Hendrickson, Blair file for City Council

Kimberly Hendrickson and Anne Blair, the first candidates to declare for a City of Bainbridge Island council seat, were among a half-dozen island residents to file for office Monday.

The filing period for the Aug. 16 primary and November general elections ends Friday at 5 p.m.

Hendrickson, who lives in the Fort Ward area (South Ward), decided to file for the at-large position. She is the secretary/chief examiner of the Bainbridge Island Civil Service Commission and a former member of the Housing Resources Board.

Blair, who filed as a North Ward candidate, is a former board president for the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council.

Other islanders who filed Monday were:

• Incumbent Kirk Robinson and challenger Ron Luke filed for the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District Commissioner Pos. 5;

• Susan Cohen filed for Bainbridge Island Fire Department Commissioner Pos. 3;

• Incumbent Patty Fielding filed for the Bainbridge Island School Director Dist. 1 seat.

Hendrickson said she decided to seek the at-large position currently held by Council Barry Peters because here interests are island wide.

Peters said Monday that he is leaning toward running for the at-large position again rather than the Central Ward, in which he resides.

"But I'll wait until Friday  because I want to see who else files," he said.

Hendrickson said she "wasn't impressed with a candidate who waits until the last minute to strategically file. I prefer making your interests known and not maneuvering," she added. "I'll be proud to represent the at-large position if elected."

Hendrickson worked as a political science professor at George Washington University before moving to Bainbridge Island in 2007 with her husband and two children.

"I never thought I'd run for office, but looking back it's been a natural progression," she said. "It just suddenly occurred to me that it would be an honor to serve the island."

Contact Bainbridge Island Review Editor Brian Kelly at editor@bainbridgereview.com or 1-206-842-6613.

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