Amy is endorsed by...

Amy Norquist, 61, took a long journey after leaving Longview. Born and raised here, she attended college at Stanford, where she studied government, before building her career in both the public and private sectors. 

In all that time, though, we don’t feel she ever truly left Longview behind.

With family still here, she kept in touch with her roots and saw the way our community has changed over the decades. She’s president-elect of our local Rotary chapter, part of the WSU Master Gardeners and an officer of the 23 Club. Now that she’s back in Longview full time, she’s decided to run for county commissioner, and we feel the wealth of experience she possesses would serve the county well.

Getting healthier

Norquist’s education and career experience have prepared her for a position in government. Not only does she hold a Masters in public administration, but she also founded a startup installing green roofing, so she has extensive experience with the functions of government, both on the theoretical and practical levels.

When our editorial board asked her what her goals were, should she be elected, she summarized them in four simple words: “We can be healthier.”

Cowlitz County’s public health, frequently ranked among the lowest in Washington, has room for improvement. That’s no secret.

However, Norquist didn’t just mean health in terms of people getting sick less frequently. She sees her goal of a healthy county in much broader terms.

Our rivers and lakes, she said, could be healthier. Some are still hurting from the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, others from deferred maintenance. This hinders our ability to capitalize on local fisheries and other outdoor recreation opportunities. In turn, the local economy has struggled to capitalize on the region’s beauty.

We think an emphasis on public health, in all its facets, will benefit the county going forward. Healthier people and healthier waterways will make for a stronger and more prosperous county.

Change Needed for County 

Norquist didn’t mince words on the current county commissioners. She described their reputation quite simply: “We’re hard to work with.”

She said the county returning nearly $1 million in health funds to the state, due to their inability to come to an agreement on anything to use it on, was endemic of that problem. Also, the county health board’s insistence on relitigating the COVID-19 pandemic through actions like its medical freedom resolution showed they are not developing policy that helped the whole county, she added. We’ve been highly critical of these decisions in the past, and agree that the county has a tendency to put politics above good policy, particularly when it comes to public health. 

 On the other hand, her opponent, Steve Ferrell, 71, agrees with the medical freedom resolution, which focuses on opposing things like mask and vaccine mandates. During a talk with the editorial board, he questioned how well COVID vaccines work if those who receive the shot can still get sick.

Health experts say vaccines do not completely prevent illnesses, but significantly reduce the risk of getting sick. We need members of the county health board — which include the county commissioners — who understand that.

We were also impressed with Norquist’s direct responses when it came to contentious issues. Norquist is honest on where she stands; look no further than the party she runs under. She said people had advised her to run as an independent for a better chance to get elected, but she felt that would have been misrepresenting herself.

Her critics have tried to label her a left-wing radical due to her time working at Mother Jones, but we find these arguments spurious. Investing in public health, wanting clean water or using the money made available to the county are just good policy that people of any ideology can see the value in. 

Norquist said she believes government can be a force for good, and that you probably shouldn’t be running for government if you don’t believe that’s possible.

This doesn’t mean Norquist is blindly in favor of adding government positions without proven need, though. When we asked about the question of adding a county manager, she was skeptical, but willing to consider the possibility. While she acknowledged that the position could help the numerous department heads coordinate and cut down on competition for money between them, she wasn’t sure that the position could pay for itself.

We think Norquist’s viewpoint is sorely needed in the county. Leadership begins with confidence in your mission. If all we do is elect people who believe local government is incapable of doing anything good, then we will have a local government incapable of doing good in our community.

A Change in Tone

Norquist was disappointed when she heard the Solid Waste Advisory Committee had not met in over two years. She described advisory groups as the key to her most important job as a leader. 

Norquist said that, in her time as a CEO, the key to her success was to to listen to everyone and hear their concerns, to get every perspective on an issue. She feels county government works the same way, and her job is to represent all her constituents, developing policy to help build up the whole county.

Currently, county meetings are dominated by people with grievances. That’s understandable, as people are more likely to speak up when they have problems, but it means you only hear from people who have a problem they want solved. We think supporting advisory groups will help get additional voices into the conversation and broaden the council’s perspective.

We also appreciated the confidence she showed in the county employees and her willingness to listen to them. Her extensive background in government affairs might have produced someone who believed they were walking in the door an expert on government, but instead Norquist stayed humble. She said she’d still need to lean on the experience of department heads, even with her background in public administration.

We think it’s time for a change in perspective in our county government. Amy Norquist’s emphasis on health, cooperation and listening is just what we need to get back to a county government that is about building to tomorrow, not just saying “no.” 

Link to original TDN article/endorsement