My family Summer 2008, clockwise from top left: Wyatt Strub, Morgan Stock, Emma Stock, Mike Strub, me, Corey Larson, Kelly Larson, Annabella Iris Larson.

First of all, I’m a mom.  The most difficult and important thing I’ve ever done is raise my four children: Kelly Larson, a family practice doctor and mom, Morgan Stock, a recent WSU grad with a masters in chemistry, Emma Stock, an Evergreen grad working in Washington D.C., and Wyatt Strub, a sophomore at Olympia High School.

Whatever I do in the area of public service is influenced by the things I learned being a good mom.  Whenever I make a decision about how our City should grow I ask myself “Will it be good for families?”

As for my own upbringing, I was born in Independence, Missouri, six blocks from Harry Truman’s house.  My grandmother always told me that “Mr. Harry” was our distant cousin, though I never got to meet him.  Still, his values and mine are quite similar.  Like him, I’m a straight talker with a lot of respect for personal responsibility and common sense.  And like him, I have compassion for those less fortunate than myself and I insist on justice for all.

In 1992 I earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, graduating with high honors.  I worked for many years as an engineering consultant specializing in environmental permitting and compliance, eventually launching my own private practice.  My family moved to Olympia in 2002 and I was elected to City Council in 2007.  I continued my consulting practice for the first few years, but when my youngest son, Wyatt, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2008, I curtailed my business to spend more time with him.  To my everlasting relief, Wyatt has done a masterful job of adjusting to his disability.  He leads the life of a normal teenager and fully supports my running for re-election.

I decided to serve on City Council, and am running for re-election, because I enjoy public service and I want to use my training in science to help inform decisions about environmental and other important issues.