POULSBO — Candidates for county auditor, assessor and commissioner talked about the issues, and emphasized their differences, at the Kitsap League of Women Voters forum, Oct. 13 in Poulsbo City Hall.

The candidates for county commissioner headlined the forum. Linda Streissguth is running to keep her position on the commission; she was appointed to complete the term of Josh Brown, who resigned in early 2014. Edward Wolfe seeks to replace Streissguth.

“I’ve served over all branches of government,” Wolfe said, noting his experience as an attorney and small-business owner in the area for 17 years, as a judge pro tem in district and municipal courts in Kitsap, and as a U.S. ambassador and deputy assistant secretary of state during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.

“Balance has always been important to me, and working across party lines with both parties,” he said.

“I think we need another person at the commissioner table with a balanced approach. We need to have someone who can make a balanced decision and not just a decision by three Democrats.”

Wolfe noted that he wouldn’t want a commission with only Republicans either.

Streissguth stressed the need to turn Kitsap’s potential into a reality, citing her experience in long-range planning and land use.

“We can create an economy that is thriving and diversified,” she said. “We can ensure that we maintain the quality life we enjoy today for future generations.”

“I want to continue the work I’ve already begun,” she said. “We’re told that we will see between 70,000 and 100,000 people move to Kitsap County in the next 20 years. How we plan for that growth, how we plan for the infrastructure to support that growth and how we preserve the things that matter most to us, that brought us here and keep us here are important conversations that we need to have.”

Competition for the county’s auditor and assessor positions are similar in that they both have candidates sourced from the office with years of experience on the job, and outsiders aiming to improve the system.

Kelly Emerson and Dolores Gilmore are vying for the auditor’s position.

Gilmore has served in the auditor’s office as the county’s elections administrator for 20 years.

“My top priorities when elected is to work with the Legislature and community stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of our elections,” she said. “I have always looked for the most effective and efficient ways to implement new laws and new technology. I have always looked for user friendly options for the services the auditor’s office provides.”

Emerson said she looks at the auditor position from a different perspective.

“About five years ago, I sensed a dire need for some private-sector influence in our government,” Emerson said, noting that she previously served on the Island County Board of Commissioners.

“I would like someone with some accounting interests in their background,” Emerson said. “I have college-level accounting and I have executive skills from my time on the commission.”

Phil Cook and Paul Andrews are competing for the position of county assessor.

“I decided to run for this position because I was a little disappointed in the quality of candidates I was seeing,” Cook said.

“You’re going to have to assess a property the same whether a Republican or Democrat is living there,” he said. “The position is not a policy making position, it is a job of implementation, you have to be able to look at it from a fair perspective.”

Cook cited his formal education and experience in the public and private sector as a mortgage loan officer and property manager.

Andrews has worked for 19 years in Kitsap County Information Services serving the assessor. He noted his experience in the office, developing and employing technology to make the assessor’s records and services more accessible, and said he built an app for tablets that assessors use in the field today.

Andrews said technology is the future of the assessor’s office.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘Why do you want to be assessor, it’s such a thankless job?’ I’m running because I think I can make a difference.”

He added, “I’ve worked with every city in Kitsap County and state agencies and I’ve worked with the Tribes to get things done.

“My experience in Kitsap County and talking with residents has provided me a unique insight to the problems that are troubling them.”