Hello Everyone,

My name is Tracy Styles, and I am one of the Commissioners for Fire Protection District 47.

As I am sure many of you also know, the last year has not been without controversy. On Saturday night, Commissioners Hickey and Poche both resigned their positions, effective immediately.

To my knowledge, this is an unprecedented position for our department. We have sought legal counsel and have contacted the County to begin the process of filling the vacancies as quickly as possible.

Our department and Board of Commissioners have our work cut out for us, and over the next year we will continue working to improve our department. As this era ends, we are determined to make the next an era of transparency, integrity, service, and community.

We sincerely hope you will join us in that effort by participating in our meetings, voicing your concerns, and helping shape our department.

Additionally, we will need to appoint replacements for these roles until they are filled through an election. Candidates for these positions must be eligible voters living within the boundaries of the district. If you are interested in being considered, please let us know. Building up and improving our department will require the involvement and feedback of our community. This is not something we can do alone, but together we can shape the future of our district.

I began my term this year, and it has been my privilege to serve the people of our community, and the brave and selfless members of our department.

Our department is very small and is the sole remaining all-volunteer department in King County. The members of our department give freely of their personal time, sacrificing nights and weekends with their families and friends, to ensure the safety of our community. I have had the privilege to see up close over the last several months how hard our volunteers work to keep our department running. As a community member and parent, I am grateful to know these folks will come to my family's aid during an emergency. I have also been privileged to work with Chief Doleshel, who also recently stepped into this position and has worked tirelessly in his efforts to improve and polish the department.

Though I have recently begun as Commissioner, I am no stranger to adversity and challenges. I am acutely aware of the responsibilities and duties of my position, and I will serve our community and department to the best of my ability as we work to rebuild and move forward.

Our next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, January 14th at 7:00 PM at Kangley-Palmer Headquarters/Station 88. I sincerely hope to see you all there.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful holiday season, and I hope to see you in January.

Regards,

Tracy Styles