Jan Shabro has returned to action in Pierce County as the auditor.

The 68-year-old Lake Tapps resident was appointed to the auditor’s office by the Pierce County Council Jan. 13. The former auditor, Pat McCarthy, left the office after winning the Pierce County executive race in November.

An ad hoc committee appointed by the council whittled down a group of 13 candidates to three – Shabro, Dick McEntee, a businessman who ran for auditor in November, and Katie Blinn, assistant director of elections for the state.

The three were interviewed by the council during a public meeting and Shabro came out on top.

“It was a real honor to be selected as one of the three,” Shabro said. “The auditor’s officer would have been in good hands with any one of the three.”

Shabro said she thought the council appointed her because, “they needed someone to hit the ground running. I don’t have a huge learning curve.”

Shabro has been moving in the world of county politics since the mid-1990s. She served two terms on the County Council from 1995 to 2002. She followed the council position with two terms in the state Legislature, serving as the 31st District representative to the state House from 2003-2006.

Prior to her political work, she was a special education teacher in the Tacoma School District and Enumclaw School District.

Mayor Dave Enslow performed the swearing in ceremony at the Jan. 13 County Council meeting.

The work started immediately according to Shabro. The auditor’s office will be handling the Feb. 3 special election and Shabro said a shrinking county budget will be a top issue.

The auditor’s position will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Shabro said she intends to run and has already started planning the campaign.

Reach Dennis Box at dbox@courierherald.com or 360-802-8209.