From Virginia to Whidbey
I was born in Germany where my father was stationed while he was in the Army. When he was discharged, the family returned home to Hopewell, Virginia. My sister was born a few years later and we both graduated from Hopewell High School. Our parents were married for 59 years until my mother passed away earlier this year.
Throughout my childhood, I was active in Boy Scouts and earned Eagle Scout. I helped develop the junior leader training program at the council level, participated in the 1985 National Scout Jamboree, and went to Philmont in New Mexico. I absolutely fell in love with the Mountain West during the Philmont trip and upon arrival back in Richmond declared my intention to move west when I was old enough. I was 14 at the time.
After graduation from high school, I attended college at Virginia Tech, located in the Appalachian Mountains, and quickly realized my interest did not lie in engineering. I decided to major in political science with an intention to go to law school. I was also able to spend my time hiking and floating the nearby rivers.
I moved to Missoula, Montana for law school and stayed after graduation. For the first five years after graduation, I worked in private practice doing primarily worker's compensation and social security disability claims. Criminal defense was the other part of the practice and I was far more interested in that area of the law. The municipal judge asked me to serve as his acting judge when he was unavailable and I was later asked to join the City Attorney's Office.
My wife Tara and I met in Missoula and have been married for 28 years. We have three children and four grandkids. All of them live in Western Washington and all but one daughter lives on Whidbey. We moved to Whidbey in 2016 because it offered several advantages at the time: an escape from winters and the summer fire seasons, a chance for our younger children to do Running Start and attend college in Washington, and we were able to move closer to our older daughter and grandchildren.
In my free time, I have enjoyed camping, hiking, canoeing, and nature photography. Canoeing the White Cliffs of the Missouri and Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone were particularly memorable trips.
Endorsements
Trusted by those who know the work.
“Andrew would be an exceptional Island County Prosecutor! I worked with him in Missoula (Montana) for 6 years as a prosecutor. One of the hardest working, compassionately firm and fair prosecutors I have had the opportunity to work with in my 20+ years of practicing law and prosecution. He was always professional, honorable and ethical, with a commitment to justice and providing a voice for victims, holding offenders accountable. Andrew was one of the best leaders, supervisors and mentors that I have worked with — encouraging an environment where staff understood expectations, felt comfortable raising concerns, and provided meaningful feedback, while respecting our professional judgment and ability to work independently without micro management. It was a huge loss to the Missoula community when Andrew and his family relocated to Washington, but I always knew he would do great things there as well. I cannot recommend Andrew highly enough for the Prosecutor position!”
“As a Police Officer in Missoula, Montana I respected Andrew's working relationship with our Department, particularly with regard to domestic violence cases. Andrew teamed closely with victims and victim advocates while at the same time holding offenders accountable through a variety of appropriate court-ordered treatment programs and robust supervision. I believe Andrew Scott would make a great County Prosecutor!”
“Andrew Scott deserves thoughtful consideration in this election and I urge readers to cast their vote for Andrew F. Scott as the right person for the job. I have known him for most of his 30+ year legal career and know him to be a quality prosecutor that demonstrated a commitment to justice and fairness. He was equally committed to victims of crimes he and his deputies were responsible for. He has shown that he has the skill and demeanor to serve as well as a manager as he did when prosecuting cases and I believe he has the judgment and character to serve the citizens of Island County as their elected prosecutor.”
Why I'm Running
Experience, integrity, and a commitment to fair justice.
Andrew is running for Prosecutor because he believes Island County deserves a Prosecuting Attorney with real courtroom experience, sound judgment, a genuine commitment to the whole community, and the vision to lead the office through the next decade.
He has seen firsthand how charging decisions shape lives — for defendants, for victims, and for the public. He believes those decisions must be made carefully, consistently, and transparently, based on the evidence and the interests of justice — not on leverage or convenience.
As Prosecutor, Andrew will prioritize community safety, work closely with law enforcement and the courts, and build a professional office that all Island County residents can trust. Immediate goals would be reducing the time between referrals to the office and the filing of charges, better communication with victims and increasing coordination with victim services organizations such as CADA, and working with the courts to establish alternative treatment courts such as mental health, co-occurring and veteran's courts to address the causes of crimes before violence escalates.
“Justice should be firm, fair, transparent, and rooted in the safety and trust of the community.”
Career Timeline
30+ years of legal experience.
B.A. in Political Science
Virginia Tech
Juris Doctor
University of Montana School of Law
Private Law Practice
Criminal and civil litigation, Missoula, Montana
Municipal Judge Pro Tem
Missoula Municipal Court
Deputy City Attorney
Missoula City Attorney's Office — prosecuted thousands of cases
Chief Prosecuting Attorney
Supervised criminal division; advised police, fire, and city departments
Master of Public Administration
University of Montana
Private Law Practice
Whidbey Island, Washington
Candidate for Island County Prosecutor
Democrat — November 3 election