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Commissioners
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Commissioner Jim Coffin
After graduating from Loma Linda University in 1974 with a BS in biology/microbiology I went to work managing the orchid seedling department of what was then the world’s largest orchid nursery and soon took over the breeding of phaeleonopsis and paphiopedilum orchids. While there is nothing like walking into a warm fragrant greenhouse on a foggy San Francisco morning and deciding which flowers should be moms and which should be dads, for better or worse I decided that my true calling was business and law. I earned my law degree from the University of San Diego, cum laude, in 1986, and practiced business, real estate and finance law until retiring to Orcas in 2000. For the couple of decades I have also managed a contracting and development business owned by my family.
After serving on the Fire District’s planning committee, which was responsible for development of the District’s long range strategic plan, I was appointed to the Commission in 2006 to fill an unexpired term and was elected to the position in 2007. For me, retirement means using the skills I have acquired over the years to serve my community. Since settling down on Orcas, I have served on the boards of several organizations and have had the privilege to teach at the junior high level. Retirement also means being able to devote more time to my wonderful wife, family and friends, church, dogs, chickens and honeybees.
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Commissioner Clyde Duke
My past work experience (20 years plus) was with a company doing roofing construction. When I left that firm, they were the largest in the nation.
April and I got engaged while we were fighting the Panorama fire in the foothills of San Bernardino California. We lost 365 homes within a 48-hour period. It was my first real experience with wild land and structure fires! In 1990, we moved to Orcas full time to raise our family. Our daughter Megan was then 4 and Rachel 2 years of age. Melinda Milligan was our Certified Nurse-Midwife for son Brian, which is how we met her husband and Orcas Paramedic Dave “Z” Zoeller.
I joined the Orcas Island Fire Department in 1992 just as Chief Don Jensen was coming on board. At that time, officers Gary Bennett and John Cavalli were acting as Chief and Battalion Chief. I have served as volunteer firefighter and lieutenant at both the Rosario Station 23 and then Eastsound Station 21. I received Firefighter of the Year in 1995. I also served as vice-president and president for the Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Association. In October of 1999, our family left the island on a sailing trip from Orcas Island to New Zealand and back. It took 18 months and it was the trip of a lifetime. We then returned to Orcas. I have served on the Eastsound Water Users Board, and Orcas Center’s selection committee for their board members, as well as steering committees in the community. April and I own a roofing business established in 1991 on Orcas and have had the privilege of working with many of the residents here. I served as the Chair for the last Chief Search Committee as well as for the Long Range Planning Committee for the Fire Division. I rejoined the Fire District as a Fire Commissioner in 2004. I have been the Chair for the Board for the last three years. My term ends December of 2009.
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Commissioner Barbara Bedell
One well might ask how a Master of Arts in Medieval Literature prepared me for the role of Fire Commissioner, and the question has a certain validity. However, I would respond that teaching English Literature for over twenty years has enabled me to realize the value of freedom of expression and the importance of tolerance for other points of view. Furthermore, my experiences on a number of local Boards, such as the Orcas Medical Center Foundation, Orcas Center, and Friends of the Library, and a six-year term as President of the Spring Point Homeowners Association taught me the importance of listening to my constituents and learning what they need and value.
When asked in May of 2009 if I would consider filling a vacancy on the Fire Commissioners Board, I said "yes" without a moment's hesitation. This appointment was the culmination of many events since my husband died in 2001 and I met members of Orcas Fire and Rescue for the first time. My intent as Fire Commissioner is to represent fairly and knowledgeably both the residents of Orcas Island and the men and women of Orcas island Fire and Rescue and to insure that the exceptional quality of fire and EMS services continues for the betterment of all our lives.
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