Young mother challenges Knobloch for council seat

Lauren Ellis hopes to promote downtown walkability, environmental health and youth services as a representative of the island's Cental Ward.

Lauren Ellis, a young mother living on Wyatt Way, announced her bid for Councilman Bill Knobloch's Central Ward seat.

Ellis, who recently returned to Bainbridge after attending college in Ohio,

hopes "to enrich the sense of identity and purpose that already exists here..." she said in a written statement Wednesday.

She pledged to encourage a walkable downtown, support youth programs and help maintain a high standard of environmental health in Winslow.

"If elected I would bring to the city council the perspective of a young mother who is actively involved in our community, and deeply invested in seeing it flourish," she said.

Ellis could not be reached for further comment and did not directly discuss her opponent, Knobloch, who announced earlier this year that he would seek reelection to a third term.

A resident of Kitsap County for most of her life, Ellis earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies education with a specialization in history.

She has worked with several humanitarian organizations including Women of Vision, BeadforLife and Zimbags.

"Working with such non-profits has instilled in me a value for community, as I have seen what power and promise can come from a community with a sense of identity and common purpose," Ellis said.

Ellis and her husband, a financial analyst, have one daughter.

"We spend our days exploring beautiful Winslow," Ellis said. "We have been wonderfully amazed at all this community has to offer its youth," including local swim, music and gymnastics classes, story time at the Bainbridge Public Library and a parents’ support group.

Ellis can be reached at lse@zimbags.org.

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