About Us

The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners appointed Senator Christine Rolfes as the District 1 Commissioner at their June 5 board meeting. Senator Rolfes replaces Robert Gelder who served as District 1 Commissioner for 12 years and left office on May 23 to become the assistant county manager for Thurston County.

Senator Rolfes has represented the 23rd Legislative District since her election to the state House of Representatives in 2006. She will serve as District 1 Commissioner in the current term until the November 2024 election is certified. Prior to being elected to the State Legislature, Senator Rolfes served on the Bainbridge Island City Council and has worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development. She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Virginia.

The District 1 Commissioner is commonly referred to as the North End Commissioner. The district covers the area of the Kitsap Peninsula north of Silverdale. Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo are the two incorporated cities within North Kitsap.

The new commissioner joins District 2 Commissioner Charlotte Garrido and District 3 Commissioner Katie Walters on the Board of County Commissioners. The Board sets policy; manages the county's $548 million budget; oversees the Public Works, Parks, Community Development and Human Services departments; and serves on multiple boards of The Kitsap Public Health District, Housing Kitsap and Kitsap Transit.