An Open Letter to the Residents of Kitsap County

To the residents of Kitsap County,

The results are clear. David Lewis will serve another term as Kitsap County Clerk, and I congratulate him. Voters had a real choice in this race, and they made it. That’s exactly how this is supposed to work.

When I filed, most people I talked to didn’t know what the County Clerk does. More of them do now, and that was always a big part of why I ran.

So first, thank you.

Thank you to everyone who opened their door when I knocked, at dinnertime, in the rain, for an office you may never have heard of. Thank you to everyone who saw one of my signs on the way to work and went home and looked it up. Thank you to everyone who read a post, watched a video, sent me a question, or stayed with the ballot long enough to reach the bottom of it.

To everyone who voted for me: thank you. You made it to the bottom of a long ballot, looked at an office most people never think about, and decided it deserved better. Six months ago, almost nobody in this county knew my name. You trusted me with your vote anyway, and I don’t take that lightly.

What I’ll remember most is how the conversations ended. At doors, at events, in messages and comment threads, the people who took the time to learn about this office usually walked away more hopeful about what it could be. Once people saw what the Clerk does and what could be better, they wanted it. That tells me the appetite for change in our county is real.

And to everyone who voted in this race at all, whoever you chose: thank you for taking the small races seriously. Change starts with local races, and our democracy works best when every seat has a challenger asking tough questions of those in power.

To my family and friends

None of this happened alone. To my wife, Shannon, and to every family member and friend who stood out in the wind and rain with me, who spent long nights placing signs across the county, who knocked doors, wrote emails and postcards, and helped build every piece of marketing this campaign put out: thank you.

You gave up evenings and weekends for a race most people had never heard of, because you believed it mattered. I won’t forget it.

Don’t let this office go back to being invisible

I have one ask as this campaign ends. Keep paying attention to this office.

Too often, this seat has changed hands without voters having a real say. The next few years will be hard ones for the county budget, and the people who rely on the Clerk’s office will need someone asking questions out loud. Keep asking them. Read the budget presentations. Show up when the county asks for input.

And if you’ve ever thought someone should run for one of these quiet offices, consider that the someone might be you. I didn’t win this one, but I hope more people try.

The bigger picture

The Clerk’s race is one small piece of something bigger. We assume an incumbent is qualified because they’re the incumbent. We let party labels into offices where they have no business. And we don’t ask nearly enough questions about how our money gets spent.

None of that changes in one election. It changes when more of us show up, ask questions, and put our names on the ballot.

What I’m taking with me

Too rarely in life do we challenge ourselves to do something we plainly don’t want to do. Knocking on a stranger’s door is uncomfortable. So is asking for their vote, and so is putting your name on a sign at a busy intersection. I did all three for six months, and I’m better for it.

I’m disappointed, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Mostly I’m thinking about the people who walk into our justice system without a lawyer. I’ve watched people leave the courtroom in tears over a parenting plan or a lost summer because nobody explained what came next. They deserve every bit of help this office can give them, and I hope this campaign put them a little more on the map.

I’m more hopeful now than when I started. More people know what this office does today than did six months ago, and that doesn’t go away. Change in a place like this rarely comes in one election. It comes because someone goes first and makes the path easier for whoever comes next. Change can come to this office, and it will. This campaign moved it closer.

Let’s keep talking

This campaign is over, but the conversation isn’t. If you see me at Costco, at your local coffee shop, or on the ferry, please come say hello. I’d love to meet you in person.

And you have my cell number: (206) 914-0490. Call me anytime to talk politics, the courts, or what you’d like to see change in our county.

Thank you, Kitsap County. It was an honor to ask for your vote.

With gratitude,

Brien Kennedy