ISLAND COUNTY: November/December 2025 ICD Newsletter
The Island County Democrats publish a monthly newsletter, which we are posting here. We believe that the statements made by the leadership of each party are of general public interest.
Message from ICD Chair, Jennifer Haase Morris
Happy Holidays from the Island County Democratic Central Committee! Wishing you all a healthy and happy close to this year that has been packed full of chaos and confusion in our political and democratic systems. May 2026 bring fresh approaches to the challenges that lay ahead.
As we get ready for 2026, we will also be preparing a fresh “look” and approach for this newsletter…finding ways to bring you timely information from our elected officials, ways to connect to local events and activities, and opportunities to support the many campaigns that will get rolling early in the year. We will kick off more frequent communications with different focus areas early in the year.
We will also increase the number of gatherings for the General Membership in 2026 to allow time to meet new and incumbent candidates. The meeting schedule for ICD in 2026 will include alternating months for General Meeting and E-Board meetings, beginning with a General Meeting on the 3rd Thursday of January at 6:30 pm via Zoom. General Meetings will be every other month (January, March, May, July, September, November) on the 3rd Thursday of those months at 6:30 pm via Zoom or hybrid when possible. The alternate months will be E-Board meetings. Committees will meet as needed throughout the year.
As we are able, we will look for ways to meet in person and encourage you all to take advantage of social and educational gatherings hosted by Camano Island Democrats and Whidbey Island Democratic Club.
If your 2026 goals include engaging in our democracy and the political process in meaningful ways next year, please drop me a line. I’d love to get you connected with the various committees and small groups gearing up for some great projects in the coming year!
Jennifer Haase Morris
Message from Island County Commissioner, Janet St Clair
Dear Friends,
November 22 marked the anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. At the most recent 10thLD Democrats General Meeting, my husband John Amell read a memoriam excerpted from Johnny Cairns, sharing his memories as a boy living in Dallas. Cairns spoke of courage, vision and humility…characteristics of true leaders. I was struck by the account of his compassion when JFK’s “first executive order doubled surplus food for the hungry, honoring a promise to those who had revealed America’s quiet suffering to him.”
In these challenging times, we see a sharp contrast in leadership with this administration. We as Democrats are called to come together, to listen and to work to end divisiveness as we remember our roots. As your Island County Commissioner, I have listened deeply to our advocates and leaders in senior services who fear the impacts on our vulnerable elders as they look to cuts to Meals on Wheels and our congregate meal programs. I chose to vote to add funding, despite a very challenging budget, to bridge the gap for senior nutrition. Our food banks shared their fears for families that are facing cuts to SNAP and increased need. We gave micro-grants to each of our food banks to bridge the gap. I worry about cuts to Medicaid and access to crucial healthcare and behavioral health programs. I was privileged to meet with Senator Murray in Oak Harbor with our partner SeaMar to discuss those challenges.
Our County budget is nearing completion with a Public Hearing on Monday, December 1st. It was a challenging budget, with a $1.3M deficit at the outset. We began by freezing new positions, addressing ways we could operate a more lean operation yet working to maintain our level of service. Every department made cuts to their budget, including the Commissioner’s office which found savings through attrition by not replacing the County Manager, one of the open clerk positions, and cutting our travel expenses. The biggest hurdle was in our law and justice. Costs to recruit and maintain a strong law enforcement team in the Sheriff’s office continue, as do challenges in the courts and Prosecutor’s office. But the biggest challenge is a decision by Washington State Supreme Court to lower public defense caseloads yet with no funding to support that mandate. Washington State Association of Counties notes our State has consistently failed on their obligation to fund public defense, creating disparities in access to legal representation across the state. This has forced our Board to consider the tough decision to add a law & justice sales tax of 1/10th of 1%, a concession the legislature gave local government to compensate for their inability to fund this decision.
As a Democrat and as someone who believes in our very real rights such as the right to a fair trial, the right to healthcare access and a responsible government that addresses hunger and deprivation, I feel this responsibility. These are challenging times with tough choices. I welcome the chance to hear from you. My email is j.stclair@islandcountywa.gov.
Thank you for the privilege of serving you.
Janet St. Clair, Island County Commissioner
Message from State Representative, Dave Paul
We had a wonderful event last week hosted by Jennifer and Paul Morris. Thanks to all who attended, and it was terrific to see so many folks and kickoff our 2026 campaign.
Our last campaign event of the year is less than 2 weeks away! As Chair of the Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee, I’m working to ensure Washington invests in students, advances equity, and strengthens our future workforce. Join us for an engaging conversation in Bellingham with higher education leaders about our work to protect postsecondary education in our state.
This is our last opportunity until next March to prepare for the 2026 election. We know what’s at stake if we lose this seat. If the last ten months have taught us anything, it’s that our democracy depends on us working together to solve the issues that matter most to our community.
Message from State Representative, Clyde Shavers
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to share some news with you that I receive with a deep sense of responsibility. This fall, the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs and the Governor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee selected me as one of their 2025 Legislators of the Year as part of the state’s Outstanding Service to Veterans Awards. These awards are given each year to people and organizations across Washington who go above and beyond in serving our veteran community. Being recognized in that spirit is incredibly humbling. As a Navy veteran myself, I don’t see this as my award – it belongs to you, our community, the veterans and military families who have pushed us and partnered with us every step of the way.
