PORT ANGELES — Dale Holiday intends to run as a Democrat for the Clallam County commissioner seat now held by political independent Mike Chapman.
Holiday, a grant coordinator and prevention specialist with the Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services and a former county land planner, will face Chapman, a three-term incumbent, and Republican challenger Maggie Roth in the Aug. 7 primary.
The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
Holiday, who is married to Port Angeles City Councilman Max Mania, filed a candidate registration form with the Public Disclosure Commission on April 4.
Filing week is May 14-18.
“I love this county,” Holiday wrote in a filing statement she provided Thursday.
“It reminds me of the rural area I grew up in and my love of westerns as a child.”
She said people had approached her to run for county commissioner.
“I’m happy to oblige as a way to continue my civil service to the residents of Clallam County, as I have for the past five years as a county employee.”
Holiday, 57, described herself as “a fiscal conservative who finds ways to reduce waste and make resources stretch whether it’s in the work place or in my home.”
“I take every opportunity to fix inefficiencies and address gaps in communication on the job,” she added.
Last November, Holiday spoke up in a commissioners’ meeting about concerns she had with a Teamsters Local Union No. 589 vote that led to a breakdown in negotiations and an announcement that there would be 16 new layoffs at the county.
Holiday said many union members wanted to accept concessions but were confused by a “breakdown in communication” before the vote.
More than 30 Teamsters stood up in that Nov. 22 meeting to indicate they were not satisfied with procedures of the vote, and the union eventually accepted concessions to save 16 jobs.
“My actions resulted in not only saving those jobs, but assisting the county in balancing the budget, avoiding significant reduction in services that the county provides to the public,” Holiday wrote in her filing statement.
“I believe that the county is at an exciting, pivotal time and if we make wise choices now it will help us to move forward and will serve us well in protecting our rural quality of life,” Holiday wrote.
Holiday made no mention of Chapman or Roth in her filing statement.
Instead, in a follow-up interview, she cited her own strengths, including a “ground-up” perspective from working in both the Health and Human Services and Community Development departments at the county.
Holiday added that she hopes to have a “congenial campaign.”
Chapman said Holiday told him directly that she intended to run against him last week.
“I give her a lot of credit,” he said.
Chapman said he “always expected there to be a Republican and a Democrat in the race.”
“I like to think I represent all people and that I do a good job, and I’ll make my case to the voters,” he said.
Chapman, 48, is a former Republican who defeated incumbent Carole Boardman in 2000 and ran unopposed in 2004.
In 2008, the county Republican Party said Chapman violated its bylaws by supporting former commissioner and current state Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, in Tharinger’s defeat of Republican commissioner candidate Bob Forde in 2007.
The Position 2 commissioners’ seat that Chapman holds encompasses the middle third of the county.
Roth, 57, filed a candidate registration form with the Public Disclosure Commission on April 3.
She is a precinct committeewoman and is on the finance committee of the county Republican Party.
Roth also is a retired operations manager for the duty-free store she ran with her husband, Terry Roth, until it closed four years ago.
Chapman defeated Terry Roth with two-thirds of the vote in the 2008 general election.
Chapman said he intends to run again as an independent.
Holiday, who holds a doctorate in urban design and planning from the University of Washington, has 10 years of experience in the private sector and 20 years of experience in the public sector, including state and local government, specializing in rural community issues.
Holiday is a precinct officer for the county Democratic Party and is on the Board of the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
Born in south New Jersey, Holiday lived in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Arizona, Seattle and Olympia before she arrived in Port Angeles in 2006.
In 2010, she was invited by the Himalayan nation of Bhutan to consult with its Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services.
Holiday wrote an article about her work in Thimpu — the capital of Bhutan — that was published in the July 2011 issue of Planning magazine, the flagship publication of the American Planning Association.
Currently, Holiday coordinates a $625,000 grant used by the Port Angeles Healthy Youth Coalition to prevent youth substance abuse.
“I bring enthusiasm and integrity to my work, with customer service in mind — qualities that have served the county and its citizens well over the past years,” Holiday said.
“As your county commissioner, I would continue to serve with quality, bringing the highest level of professionalism and integrity to the County Board of Commissioners.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
