Deputy Mayor Owen Rowe

Owen Rowe brings varied background and experience to City Council, ranging from educational publishing, technical writing, and digital font development to literary translation, voice acting, and Italian language teaching. Since first moving to Port Townsend in 1997, Owen has been involved with local arts and cultural institutions including the Port Townsend Public Library, the Port Townsend Film Festival, KPTZ, Centrum, and the Jefferson County Historical Society, and has served in multiple leadership roles on the board of The Food Co-op.

Owen’s work on Council focuses on supporting and strengthening our cultural and social institutions, building our creative economy, extending equity and access to government, and ensuring that our social and physical infrastructure can adapt to climate change and other emergent global crises. Owen believes that governments are entrusted by the people to create solutions, not problems, and that open communication, collaboration, and cooperation are the best way to design inclusive systems and shape change.