Jon Welch is someone I have come across for years in various capacities here on the island, first at TeeJay’s Tacos at the Odd Fellows Hall many years ago, and most recently at the ferry kiosk. He has always been kind-hearted, even-keel, and helpful. He even spoke up for me once on social media when someone wrongly accused me of something, and when someone steps up to be a character witness for you without ever being asked, that’s something you never forget. When I heard from a friend that he is running for Congress, I felt an immediate curiosity to ask how it all came about.
Jon, will you describe the very moment that the idea of running for Congress came to mind? How did that come about?
As someone who opens and/or closes a large island community for a living, travel, transportation, and the supporting infrastructure has become a personal passion. After a decade running the ferry terminal, speaking to an average of one million people, and actively engaged as an executive board member for the International Boatman’s Union, I have lobbied Olympia for educational programs, overseen employee contract negotiations, and facilitated travel and supply streams on a logistical level. The first moment I decided to run for office came when I began to pull apart the $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill passed in November 2021. Washington State received $8.6 billion dollars, none of which could be allotted for Washington State Ferries. And, in the same bill, Amtrak received $66 billion dollars. Every statistic in our country illustrates numbers going in the wrong direction. And D.C. is part of the problem, not the solution we want it to be.
What sorts of life experiences have prepared you for the role?
I have been a small business owner and I’ve designed businesses for others. After transforming the old Windermere Real Estate building into the Madrona Bar and Grill, I partnered with Timothy Bonner to open TeeJay’s Tacos during the Great Recession. In the time since, I’ve been involved in the local community, serving on the Eastsound Planning and Review Committee during the 20-year visioning era. I currently serve on the board of the Eastsound Water Users Association, and am serving a second term as an elected board member overseeing the Puget Sound regional office for the Inlandboatmen’s Union. I participated in two campaigns for Rick Hughes. The aggressive patience, attention to detail, and stewardship in my community has prepared me for ambassadorship on a political level.
What was it like to announce that you were running?
I was selective at first, telling friends, reading their reactions. The enthusiasm has been reciprocally cathartic! Campaigning on the mainland was obviously a different story. I spent four months just writing my thoughts, establishing ideas for policy and platforms, becoming so familiar with my own words just to be able to own them. It’s been surreal. The number of people who’ve jumped on the Welch Wagon has been amazing.
What parts of this process are you enjoying most? What elements were unexpected? What are the most difficult aspects so far?
I’ve enjoyed all of it. In the beginning, people were talking to me simply to convey their frustrations with politics and ideas to get things fixed. After I filed, people started asking me for my ideas. I don’t like the ego aspect. I learned early in my food and beverage career to just do the gig. In a campaign, you have to sell yourself while meeting others who are doing the same thing. My attitude is, “Just vote for me so I can get to work!” But it doesn’t work that way in politics.
If you are elected, what are your main goals?
My goal is to sit on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Rebuilding and retooling our country is one thing. Getting us out of the 20th century and into the fifth industrial revolution is something else entirely. I believe it’s time to break out of the old tired way of doing things politically. Two parties fighting for more and more power while giving less and less has created the multitude of crises we face as a nation. In addition, there are 35 reps retiring out of office this year. I see an opportunity for a very large freshman class to organize and be unified in voting for the people instead of a continuous subleasing of policy-making to lobbyists and bureaucrats. Turning the tide for everyday Americans and making common-sense decisions is really what I’m all about.
What needs to change the most?
Everything? Cynthia Occelli wrote: “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must become completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” I truly believe this is the best way to describe the state of things in America. The world even. I believe that I embody the bridge between centuries and generations. I believe that in order to attain the growth we need as a people, we must first cast off the old husk of how our government functions.
If you were to describe yourself in 7 words, what would they be?
Empathetic. Wise. Protector. Steward. Renaissance Man. Giver.
What would your mother say about this new life journey of yours?
Like all moms, she’d be nervous but excited for me.
When thinking about all of this, what gets you most excited about it?
I’m excited to be impactful. I’m excited for the first time about the future and where we are headed. Our upper-left corner of the world is so underrepresented. And I’m proud to be attempting to change that.
Thank you so much, Jon, for taking the time to answer my questions. Indeed an exciting new journey.
You can also find this on the July 24th Sun Days column on theOrcasonian. This article is not an endorsement, it is simply informational.
Update
The description in the voters’ pamphlet states that Jon is the port manager at the Orcas Island ferry terminal. Fact-checking clarification: there is no port manager at the Orcas Island ferry terminal. I asked Jon if he would like to comment. Here is his reply:
Is there an official port manager title with deserving wages and benefits? No. Is that misleading? Did I lie? No.
When [a particular resident] asks the terminal agent how to get the slaughter truck off the island, and they tell [him] to ask me, that’s my answer. I was the last hire before the reservation system came on line. I redesigned how the lot was parked after it’s implementation. I receive numerous texts, calls, and messages that are all ferry related. I created the Facebook page Do You Even Ferry Bro. And, with as much change and break down that there has been in WSF, oversight has been needed more than ever.
Simply because there is no title, does not mean that the work doesn’t happen. My co-workers call me the King of The North. But, you can’t really campaign on that title.
John Welch’s self-description as a wise protector is the first red flag. Such types generally think they know what’s best as opposed to what works. But my big question is, what does he think about Donald Trump? I wish you had asked the question; it seems you waltzed around that topic. I miss the old Dan Evans style of progressive Republicans who joined opposites to work for a common good. I am a social liberal but philosophically conservative. So is John Welch a pragmatic, competent fellow or just another Republican loon masquerading as a conservative? Ask him that and his opinion of Trump. And print it. David M. Buerge