Jennifer Swanson — The experience, the grit and the heart to lead | Column

Published 1:30 am Monday, July 27, 2026

By Kerwin Johnson, Gordon Koenig, Trish Lehman, Terri Gudgell Mason, Rhea Miller, Anita Orne, Bill Watson and Ron Zee

Some of us have had the pleasure and opportunity to learn about Jennifer Swanson just recently, through the course of her campaign, while others of us have watched her serve our community for years. Our conclusions are the same: Time and again, we’ve seen her tackle rigorous questions and difficult issues with integrity, preparation and genuine respect for everyone involved. That’s why we’re proud to support her for San Juan County Council.

What has impressed us most isn’t just Jennifer’s long record of service — it’s the way she approaches every decision. She does the hard work first, asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully and weighing the facts with admirable patience and quiet determination. Jennifer follows through on her commitments and treats people with respect, even when they disagree.

Jennifer Swanson is the only candidate to include the county budget as a priority issue of her campaign. At a time when our County faces historic financial and policy challenges that will extend well beyond this year’s budget cycle, we need a leader experienced in working with the complexities of public funding who can work collaboratively to manage them. This is the primary duty of all council members.

Jennifer has already earned the trust of community leaders, county department heads and fellow public officials, positioning her to be an effective advocate for our county from day one.

We support Jennifer not simply because she’s the most qualified — although she certainly is. We support her because we’ve seen the kind of leader she is: thoughtful, principled, prepared and willing to put the county’s long-term interests ahead of politics. We know she’ll serve not only the residents of District 3, but all of San Juan County with that same commitment.

We invite you to learn more about Jennifer’s background, priorities and growing list of supporters at jswanson4council.com.

Please join us in voting for Jennifer Swanson for San Juan County Council, District 3.