Now that San Juan County has two brand new county council members, we at the Journal thought it’d be nice to introduce island residents to the people who will be representing them. Up next is Cindy Wolf, who was elected to represent San Juan County District 2.
J: How long have you lived on the island? What brought you here? Where did you live before?
CW: We moved to Orcas Island from Seattle in 2010. My husband had taken two years out of the workforce to raise our baby because I made more money as a District Sales Manager than he did as an Experimental Physicist in a lab at the UW. We stayed at the Beach House at Bayside Cottages in the summer of 2009 and talked about how lovely it would be to live in the San Juan Islands. I was doing my personal dream job, selling Champagne to the best restaurants in the Northwest, but it required lots of travel and I was ready to move on to the next phase of life. We wound down our lives in Seattle and moved to Orcas Island with our then 2-year-old daughter.
J: What do you like to do in your free time?
CW: I have been campaigning since January in addition to parenting, working part-time and serving in leadership roles for Orcas Women’s Coalition and the San Juan County Democrats, so that is a “back in the before times” question. I enjoy reading, visiting hot springs, gardening and conversations full of ideas.
J: What are your hopes and dreams for San Juan County?
CW: Balance and sustainability are my hope. There have been people living here for at least 10,000 years. We can be a model for how innovation and conservation can make this a beautiful place to live for generations to come. On a more immediate level, I want the people who work here to be able to live here, be a big part of the community and enjoy the natural beauty of the islands. I like to dream up ways people can make a living, help to erase the carbon footprint and produce something beneficial at the same time. Our elders should continue to be taken care of and respected. Our kids should love going to school and never worry about meals or shelter. Clean water, decent housing, good local food and a healthy ecosystem are basic building blocks.
J: What are your hopes and dreams for yourself?
CW: I hope I can help build a healthy and transparent culture of government at the county level and nurture a spirit of collaboration between the people of the county, government at the local, state and federal levels, utilities and our many non-profit partners who provide services to the people of the county. I hope to bring a sense of inclusion and empowerment to everyone who lives here. One day when I am finished with public service, I hope to keep goats and a few peacocks and enjoy the change of seasons in the garden.
J: Tell me about some of your favorite things (Animal, movie, book, musician/band, artist, etc.)
CW: I love music from all time periods and from all around the world. Mari Boine, Claude Debussy, Sweet Honey in the Rock and Santana are a few of the artists I enjoy most.
J: What else would you like to share with the community?
CW: Please come visit me. I am here to represent you and help you make this county a place we all want to spend our lives.