This recognition is largely tied to a bill we passed together this year: House Bill 1102, our Veterans Service Officer (VSO) bill. Across Washington, too many veterans have been left to navigate a complex federal system on their own – especially in rural and underserved communities. When that happens, veterans miss out on health care, housing support, education benefits, and financial stability they’ve already earned through service.
House Bill 1102 makes the largest expansion of our state’s Veterans Service Officer program since it was created. It broadens eligibility for counties to participate, directs more funding toward the places with the lowest benefit participation, and requires counties that receive support to reach veterans in surrounding areas. It also requires the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs to proactively contact every newly discharged service member within 90 days and let them know what help is available.
You can already see what this looks like on the ground. In Island County, where we funded a VSO position, veterans have already received millions of dollars in benefits that might otherwise have gone unclaimed. That’s not just a statistic – that’s rent paid, prescriptions filled, counseling accessed, and families stabilized. With HB 1102 signed into law and taking effect, we’re scaling that model statewide so no veteran, in any corner of Washington, is left alone to fight through the system.
This work builds on several years of veteran and military-family legislation that we’ve moved from idea to law together. One of the first was House Bill 1346, which created Washington’s Purple Star Award for school districts that go above and beyond for military-connected students. Military kids often move six, eight, even ten times during their school years. Every move risks disrupting friendships, credits, and stability. The Purple Star program recognizes districts that build a true support system around those students – through dedicated staff contacts, training for educators, and visible community support. In 2024, twelve districts across the state, including Oak Harbor, earned this designation, showing our military families that their children will be welcomed and supported when they walk into a new school.
We also worked to ease the financial burden on veterans and seniors living on fixed incomes. Working closely with Rep. Sharon Wylie, I helped pass House Bill 1355 in 2023, which raises income thresholds and ties them to county median incomes so more low‑ and moderate‑income seniors, people with disabilities, and disabled veterans qualify for property-tax relief. This change is already helping people stay in the homes and communities they love instead of being taxed out of them as property values climb.
Taken together – Purple Star schools, property-tax relief, and our VSO expansion – these bills are about more than policy details. They are about a promise: that Washington will not forget those who served, and that we will support not only our veterans, but also their families and their futures.
That same promise guides our work on mental health for our kids.
Many of you have shared your worries with me about youth mental health – about kids who can’t get in to see a counselor, families who wait months for an appointment, students who are struggling quietly in classrooms all across our district. That’s why I introduced House Bill 1259, which focuses on a very practical problem: we don’t have enough licensed behavioral health professionals in our schools, and the process to become fully licensed can make it even harder to place counselors where they’re needed most.
HB 1259 directs entities to work together to create clear standards so graduate‑level behavioral health professionals can earn the supervised hours they need for full licensure while working in our elementary and secondary schools. In plain language: it builds a stronger pipeline of school‑based counselors, social workers, and therapists by letting them complete their clinical requirements in the schools where our kids actually are.
The bill is still in the legislative process, and we are working to strengthen it, secure broad bipartisan support, and get it across the finish line. My goal is simple: for every student who is struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, or loneliness to have timely access to a qualified adult in their school who can listen, support, and connect them to care.
As a veteran, I’ve seen what happens when people carry invisible wounds without adequate support. As your state representative, I refuse to accept that for our kids. Expanding VSOs for veterans and building a stronger mental health workforce for students are, to me, two sides of the same commitment: we take care of those who serve, and we take care of the next generation they fought to protect.
I am deeply grateful to you – for your advocacy, your emails and calls, your stories. This award from WDVA is a reminder that when our community speaks with a clear and consistent voice about our values, we can change state law and improve lives far beyond our district.
We still have much work ahead of us. But I am hopeful, because I know what we’ve already accomplished together – and I know the strength, compassion, and determination of this community.
Thank you for the honor of serving as your state representative.
Always at Your Service,
Clyde
Message from US Representative, Rick Larsen
For more than two decades, I have made it a priority to hear directly from veterans in Northwest Washington. These conversations are invaluable to understanding both the progress we have made and the work that remains to ensure our nation fulfills its promises to those who served.
This fall, I hosted roundtables in Everett, Bellingham, Burlington, Oak Harbor, and Lummi Nation to hear from veterans about their experiences and needs. The feedback from those discussions shaped my new report, Listening to Veterans in Northwest Washington, which outlines the most pressing issues facing local veterans and provides policy recommendations for Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Veterans in our community have made clear that our nation’s commitment must go beyond words and ceremonies. We must guarantee access to quality health care, affordable housing, education, and good jobs for every veteran.
Unfortunately, VA leadership did not attend this year’s roundtables, missing an important opportunity to hear directly from veterans. I have sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins urging stronger engagement with our local veteran community.
Since the passage of the Honoring our PACT Act in 2022, 37% more veterans are receiving care through the VA. Yet instead of meeting this increased demand with more staff, the Trump administration has cut approximately 30,000 VA employees, including nurses, doctors, and social workers. These cuts threaten the quality and timeliness of care veterans deserve.
I will continue fighting in Congress to oppose these harmful cuts and to invest in the people and resources that serve veterans every day. Together, we can ensure that every veteran in Northwest Washington receives the care, benefits, and respect they have earned.
More soon,
Rick
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