Key employers in Washington County have cut thousands of high-paying jobs in the past few years. Community resistance to growth — both for residential and business purposes — has spurred thorny conflicts. The county’s expenses continue to outpace revenue, leading to years of budget cuts. 

To top it all off, the outgoing chair of the board of commissioners — criticized over the years for “inappropriate” conduct and allegedly bullying employees — leaves a county government hungry for steady, professional leadership. 

Of the three people running for board chair, District 2 Commissioner Pam Treece is voters’ best pick to provide the disciplined direction, countywide perspective and expertise that the county needs.

Her two terms of experience helping lead the county through some of its most challenging years came through in the endorsement interview. She consistently answered questions with a level of detail and nuance that distinguished her from her opponents and reflected her command of county operations, familiarity with its finances and ability to identify ways of navigating conflicts.

Her priority, she said, is to ensure economic stability and grow opportunities for Washington County residents. That will require working with state agencies to align their regulatory expectations with prompt permitting timelines; working with cities to understand both their concerns about growth and how they match up with they want to provide their residents; and leading a “cultural change” at the county that results in employees bringing more of a customer-service focus to make permitting and other processes more efficient.

Her ability to dissect conflicts and identify the legitimate concerns among competing parties is an underestimated skill for fashioning true solutions. It’s easy to reflexively adopt a hardline stance without consideration of the consequences. But Treece delves into those complexities, whether it’s breaking down the economic impact of data centers to how cities’ resistance to growth affects their ability to fund public services or attract amenities. Her endorsement by the current mayors of nearly every city in the county reflects a strength of relationships that the chair will need.