PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County said goodbye to two elected officials Monday, holding retirement ceremonies and presenting the honorees with the traditional send-off gift of an engraved hockey puck.
Both Prosecuting Attorney Scott Rosekrans and County Commissioner John Austin were honored during Monday’s commissioner meeting, Rosekrans in the morning session as an agenda item and Austin in place of the regular afternoon session.
Austin, 72, was first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010, he declined to run for a third term.
Rosekrans, 62, was hired as deputy prosecuting attorney in 2008, winning election to the office in 2010.
He lost his bid for a second term in November.
“John is a truly kind person, for that reason he did a good job for Jefferson County,” said state Rep. Kevin van De Wege, D-Sequim.
“He has a personality that is always welcoming that will be hard to replace.
“Not all county commissions get along.
“There is a lot of bickering, but Jefferson County has none of that.”
“John is a consummate networker,” said Commissioner David Sullivan.
“I hear him on the phone all the time. He is connected with people, which leads to the development of good relationships and getting a lot of work done.”
Commissioner Phil Johnson said that his life will change after Austin leaves.
“I’m always walking down the street and people are congratulating me for the things that you have done,” Johnson said.
Austin also shared praise for his colleagues.
“We haven’t always agreed on everything, but we’ve been respectful of each other, which is why working with these two has been extremely rewarding,” Austin said.
Austin has served on the state Board of Health since 2007 and its chair since 2011, and has been a key part of the board, according to Michelle Davis, who holds a staff position with the board.
“John has really made policy accessible to everyone,” Davis said.
“He provided a place where people could talk about health issues and opened the door to the public where they could be an important part of that dialogue.”
During the ceremony, Austin was joined at the front of the room by his grandson, Aaron Maziak, who was celebrating his fourth birthday.
In the morning session, Austin lauded Rosekrans for his involvement in Drug Court as well as the creation and success of other speciality courts for mental health and veterans.
“Scott saw that it’s not always a great idea to throw people in jail for something they have done and there are other things behind their actions,” Austin said.
“He has been tireless in getting people to recognize this.”
Superior Court Clerk Ruth Gordon praised Rosekrans for his tenacity in prosecuting sexual and domestic assault cases.
“Scott would charge the cases that needed to be charged, and I appreciated that,” she said.
“You exemplify the idea of putting service before self.”
County Commissioner-elect Kathleen Kler thanked Rosekrans for his tenacious prosecution of convicted double-murderer Michael J. Pierce, a case that ended in December with a 117-year sentence.
“It’s a healing and a closure, and I know it affected you and it complicated your campaign,” Kler said.
“But we in Quilcene thank you for that.”
Rosekrans said that after a 40-year career in law and politics, he learned his most important lesson in Boy Scouts: to leave the campsite in better shape than he found it.
“I’ve employed that in everything that I’ve done,” he said.
“You don’t want the person who comes along next to have to clean up your mess or put out your fires.”
Rosekrans’ hockey puck had a typo, stating that his service was through 2015, and this was corrected by a new plate, according to Erin Lundgren, the commissioners’ clerk.
The pucks are manufactured in Bellingham and cost around $15 each, Lundgren said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
