Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon has appointed a longtime county employee to serve as the executive’s point man on agriculture issues.
John Roney, who has worked for Snohomish County government for 16 years, will be the county’s new agriculture coordinator.
Roney has been a special-projects coordinator in the county’s Planning and Development Services department for the past decade, and recently led the overhaul of the county’s permitting system.
"I’m ready," Roney said. "I’ve had 16 years of looking at different parts of agriculture and now I’m ready to learn the rest of it and be of service.
"We’re going to take on the tough issues," he added.
One is the "Right to Plow" initiative that was passed by county voters in 2001. That’s created misunderstandings on what county rules require, Roney said.
Tuesday’s announcement has been anticipated since November.
Reardon promised during his campaign for county executive last year that he would create a high-level position in county government so he would have a contact on farming issues. Farming issues have been at the forefront lately, most recently due to auto dealer Dwayne Lane’s attempt to take land out of farming at Island Crossing and convert it to commercial property so his Arlington car lot can be moved to an I-5 location.
Roney will continue working in the county’s planning department, but his job duties will change, said department director Craig Ladiser. He will not see an increase in pay from his new assignment, and will continue to get an annual salary of $84,442.
"John was the right guy for this job, given the complexities of the issues," Ladiser said. He praised Roney’s work as an ombudsman for the county and helping residents get their issues addressed, sometimes a complex task at the county.
"He’s proven he’s got some very good skills at weeding through that myriad of barriers," Ladiser said.
Reardon vowed this week to be actively involved in promoting local agriculture, and announced a meeting next week with King County Executive Ron Sims and representatives from national grocery outlets. The two executives will ask grocers to purchase local farm goods through the Puget Sound Fresh program, an ongoing marketing project that supports local farmers.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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