Election 2024: Four vying for 23rd District House position held by Nance

Current 23rd District state Rep. Greg Nance, a Democrat, is facing three opponents — Democrat John Gibbons, Republican Jamie Miles, and Democrat Brynn Felix. Nance was appointed to Position 2 in Washington's 23rd Legislative District in 2023, following then state Rep. Drew Hanson's appointment to the vacant state senator position.

Neither Gibbons, a pediatric dentist, nor Miles, a pain management and addiction medicine specialist, have previously held elected office. Felix, who serves as general counsel for Peninsula Community Health Services, is a first-time candidate according to the Kitsap County Local Voters' Pamphlet.

The 23rd LD encompasses northern Kitsap County up to Hansville, including Bainbridge Island. The two candidates receiving the most votes in the August 6 primary move on to the November general election.

VOTER GUIDE: Washington primary election August 2024

The Kitsap Sun asked the legislative candidates to answer three questions, with a limit of 200 words for each answer. Miles did not respond to the Sun's request. The answers of Nance, Gibbons, and Felix follow:

Brynn Felix

Current occupation: General counsel, Peninsula Community Health Services

Previous elected experience: None

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $94,072.07

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

My campaign has knocked over 10,000 doors from Bremerton to Hansville. Voters are most concerned about affordable healthcare, housing and homelessness, education, and our environment.

I am the most qualified candidate, with over a decade of advocacy experience as a civil rights organizer at the ACLU of WA, Law Clerk for Sen. Murray on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Judicial Law Clerk for Justice Mary Yu on the WA Supreme Court.

As general counsel to Peninsula Community Health Services (PCHS), I work to increase access to healthcare services and build permanent supportive and workforce housing. As a former pre-K and kindergarten teacher and mom of two young children, I am committed to fully funding public education and bolstering our education workforce. I am endorsed by Washington Conservation Action and look forward to championing their bold climate agenda.

I am proud to be the only candidate in my race to be endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, as well as Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Pro-Choice Washington, our state’s leading reproductive rights organizations. They know I will help hold the line on safeguarding our reproductive rights and freedoms.

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

Creating a reliable ferry system is about setting both long and short-term goals and making sure that we are transparent through the entire process with community members who depend on our ferries. I started my legal career as a transportation and maritime lawyer, and I believe that we must start planning for additional dry docking infrastructure so that we can properly maintain our growing fleet. We must continue to push for a dedicated funding stream, and in the meantime prioritize investments in our maritime workforce and vessel maintenance. Kingston would benefit from a reservation system and IT upgrades that could support demand management solutions.

I oppose Bob Ferguson’s proposal to purchase diesel-powered ferries because we need to be moving away from reliance on fossil fuels, not building another generation of ferries reliant on them. Moreover, abandoning the electrification effort that is already underway will result in further delays in getting more vessels into service.

While WSF grows its fleet, our communities will continue to lean on Kitsap Transit to supplement service. I look forward to partnering with KT to increase ferry service, as well as supporting its long-range plan to increase other multi-modal transit options and ridership.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

As someone who has successfully advocated for state capital funding to help create permanent supportive housing units in Bremerton, I have seen how these investments have enabled public housing authorities and nonprofits such as Bremerton Housing Authority, Kitsap Mental Health Services, Kitsap Community Resources, PCHS, and Kitsap Homes of Compassion to add more units to our community’s housing continuum. The Legislature must continue to invest in the Washington State Housing Trust Fund at the scale of need to bolster affordable housing development.

We also saw how emergency rental assistance was an incredibly effective tool to keep people housed during COVID and ensure that landlords received rent. I support rental assistance programs, particularly combined with rent stabilization - which has not yet passed but hopefully will during the coming biennium.

To promote inclusive growth in Washington, we should also concentrate on supporting community-led development institutions, rural ADUs, and rent stabilization, while working to limit zoning or design restrictions that prevent the building of affordable housing with our Urban Growth Areas under the Growth Management Act.

John Gibbons

Current occupation: Pediatric dentist and dental advocate

Previous elected experience: None

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $88,672.34

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

Our economy is suffering from a broken ferry system, a housing crisis, and a lack of affordable healthcare causing people to struggle.

We live in the richest nation in the world, and yet our healthcare outcomes are some of the lowest among developed countries. After 35 years as a healthcare provider I know how the system works and what legislation would create better outcomes for patients. I have already passed two bills to improve healthcare, benefiting thousands. Another problem is workforce shortages limiting our access to our providers. I am working with leaders from Olympic College and the Suquamish Tribe to create an integrated healthcare clinic where our next generation of workers can be trained and our most vulnerable treated.

