Ken Dahlstedt is the second District Commissioner for Skagit County, Washington. He was first elected to the position in 2000 and is currently serving his fourth term in office.
Commissioner Dahlstedt and his fellow commissioners are responsible to the voters of Skagit County to manage all facets of County government, including budgets totaling $165 million and a county staff of over 700.
Additionally, Commissioner Dahlstedt serves on several boards and commissions, including the National Association of Counties (NACO) Board of Directors, Health Steering Committee as Vice-Chair, and Rural Action Caucus as Vice-Chair. He also serves on the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Board of Directors and Legislative Steering Committee.
Commissioner Dahlstedt is a fourth-generation Skagit County agribusiness man, and grows strawberries in the Skagit Valley. Commissioner Dahlstedt and his wife Flo have four grown children and six grandchildren. They live at Big Lake, near Mount Vernon, Washington. In addition to government and business responsibilities, Dahlstedt has been locally active as a volunteer on church boards and civic organizations.
“As a father and grandfather, I believe that preserving and improving our watershed environment for the next generation is our responsibility. If it’s going to happen, you have to be involved personally. If the Chinook and Orca are going to be preserved in the Puget Sound, it has to happen in the Skagit River watershed”.