In the 24 hours before I interviewed our Island County commissioner Melanie Bacon, I heard the same heated response from two different people: why do we have to drive 30 mph on Bayview Road?
I thought of all the things that concern Island County, such as rising sea level, lack of affordable housing, homelessness, mental health challenges, water quality, improving infrastructure and protecting our natural resources, among others. And wondered, why get kerfuffled about having to drive slower? Yet both people I spoke with had very strong opinions about the speed limit reduction from 40 to 30 mph that went into effect earlier this year.
I visited Melanie, where she was propped up in bed with her left foot wrapped and elevated on pillows. She was staying at Regency Coupeville for a couple of weeks to heal up and get care from a broken foot she sustained after falling from a step stool onto concrete at her home. Though she’s laid up, she was working for the county from the rehab center, and took the time to spend an hour chatting about the legacy she’d like to leave after serving two terms as Island County commissioner. Her term ends in 2028.
“It will be on my tombstone: She made us drive 30 mph,” Melanie joked when I told her about being surprised at people’s comments after learning about the interview we’d have. “It’s not because I’m mean. The recommendation of our traffic consultant was to change speed limits. That one, Bayview Road, had 25 accidents over a six-year-period. Drive that road at night, it’s windy and it’s unlit. It’s not a safe road. It’s 30 mph and I’m sticking to it. Yes, it adds a couple of minutes to your journey. If you can’t slow down for two minutes, why live on an island? I drive it, too.”
Earlier this year, I gave my first public comment to the Island County Board of Commissioners regarding slowing down while we drive. I took a workshop sponsored by the Whidbey Environmental Action Network on Finding Your Civic Voice, a valuable tool. I cited studies that showed an average of at least one deer a day hit by a car on our island roads. I for one am glad to drive slower on Bayview Road. What’s the hurry? Deer, squirrels, raccoons, birds and rabbits will thank you.
Melanie Bacon has served as District 1 commissioner since January 2021, and still loves what she does.
We talked about the cynical lens that government is viewed through these days.
“There’s a new standard of how people are supposed to behave,” Melanie commented. “To show strength, you have to be brutal.”
That is not her way.
“It’s not an easy thing to govern,” Melanie said. You have to listen to people. You have to be able to parse out people who are angry—Bayview Road, for example—hear what’s really their concern and make your own assessment. I try, honest to god. There are people who are really unkind to me. They speak to me with rage. I’m listening to hear if there’s something I truly should be paying attention to.”
It’s a lot of work to run Island County, and our commissioner isn’t taking time off just because her foot is broken.
“I personally admitted myself into a nursing home because I physically can’t take care of myself because of this foot,” she said. “A lot of people, my doctor for example, said just watch TV. I think a lot of people rely on my opinion. This morning, I scheduled four meetings for today. Did Zoom meetings. I have meetings tomorrow and Wednesday. I have a newsletter for Friday. It’s important work. It has to be done. I’m grateful we have Zoom and teams so that I can participate in the work people pay me to do.”
She mentioned one of the projects the Board of Commissioners is working on is securing state funding for expanding sewer capability in Island County.
“We are dealing with finding solutions to expand a sewer system,” said Melanie. While sewers may not be on folks’ radar, wastewater treatment in the past has limited expansion of new housing. “We now have money from the state.”
For instance, the Town of Coupeville received a $1.4 million grant for the Parker Road Sewer and Storm Line Extension Project the past August. The project is mainly funded via the state’s redirected revenues. The Whidbey News-Times notes Island County also receives state funding through Rural County Economic Development (RCED) Rebates. “The state continues to supply Island County with its 0.09% sales tax rebate under RCW 82.14.370. The county explicitly allocates a portion of these state-provided funds toward public facilities like sewer line extensions to drive affordable housing and job growth.”
Maybe reading about providing more sewers makes your eyes glaze over. What about our natural resources? Our forests and our watersheds and our marine environment make living on Whidbey Island something to appreciate. And caring for them is intentional and takes focused effort from our government and watch dog groups such as WEAN—Whidbey Environmental Action Network.
“I’ve worked on so many things to protect the environment,” Melanie added. “We’ve passed the Comprehensive Plan. I listen to citizens. I believe the community is more engaged because of things I’ve done.”
