Monday afternoon, Commissioners Ron Wesen and Peter Browning voted to appoint Joe Burns to fill the seat Janicki vacated. In November, Burns won re-election for the Ward 6 seat on the Sedro-Woolley City Council. According to his voters’ pamphlet bio, he works as an automotive shop foreman.
Burns was the second preferred candidate selected by the Skagit County Democrats in November, with Jeremy Harrison-Smith of Clear Lake as the top nominee and Amy Wood of Sedro-Woolley in third place.
Burns will serve at least until the November 2026 elections are certified, with candidates filing for office in May and primaries scheduled for August.
Among the challenges the new commissioner will have to contend with, Janicki said, are the county’s financial woes: last month, commissioners approved a tight budget and the elimination of 51 staff positions for 2026.
Janicki is particularly proud of being one of the founders of North Star, a collaboration between commissioners, Skagit’s four cities and local organizations that has received millions in state funding to end homelessness and improve services for behavioral health.
Staying on the topic of collaboration and what’s next, Janicki said she hopes the parties involved in the Haller Farm purchase will reach an agreement and gather the funding to make it happen. In April, the board of commissioners approved an option agreement that gives the county two-and-a-half years to acquire 584 acres of the property.
According to a press release from the county, the agreement requires 180 acres of farmland be protected for future generations of farmers, while 110 acres would be dedicated to Chinook habitat restoration.
The property is located about one mile from La Conner and thus outside her district, but she believes the purchase would probably be, from an agricultural and environmental standpoint, “the biggest accomplishment” for the county “in a century.”
As far as herself, Janicki said she looks forward to spending more time with family and welcoming her 11th grandchild this spring.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
