Ingman’s role as President of the CWMA, where she manages a budget of $4.5 million and spent the last year dealing with an unexpected transition from UW Medicine to Sea Mar Community Health Centers, is one of the biggest feathers in her cap.

“I’m very proud of the work that we did. It was tough!” she said after recounting the many meetings with community organizations across the island, town halls, transition communication team work, press releases, etc. “There were moments where people wanted to quit and were feeling frustrated. I was constantly reminding people: this is about the entire island and moving through to a solution that everyone can feel at least comfortable with. And I will wholeheartedly say we accomplished that.”

At the voters’ forum, Bryant Ingman pointed out that while the islands are frequently assumed to be not very diverse, there are actually a lot of diverse demographics like age, socioeconomic status and education.

“I represent a diverse age,” she pointed out. “The decisions that are made today affect our generation the most going forward. They just do. So it’s really important that we have the perspective of that generation at the table.”

“I’ve worked on huge projects, like the clinic transition and the food bank and leadership San Juans,” she continued. “Those are huge pillars of our community. With age doesn’t always come more experience – sometimes we need to shake things up. I’ve proven that I’m unafraid to do that.”

Renee Koplan

Renee Koplan doesn’t fit the mold of a typical local politician. She’s quiet, and hesitant to talk about her accomplishments. Her website is much simpler than the other candidates’, and she has only one endorsement listed. When asked for names of more supporters, Koplan declined to give any contacts because she didn’t want anyone to feel pressured to praise her.

“Why don’t you see signs supporting Renee Koplan for County Council?” Shannon Hoffman wrote on Facebook, pointing out another difference in the candidates for county council this year. “Because she does not believe in adding to visual pollution and the waste stream by handing out yard signs that usually end up as roadside trash or most certainly in the landfill. You didn’t see her in the 4th of July parade because she is humble and does not like to grandstand.”

Koplan acknowledges that her different approach might not be the best way to win an election, but it feels true to her abilities and values.

“I have never done this before,” she said. “I’m seeing how it goes! I think other candidates have people working on their campaign, but I didn’t have the bandwidth for that. It’s the path that I chose to not place too much pressure on myself.”

One way she is similar to her opponents is the common thread of community service in all of her endeavors, both paid and unpaid, although Koplan’s been more of a boots-on-the-ground team member rather than the leader shining in the spotlight.

For example, during the switch from UW to Sea Mar, Koplan wasn’t pulling the strings or in the public eye but was instead a staff member, helping guide clients through the day-to-day transition as their care coordinator. She also did HR at the Lopez Island School District, where she helped navigate crises and complaints behind the scenes. During her time as Superintendent of the Lopez Hospital District, she worked with the board to successfully pass a multi-year levy lid lift, which was approved with high community support.

She learned from those experiences how things typically go when creating change in the local community, and has ideas about how to make things run more smoothly at a county level.

“I realized that it’s typical to have things in process at board meetings and discuss them over time, and it’s not until you’re at a point where you’re going to take action when concerns are brought forth, and it feels like you’re back at the beginning,” Koplan said. “You have to prepare for that process. Transparent communication and encouraging community involvement in advance is the solution.”

She relates with the community as a fellow member and helper and thinks her perspective as one of them, rather than the typical, in-the-spotlight leadership, could be valuable. Before her time on Lopez, she was a bit of a wanderer. But no matter where she lived, she’s always found herself helping.

“I like to be involved in my community,” she said. “I’m not a super social person, I guess I’m more of an introvert really, but every time I go somewhere new I always try to figure out where I can best help.”

Before Koplan had even moved to Lopez, she had already joined the Islands’ Oil Spill Association and the Marine Stranding Network. She’s volunteered with Wolf Hollow, SHIBA, the Solid Waste Alternatives Program, Lopez Animal Protections Society, the Farmers’ Market, and, even to this day, serves as a volunteer EMT/Firefighter with Lopez Island Fire.