We have a crisis in housing affordability with too many unsheltered folks. We must expand our housing options and create a more robust behavior health system to improve the wellness of our community.

As a Kitsap native, a small business owner, and a children's dentist, I understand our community's challenges. We need a leader in Olympia who will get ferries in the water, reform our healthcare system and make housing more affordable. I will tackle these challenges with real solutions

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

The ferry system is broken and has not received the priority it deserves and we are told that there is no fast fix to building new boats. The goal of an all electric fleet will offer so many benefits to our climate and ultimately must be achieved. We are told the earliest that will happen is 2028, but the reality is it will probably take much longer. Currently we only have 8 ferries that are in good condition from an ideal fleet of 24 boats. That is unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately.

Last session we had legislators from the 26th district that introduce a bill that would have shifted back to diesel ferries to fill the gap until the electric ferries are built. Unfortunately they did not receive support for this bill. Now candidates for governor from both parties are supporting diesel ferries as a short term fix. I support this approach and will do whatever it takes to get boats in the water now.

Another part of the equation causing cancellations is workforce shortages. To address this we need to create incentive programs to recruit and retain workers, especially for veterans transitioning out of the service.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

The number of unsheltered is at an all time high, and the shortage of affordable housing is major reason why. To end this crisis we must expand our housing options and encourage more housing development.Our housing is too expensive with cost of rents and home ownership doubling in the last 10 years.The American dream of home ownership and the wealth it generates and the stability that comes with it are out of reach for too many.

If we are to address the housing crisis we will need to look for solutions that will create more affordable land to build on. Solutions that would allow communities to expand their current zoning and building codes. We need to streamline our permitting process and we need to encourage our next generation of workers to go into the trades industry. Not everyone needs to have a college education to have a high quality of life.

As our community grows, we must ensure that it does not come at the expense of our natural environment and green spaces. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and I want generations to come to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Greg Nance

Current occupation: State Representative, 23rd District

Previous elected experience: Elected assistant majority whip and vice chair of the Maritime Caucus

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $111,828.19

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

Neighbors across Kitsap are struggling with affordability and access — including rising costs of housing, groceries, gasoline, healthcare and childcare.

During my first term in Olympia, I've worked with colleagues to tackle these challenges head-on. I sponsored "Working Connections Child Care" to streamline eligibility and pushed for a $7.4 million investment to expand affordable childcare. I also fought for an expansion of Olympic College's Healthcare Pathways to train more nurses and secured $4.5 million to build a new Suquamish Health Center.

I listen, work hard, and deliver for Kitsap. I was named "Freshman Legislator of the Year" by Children's Campaign Fund. Our campaign is proudly endorsed by The Suquamish Tribe and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, all 4 Kitsap Firefighter unions, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, former Congressman Norm Dicks, Senator Drew Hansen, former Senator Phil Rockefeller, the Washington State Labor Council — representing 600 unions and 500,000 members — and 46 Democratic State Representatives.

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

During my first legislative session, I built a bipartisan coalition that delivered $80 million in new funding to Fix our Ferries. These investments to bolster staffing and vessel maintenance have already cut cancellations by half.

As the Vice Chair of the Legislature’s Maritime Caucus, I am honored to work with colleagues across the state to accelerate recruiting efforts, boost maintenance, and build the 21st century fleet. We will continue investing in Washington's shop classes as a talent pipeline and build pathways at Naval Base Kitsap to help recruit experienced sailors who've honorably served our nation. We must maintain our aging vessels while calling on Congress to provide federal funding to rebuild America's largest ferry fleet.

As a lifelong ferry rider, I promise to keep working hard to Fix our Ferries.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

I believe housing is a human right. As your State Rep, I’m working to craft laws and policies that encourage the construction of affordable housing while investing $127 million in the Housing Trust Fund to ensure community organizations, nonprofits, and working families have the resources to bridge the housing gap.

I advocate for more housing at each level of the continuum so we can better serve every neighbor including working families, seniors, and veterans. I am working to cut red tape with permit reforms that make "lot splitting" and the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) faster and cheaper to ease our housing crisis.

As the House Democrats Assistant Whip, I rallied votes for rent stabilization to protect renters and I’m committed to advancing compassionate policies that help our most vulnerable neighbors, including those challenged by mental illness and addiction.

I’m also proud to lead investments in public transit that create new community connections — access to good jobs, compassionate childcare, and healthcare — and opportunities for affordable housing development. I advocate for smart density and transit-oriented development that enable safe, walkable, bikeable communities where every neighbor can thrive.

We need an "All Hands on Deck" housing strategy.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: 4 candidates vie for Washington 23rd District position held by Nance