Blackman Ready To Challenge Dozier

WALLA WALLA - A Walla Walla mother of two and educator has always known she was going to run for public office and has set her sights on current County Commissioner Perry Dozier's seat.

Chris Blackman, 42, is ready to bring new ideas and perspectives to the table. She filed with the county to run against Dozier for the District 2 seat in the August primary. Dozier is also running to maintain his seat.

"She's very driven," said Blackman's campaign committee chairwoman, Tracy Custoldi. "She hasn't sat back and waited for something to happen."

Blackman has spent most of her life living in the Walla Walla area. She is currently employed as a special education teacher at Walla Walla High School and teaches life skills to students with severe disabilities.

Blackman was born in Phoenix, but moved to Walla Walla when she was a baby. She graduated in 1988 from Walla Walla High School and attended Walla Walla Community College for her associate's degree. She received a degree in psychology from Gonzaga University and went through a social work program at Walla Walla College. Blackman, driven to educate herself as best as possible, later went back to school in to get her master's degree in teaching and finished in 2005. She said she always knew at some point she would get her doctorate and is just finishing up her doctorate degree in educational leadership. She will defend her dissertation in May or June.

"I can do 10 things at once and do them well," Blackman said.

She describes herself as someone who is always busy and never sits down.

Blackman is married to Barry Blackman, who works for the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office. She has a daughter named Shelby who is studying at Gonzaga, and a son name Kurt who is in eighth grade at Pioneer Middle School. The family also has three dogs and three cats.

For Blackman, who has been interested in politics since she was in high school, the timing is perfect for her to run for public office. She is just finishing up her doctorate and also recently finished up her National Board Certification, an advanced training for teachers.

"Politics is something I've been interested in a long, long time," she said.

Aside from being active in school government in high school, theater and president of the Drama Club, Blackman was also elected president of the Student Graduate Studies department while attending Walla Walla University. While her children were young, she was active at her church serving as a member of the Children's Leadership Team providing Sunday School services and organizing summer vacation Bible school. She has also served on the executive board of the Touchet PTA as secretary, president and fundraising chairwoman. She has also started her own business as a presenter and workshop facilitator on various topics including communication, interpersonal relations and effective management techniques for both parents and teachers.

Currently, she serves on board for Walla Walla Parks & Recreation and Urban Reforestry, the Professional Educator Advisory Board for Walla Walla University, the Department of Human Services Advisory Board, American Association of University Women, Health Center at Lincoln Executive Board and the Executive Board for the Walla Walla Valley Education Association. She is also the precinct committee officer for the local chapter of the Republican Party.

"It seems now I have the background and experience I can offer (to county residents)," Blackman said.

She said for 10 years now she has had different people in the community approach her about running for public office. Blackman said she was really inspired when she attended an education conference for women at Washington State University three years ago. Those at the conference were encouraged to run for public office, she said, and even put together mock campaigns.

"It was a really cool experience," Blackman said.

At that conference, she said she learned she can handle herself as a public offi cial and learned she can easily field questions. Plus, she loved the experience. And Blackman wants the citizens to know that if she is elected, she fully plans on taking a leave of absence from her job so she can devote all of her time to being a county commissioner.

"I want to make it my fulltime job and serve the entire community," she said.

Blackman's focus, if she is elected, is going to be providing essential human services for all county residents, not just for those in Walla Walla. With her background in education and social services and years living in the community, she said she sees needs that aren't being met by the current county commissioners.

"I love Walla Walla and I want to stay in Walla Walla," she said. "(The commissioners) oversee so much of the people and their needs."

The economics and being able to make a budget for the county is also very important to her. And she doesn't just want to balance the budget, she wants to make sure money is going to support essential services and that the board of commissioners is transparent with what they do with the budget.

Blackman said she disagrees with implementing furlough days. She said she would rather use the reserves the county has to keep county services open for those who have real needs, like mental health and child protective services. Furlough days take pay away from all employees and the community loses service, which she believes has a trickle-down effect in the local community. She said employees getting their pay cut for furlough days could mean they need to cut off their utilities or maybe their children don't get the new clothes they need. Also, furlough days are typically scheduled around breaks in service like holidays. She said this means people in need go even longer without essential services.

"I think that's a significant impact," Blackman said. "This is the time they should have (used) their reserves. I don't think you should be so tight on that dollar where you put your people at risk."

If the citizens want someone who is community-minded, Blackman said she's the best choice. And for her, her community isn't just Walla Walla, even though she lives there, but all of the rural areas in the county too. She said she wants to make sure they have more services they need in smaller towns. Blackman knows that there may not be extra money in the budget to extend more services to the rural areas, but she believes money should be moved around to make sure citizens are getting the care they need.

"I think there's money out there," she said. "If everybody gives a little, you could make it happen."

She said she would also like to explore forming partnerships to bring services to the rural areas if the county alone cannot.

Blackman said she is pleased with the 24-hour service by the sheriff's office, but she would like to add another deputy to each squad to improve emergency response times.

"It's impossible to expect a squad of three or four to cover from Burbank to Waitsburg," she said.

Blackman most of all wants to hear from the people. She said she wants to know what is most important to them and make sure their needs are being met throughout the county.

Custoldi said Blackman brings experience in social work to the table without pushing an agenda. She added Blackman stands for the right principles like accountability and money management that make her a great candidate.

"Why can't we have somebody with no other agenda (other than to help people)?" Custoldi said.