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San Juan County Council consolidates ferry advocacy: designate leads, back Mosquito Fleet Act
Summary
Council members agreed to coordinate ferry advocacy by designating operational, legislative and governor’s-office points of contact, and indicated support for the Mosquito Fleet Act to expand passenger-only ferry options, while asking staff and lobbyist Josh Weese to coordinate testimony and messaging.
Council members spent substantial time on Jan. 20 strategizing how San Juan County should coordinate advocacy on state ferry matters during the 2026 legislative session.
Chair Paulson said the council wants three "legs" of advocacy: an operational point person (the council liaison to the Ferry Advisory Committee), legislative representatives who can testify on bills, and a single point of contact for the governor’s office. "So 3 legs there: operational, legislative and the governor's office," Paulson said, adding that the council should avoid contradictory public statements.
Council member Fuller and others agreed to sign a "Fund Our Ferries" support letter either individually or as a group, and to ask lobbyist Josh Weese to coordinate sign-ons and testimony. Fuller volunteered to be a point person for passenger-only-ferry discussions, and members expressed willingness to testify individually when helpful.
Council voiced support for Representative Nance's Mosquito Fleet Act (HB 1923), which would encourage passenger-only ferry services and enable broader pilots. "Indicating that indeed we ran a pilot, and learned a lot from it, we would welcome the opportunity to have legislation that would enable our county to lay the groundwork for possible passenger-only ferry in the county," Fuller said.
Council asked staff to draft a short communication identifying which council members will be the designated points of contact and to keep the ferry advisory committee engaged so messaging to Washington State Ferries (WSF) remains consistent.
Next steps: staff will draft communications and coordinate with the county’s lobbyist to sign in positions, and will agendize ferry updates during the session so the council can align testimony and outreach.
