ELECTIONS 2024: Christina Elliott announces commissioner candidacy

Jessie Stensland reports on the Island County elections for the Whidbey News-Times.

An Oak Harbor woman who is an attorney, a business person and a YouTuber is challenging a longtime Island County commissioner.

Christina Elliott filed as a Democratic candidate for the District 2 position, which represents the greater Oak Harbor area. She will face incumbent Jill Johnson, who is seeking her fourth term in office.

Elliott moved to Oak Harbor in May 2022 with her husband. She said her experience working to improve her neighborhood through a position on her homeowners association board encouraged her interest in public service.

They Said It

Elliott said she has a lot of energy, experience and ideas to offer. She grew up in a military family and is married to an active duty member of the Navy, so she has lived all over the country. She has seen communities that have creative solutions to problems like affordable workforce housing, and she would like to bring some of those concepts to the county.

“I don’t like where some of the things in the county are headed and I think I can help change that,” she said.

Elliott’s father was in the Army and the family moved nine times before she was 18 years old. She describes herself as originally from Texas but said she grew up all over the south.

Elliott said her decision to seek the county commissioner position came about as a bit of happenstance, or perhaps serendipity. She has had a license to practice law for a decade but recently passed the Washington state bar exam. She happened to see that the county commissioners were interviewing for the district court judge position and was concerned that none of the candidates were women, so she contacted the commissioners.

Elliott said she understood that it wasn’t ethical for the commissioners — who all happen to be women — to specifically recruit candidates for the nonpartisan position based on gender. Still, she feels like the county could benefit from another female legal mind. In addition, her encounter with county government sparked an interest.

Besides housing, Elliott said she would also like to help grow and improve small businesses in Oak Harbor and in the county generally. She’s impressed by how much the Main Street Association has done to improve downtown Oak Harbor, but she said more can be done.

“We need to do a lot more to market these businesses,” she said, adding that county commissioners can make a difference if they make an effort and understand the challenges and opportunities.

“My experience as a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur is a true testament to the tenacity, innovation and heartfelt commitment it takes to tackle complex challenges using scrappy solutions,” she wrote.