WEAN is questioning some aspects of the recently passed Comprehensive Plan. Read about their concerns—specifically for beaches and shoreline management—here.
Visiting her website for re-election in 2024, Melanie lists many of her achievements since taking office. She “negotiated support for climate resiliency,” and “approved and funded new Conservation Futures projects.”
Conservation futures funds are property tax revenue used by local governments to buy and protect open space, forests and wildlife habitat. Many of the funds are/were awarded to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.
“I want to be remembered as a person who facilitated changes for the better in this community,” said Melanie, who noted the work that’s been done to restore the boat ramp at Robinson’s beach. It has been covered by sand for several years now. “There will be a new elevated boat launch at Robinson’s Beach. It won’t happen while I’m commissioner.”
Part of her reasoning for running for commissioner in the first place was so that when she retires she’ll know she played a part in caring for island.
“When I first ran for commissioner, I wanted to be a caretaker of this special place,” she said. “Part of that requires protecting what you have. I want to be remembered as someone who helped this be a better place. That’s where my selfishness comes in. I will have a nicer retirement because of the work I did.”
She mentioned being interested in politics, starting as an intern in the Minnesota state senate during the 1980s.
“We were watching crazy political things going on,” Melanie recalled. One bill we worked on was outlawing cop killer bullets—teflon bullets that could pierce kevlar vests. I chaired a zoning board in Minnesota. Then I got this job as an international compensation manager for a Fortune 500 corporation. We had 15,000 employees in 40 countries. I worked at the headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. I got really good money doing that. I left that job in 2010.”
That’s when she was 55. With friends on Whidbey, Melanie found the island felt like the home she always wanted, where she had to be.
“I cashed in my 401K and pension to afford to live here,” she said. “Island County offered me the job of HR director the month I turned 55 and I wanted to retire. It was perfect.”
Arriving as the ‘good old boy’ influence of Island County was on the wain, Melanie looked to make changes and improve morale.
“I was super grateful getting the job as HR director,” she said. “I helped the people who helped the citizens. I felt value in my work. Before, when I was working for the Fortune 500 company, I was prostituting my talents by working for a corporation that was not serving the people, just rewarding those at the top.”
While head of HR, she incorporated a plan to provide free health insurance for Island County employees. By purchasing plans with high deductibles and setting up a tax free health savings account that covered most of the medical expenses, employees could feel free from the burden of paying for health insurance. And Island County could save on not having to pay high premiums.
Knowing that Island County employees earn less than their colleagues on the mainland do, Melanie said, “We don’t have enough tax dollars to pay people what they’re worth. We try to make working at the county worth their effort.”
Part of that ethos is seeing the value in those who work in public service.
“I try to model a behavior and an attitude,” said Melanie. “It’s not just me who has an expectation that I’ll put the needs of citizens first and take joy in that. I have the same expectation of our employees. There’s value to that. Personal rewards. I took personal satisfaction in being the county’s HR director and now its commissioner. There’s no comparison. I want our employees to feel appreciated.”
Because of the effort at the top to govern with humanity, Melanie says, morale is good overall.
“That’s saying a lot,” she recalled. “When I first came to the county we did not have good morale.”
She recalled the days in Minnesota when she was attending a seminary and owned a sign company. A friend got a job at an Indian gaming casino and asked Melanie to take a job in its employee relations department.
“They wanted someone who thought it was important to be nice to people,” Melanie recalled. “I had no previous experience in HR. The supervisor there was thought to practice the chair and whip school of management. We do not do that in Island County.”
As our hour drew to a close, I realized how much I enjoyed the visit with one of our elected officials who is approachable and honest and knows how to govern.
“I want those who live here—my focus is on people who live here—I want them to be happy here and enjoy the beauty and wonder of this amazing place,” said Melanie. “We are so blessed to live here. It’s such a gift. I’ve tried, participated to keep this place as magical as it is.”
Commissioner Melanie Bacon publishes a newsletter each Friday, letting us know about news in Island County government. View it here. It is also available as an email subscription. When she is mobile, locals can join our District 1 commissioner for a chat at WiFire Coffee Bar in Freeland Mondays at 3 PM.