PORT ANGELES — Mike Doherty was working in his yard Saturday when he decided to make an announcement: He will seek a fifth term — his fourth consecutive term — as Clallam County commissioner.
“I am announcing my intent to file for re-election as the 3rd District Commissioner for Clallam County,” Doherty, 67, said in a statement.
“As county commissioner, I have had the special opportunity to work on a host of public issues and projects, and I have been honored to serve the residents of the 3rd District and Clallam County,” said the chairman of the three-member county commission.
Doherty’s district covers the western third of Clallam County. The west Port Angeles resident said his public service “has been guided by the belief that progress occurs when leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
“In the midst of a national and global recession, and at a time when most other county and city governments have had to reduce services, our Board of Commissioners has not only maintained basic county services but expanded public safety programs and services as well as social and health services,” he said.
“We have accomplished this by working with other public officials, local governments, businesses and citizens to preserve core services, protect our economic future and support natural resource restoration projects.”
Doherty, a Democrat, was appointed to the Clallam County commission in 1976. He served one term, until 1980, and then was elected to the commission in 1998, 2002 and 2006.
His present four-year term ends in December.
The candidate filing period will be from June 7-11.
No other candidates
No other candidates have announced for the position.
The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 17 primary election — regardless of party affiliation or incumbency — will move on to the Nov. 2 general election.
County commissioners earn $63,502.
Doherty in the past has waited until the last day to announce his candidacies. He said there was no particular reason behind the timing of this year’s announcement or past announcements.
If re-elected to the county’s three-member governing board, Doherty said, he will “continue to work in local, state and federal forums for increased employment opportunities, work force training programs, value-added timber opportunities and renewable energy sources and technologies.
“And, as the Gulf oil spill has dramatically demonstrated, we must continue to support protection of our quality of life and the unique environment of the Olympic Peninsula,” he said.
Oil spill prevention
“In a county with over 200 miles of shoreline, I have been actively supporting oil spill prevention measures and increased spill response capabilities for over 30 years, including service on the Washington State Oil Spill Advisory Council.”
A graduate of Port Angeles High School, Doherty served in the Navy before returning to attend Peninsula College.
He went on to earn degrees at Gonzaga University in Spokane and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in juvenile counseling and a juris doctor degree.
He was an adjunct faculty member at Peninsula College for more than 20 years, teaching business law and American government, while also doing contract legal research.
Doherty was the first chairman of the Clallam County Board of Freeholders, which drafted the Clallam County Home Rule Charter, passed in 1976.
Other public service has included election to the Port Angeles School Board in 1991; he served as chairman from 1996-1998. He is the present chairman of the Clallam Transit board.
Doherty’s involvement with various boards and committees are listed on his website, www.mikedoherty.info.
“I consider myself a pragmatic problem-solver who believes that doing the right thing is in the long-term interest of Clallam County,” he said.
“I believe my experience, education and accomplishments provide a solid background for continued public service.”
He is married to Paula Doherty, a vice president at Peninsula College. They have three adult sons.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.