I first met Greg Ayers in early December when I responded to his Letter to the Editor, inviting locals to meet with him as he considered running for county council. Never one to turn away from an interesting opportunity, I took him up on his offer, and I’m glad I did.

The first question I asked Greg was “Why, with your background in engineering and medicine, would you want to run for such a thankless job?  In this day and age, most folks will find fault in everything you do?”   He chuckled and responded that he thought he had a lot of different kinds of experiences to bring to the table and that he was at a point in his life that enabled him to make the kind of time commitment needed for the role that county council members will now play.

Greg has deep experience launching and running innovative businesses. He has run start-ups for medical devices, which require an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to high-quality problem solving, accuracy, and implementation.  A status quo approach simply does not work in that kind of high-risk environment.

Our county has some significant challenges ahead, such as planning viable budgets, improving pubic health and environmental services, and implementing the critical area ordinance in a reasonable and transparent way. I believe that Greg will bring a fresh approach to our challenges that builds on his business skills.  For instance, he will introduce new strategies to create incentives, accountability and rewards for our county employees, so that the current “us versus them” approach to interactions shifts to “we’re all rowing in the same direction. “

For these reasons, in addition to the fact that he fixes his own flat tires, I support Greg Ayers for the San Juan County Council.

Donna Riordan

Eastsound