Cooper best choice for county commission

On election day, Thurston County voters have a chance to elect a new commission who, I think, will be an excellent choice. Jim Cooper has a wealth and variety of administrative experience, from being instrumental in creation of the Metropolitan Parks District, to chairing Olympia’s finance committee to serving as CEO of United Way of the Pacific Northwest.

As importantly, Cooper has been a strong advocate for environmental protection. In working on the Shoreline Master Plan update, he pushed for protecting sizable shoreline open space and natural areas. He is the sole candidate for this position with a track record of accomplishments on a range of environmental issues. Jim’s opponent seems to have little experience or record of environmental activity. That should be concerning to voters who care about maintaining resource protection measures.

Cooper is strongly endorsed by such forward thinking environmental groups and individuals as Thurston Environmental Voters and outgoing commissioners Cathy Wolfe and Sandra Romero. The commission has sustained a fine effort in protecting our beleaguered marine and freshwater resources. Let’s keep that momentum going by electing a true environmental leader, Jim Cooper.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Cooper best choice for county commission."