Karen Gardner
Education: PhD Information Science, UC Berkeley; MPH UCLA; certificate in horticulture/soil science
Occupation: Retired computer scientist, soil consultant
The Vashon Park District encompasses many stakeholders, and each
stakeholder has a right to participate in how the district apportions
funding, and the community needs to be involved in the crafting of a vision for the district. Funding decisions must reflect community goals. Otherwise the strident voice overrides all others. I have lived on Vashon for about four years and love this island; the park district is dear to my heart. I bring experience managing multimillion dollar projects and achieving buy-in from non-aligned stakeholders. However, total consensus is rarely possible, and sometimes hard decisions have to be made. I believe in planning and fiscal accountability, and I support the use of Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP). Without these, organizations can and do turn into dysfunctional entities.
I have volunteered at various organizations wherever I have lived. I am currently completing a volunteer project to see if microorganisms can help remediate arsenic-contaminated soil on Maury Island. This is the first time I have run for an elected office, and I look forward to working with stakeholders in the rebuilding of the park district.
