I was raised in Kitsap County and am a long-time Bremerton resident. For me deciding to run for mayor is personal, not political. I grew up here. My kids have grown up here. I love this community. Our neighborhoods are as unique as the people who live in them.

My father was a social worker in the 60’s and later became a Lutheran Pastor in Port Orchard. My mother got her nursing degree from Olympic College when I was in high school and worked locally as a hospice nurse. My parents taught me to do what is right and beneficial to your fellow man. Something my father said that always stuck with me is "Eat right, sleep well, think good thoughts and walk alot." I take that advice to heart everyday.

We lived in Port Orchard while I was growing up but all my social time revolved around Bremerton. I was on the Bremerton YMCA swim team and we regularly went to see movies at the Roxy and Admiral. I was into refurbishing cars in high school. I proudly cruised the streets of Bremerton in my prized candy apple red '66 Mustang. After high school, when I was going to Olympic College, I met my future wife, Leslie. We worked together at the R & H Market on Kitsap Way. Leslie was a cashier and I was a stock boy.

Leslie grew up in East Bremerton. Her family had and still has a long-standing tradition of public service in the Navy. Her father served in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and ultimately retired from Keyport Torpedo Station in Kitsap County. Her three sisters married Navy men and one brother-in-law just returned from the conflict in Iraq. Leslie has been a church youth director, outreach worker with homeless youth, special education worker in public schools, and a director for “before and after school” programs. She truly is my rock.

Leslie and I are the proud parents of three children and one grandchild: Leane (27), Gwen (18), Daryl III (15), and Kennedy (5 months). In addition to raising our own kids in Bremerton, we have been foster parents to 54 children from our local community. With hard work and perseverance we were able to help most of these children reunify with their families.

I graduated from Northwest University with a degree in Organizational Business Management with a focus on non-profit organizations. Following school, I worked as Operations Manager for a large corporation in California for about five years before deciding to return to the area. Back in Bremerton, I became an agent for Thrivent Financial where I developed financial services facilitating around $7 million in management.

Motivated by a desire to "give back" to the community, I moved from business into public service about fifteen years ago. Since then I've had the privilege of working as Director at several local non-profit agencies. During this time I was able to gain valuable experience while working with some really great people. For example, as Director of Families for Kids, I coordinated with more than 50 agencies and over 80 staff and volunteers across the nation. Through collaboration, I successfully increased our revenue from $252,000 to over $1.2 million in just five years.

I've found that my experience in both business and the non-profit sector has been complementary. Any good business decision requires a "gut check" to be sure it is right for the people you're serving and the people who will put your decision into action. To truly understand the fundamentals of commerce we must recognize that people are the backbone of a functioning economy. People must be treated fairly and with respect. That's just good business.

Bremerton's mom-and-pop businesses are an integral part of our neighborhoods. They're the place where you get your copy of the Kitsap Sun or a quart of milk. They're run by your neighbors and friends. Their kids go to school with your kids. I believe that helping families and small business is the foundation to public service. We need a Mayor that supports our families and small businesses because they are the key to building solid and stable communities for everyone.

I have walked the walk – not just talked the talk. There isn’t any person running for office in America that is going to tell you they don’t support families or the community.  However, do they have a track record of personally working with families who are struggling? Do they have a history of giving families a voice in government? I do.

Every day that I am in office I will serve our community. Our children deserve nothing less than to be able to grow up in a safe environment with parents who have the tools they need: living wage jobs, excellent schools, safe streets, a positive climate for local business owners and a stable local economy with prudent, responsible fiscal policies.

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Daryl Daugs Traveled to New Orleans to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Public Service does not begin or end with political office in Daryl Daugs family. In addition to foster parenting and serving as Executive Director of a non-profit Corporation, Daryl has made four disaster response trips to Louisiana. His first trip began in late December of 2005 and his most recent trip was in June of 2007.