Native Islander, Lisa Guard, Running for County Council, District 1 (South)

I am Lisa Guard and I care about you and our Islands. That's why I'm running for County Council.

My family settled on San Juan Island over 100 years ago, and I have lived here all of my life. The only time I've lived off of San Juan Island, was the year my family and I lived on Lopez. My six generation heritage gives me a unique perspective and passion for our county.

In my career, I have been fortunate enough to have experienced the island from many viewpoints, including tourism, real estate, agriculture, business owner/operator and commercial property owner.

My husband Rex and I have owned and operated The Lazy G Ranch here in San Juan Valley for 20 years. My career also included 8 years with Roche Harbor Resort; four years with ReMax; and owner/operator of Sunshine Dry Cleaning & Commercial Laundry.

I am an active member of Kiwanis, was a 10 year 4-H Leader, and have been very involved with the San Juan Schools for over 20 years, including current involvement with the Prevention Coalition and was one of the initiators of Project Grad Night.

Our county faces a wide range of important issues, many of which interrelate and are often in conflict with each other. However, the "Hot Issue", and positions on these issues may vary by person. A central difficulty lies in the need to ensure the beauty and tranquility of our homes without crushing our local economy and business. We need to find a balance that we can all live with.

I believe strongly in valuing the views of our Island residents. My goal will be to learn your wishes and represent them. It is not to impose my views on others. My knowledge and history of the area will add a unique vision. As a farmer and a business owner, I have encountered daily obstacles, which I have met and solved with a level head. I believe that I possess the common sense and level thinking to help steer our county in the right direction, and I have a proven record of working well with others.

I live on the Lazy G Ranch with my husband of 23 years, Rex, our two sons, Brandon, 21, and Blake 19, our border collie, Zip, our horse, Dallas and over 200 sheep. Brandon just graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Blake is a sophomore at Texas A&M, majoring in Bio-Medical Science.

I look forward to hearing your views and earning your vote. As with everything else I do, I will work tirelessly to keep our Islands a great place to live for generations to come.

Please share your views with me by e-mail at [email protected]. I care and I want to hear from you.