Hi, my name is Richard Brocksmith and I’m asking for your vote for Skagit County Commissioner. My values and experience are uniquely suited to the challenges we face today and the need to forge solutions that work for everyone.
I was raised in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Our rivers and forests set the opportunity for fishing, hunting and camping that still thrill me today. I loved people, school, and sports. After getting a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Zoology at Oklahoma State University, I managed to land at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences in Seattle in 1994 and earn a Master’s of Science degree. Studying the iconic Pacific Salmon and their interactions with the human environment would become a lifelong journey for me.
My interest in science and conservation led to hands-on jobs, eventually working in Hood Canal in western Puget Sound in 2001 coordinating local and Tribal governments with landowner and non-profit organizations towards common-sense, voluntary habitat solutions. There I helped implement scores of capital projects and facilitated strategic plans for salmon recovery and integrated watershed management across many interests. I was asked to develop a ground-breaking In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Program that ensured development projects would implement mitigation actions via the region’s strategic priorities. Rear Admiral Douglas Biesel, Commander of Navy Region Northwest at the time, awarded me “Friend of the Navy” for completing what some thought was an impossible task.
In 2013 I was recruited by the Board of Directors of the Skagit Watershed Council to become their Executive Director. SWC is a non-profit community partnership for salmon. In the last 10 years, we tripled the number of member organizations, communicated scientific information guiding our actions, and raised $70M for implementation of the highest priority salmon recovery projects in Skagit. I’m proud of this work as the alternatives were to either watch salmon decline further or to impose draconian regulations on property owners. I resigned this position in March of 2024 after 23 years of seeing measurable progress on the ground.
Parallel to this career, I first ran for public office in 2016 and was honored to become the At-Large Mount Vernon City Council Member. I won re-election in 2020 and will continue to serve through the end of 2025 unless I win this campaign for Skagit County Commissioner. My biggest influence for choosing this path was the recognition that we will never keep Skagit County such a special place if we do not put our cities and towns on sustainable pathways for managing much of the expected population growth and climate change coming our way.
I love living on Mount Vernon Hill with my wife Eleven and our two kids. Eleven is a licensed social worker who administers mental health counseling in the schools through the NW Educational Services District. She’s my biggest advisor on all things involving kids and mental health. Our children attend Mount Vernon Public Schools, though their next chapters are fast approaching.
I’ve dedicated much of my free time to volunteering for local community service, with a focus on helping children achieve their very best.
I’ve spent the last seven years on the Board of Directors for Community Action of Skagit County, including four years as President. Community Action’s vision is a community in which everyone works together to end poverty in Skagit County.
I’ve spent the last decade in the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club where I currently serve as President.
I spent two terms helping the Mount Vernon Public Schools Foundation ensure extra-curricular activities for our local students.
I’m the local and tribal government representative to the Mount Vernon Hope Coalition which strives to prevent opioid and other substance use in Mount Vernon youth.
More recently I was a founding director of the Skagit Housing Consortium. Our main roles are coordination across housing development sectors and education for the general public.