“EMT is my favorite thing in the world; it’s the best volunteer job I’ve ever had,” Koplan shared. “When you’re in a situation where you can actually help someone in a crisis or emergency, it’s the best feeling!”

She said she wants to represent everyone, rather than the privileged few.

“I’m running for this position because I’m just a regular person,” she said. “I want to stand up for people that need their voice heard. Not everyone is willing to stand up for themselves and share their opinions. I have a good understanding from living here for the last twelve years, and I could make a go of it for sure.”

Jennifer Swanson

“It happened again!” I laughed during my interview with Jennifer Swanson, county council candidate from Shaw, when she asked herself a follow-up question before I could ask the same thing. This time, it had been about the size of her budget as the superintendent of a small school district and how that would translate to managing a county-sized budget. She answered that while smaller, the concept is the same: managing public funds is managing public funds, and you just scale up.

“I like to ask questions!” Swanson chuckled, as she acknowledged that this was the fourth time she had predicted my next question. “I like to listen and understand and make bigger, wider connections. This is how I arrived at the decision to run. I see that these community conversations are not just specific to Shaw. I’ve been working on these issues for a number of years now — it’s a lived experience.”

The community conversations she’s referring to are, in part, the ones she’s hosting at the monthly “brown bag lunch” she started on Shaw at the community building (which she also helps run in her role as secretary of Shaw, Inc.), where neighbors can gather to have conversation.

“It can be serious things or mundane things — it’s just a way for the community to be in connection with each other,” Swanson shared. “I value the opportunity to get together, look at each other, and have accountability to one another in how we show up with our different opinions and perspectives. Because ultimately, we’re all neighbors.”

Swanson puts her money where her mouth is — you can almost play connect the dots between what she says her priorities are for the county (Budget, Ferries, Affordable Housing, Environment) with her resume of experience: only candidate to have elected experience with public funds, chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee, Co-Founder of the Shaw Island Community Land Trust and member of the Teacher Housing Finance Committee, and part of the inaugural Climate Convergence with the Madrona Institute.

“I tend to be somebody who sees an issue or problem and steps up to be part of the solution,” she said, summing up her reasons for staying on various committees and boards for years upon years. “To me, that is not just hopping in for one or two years but being really committed to it. Initially, I thought I could go in and move the needle in a big way, because I had all these great ideas. But I’ve learned it’s a slow process. I say now that good governance is time, patience, persistence and a lot of communication. You have to stay the course and be committed to doing the work. It’s not grandiose and splashy, but it’s the small things that make a difference over time.”

Swanson says that the limited services on Shaw, where she’s lived for more than 20 years, make her community exceptionally county-minded.

“Shaw is a place that doesn’t have a lot of amenities, so we have to get out and into other communities for doctor’s appointments, school, or work. The other islands have all their services so they’re more insular. We have lots of reasons to go to other islands, and we do! Regularly.”

Swanson has also worked with leaders across the county in her various positions — like at the Land Trust Consortium, or with other school district superintendents during COVID. Swanson met current county councilmember Kari McVeigh when she took over Swanson’s position as Shaw Island Superintendent, and they continued to work together through the Teacher Housing Finance Committee. They currently both serve on the Ferry Advisory Committee, which Swanson chairs, and where she was a colleague of county councilmember Justin Paulsen. She’s also spent her eight years on the committee working with state leadership.

“Having preexisting relationships matters because I already have established trust with these people — a working relationship and a rapport,” Swanson said. “Building those relationships is fundamental to being able to get anything done. It gives me an advantage to be able to hit the ground running.”

That phrase has been used in her campaign quite a bit, and I asked if that means electing her is maintaining the status quo.

“No matter what, we can’t keep going with the status quo because we can’t afford it,” Swanson said. “Hit the ground running means not as big of a learning curve. What sets me apart is that I have the longest track record and am the most experienced, seasoned candidate.”