A progressive voters guide for Everett, WA - Part 1

October 28, 7:40 AMSnohomish County Progressive ExaminerChad Shue

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On Monday I wrote about the Progressive Voters Guide available online from the folks at Fuse Washington. As I wrote then, the guide is fine as far as it goes; however there are many local and regional holes left to fill. With that thought in mind (and with the indulgence of my readers who may not live in Snohomish County); today and tomorrow I will do my best here to list the progressive picks for the contested races appearing on the Everett ballot. Keep in mind all of these races are listed as non-partisan. I will begin with the one county-wide race on the Everett ballot and the Everett city hall races.


Snohomish County Superior Court Judge, Pos. 2:

Due to the death of Snohomish County Superior Court Judge, James Allendoerfer in July; leaving no time to allow for a primary election, five candidates appear on the November ballot to fill the remaining 3 years of the current 4-year term. The progressive pick in this race would seem to be Everett family law attorney, Joe Wilson. Wilson's field of practice as well as his years of community service for causes such as domestic abuse and child advocacy has helped to earn him favor with most of the progressive community in the county. His clear ties to the Democratic Party; both at the county and LD level, also give him an edge with area progressives. The rest of the field includes former judge David Hulbert and area attorneys, Rico Tessandore, Scott Peterson, and Scott Lord.


 

Superior Court Judge candidate, Joe Wilson

Mayor of Everett:

Unfortunately for many Everett area progressives, this year's race for mayor is a lopsided affair with incumbent Ray Stephanson essentially having the stage to himself. The challenger, Jim Johnson, is running on a platform that would be more in line with someone seeking a Superintendent of Public Education job rather than mayor of a city of 100,000. While Stephanson has done a good job in most areas of city management, it is unfortunate for many of the city's progressive community that he will not have to answer any questions about the recent trend of gentrification to make way for, what some have called the mayor's quest for Everett to become "Bellvue North." Recently (as I wrote here) Stephanson has also been associated with the effort to push a 10 year no-strike contract onto the machinist union in an effort to appease Boeing, Everett's largest employer.

 

Everett Mayor, Ray Stephanson

Everett City Council, Pos. 1:

Incumbent Paul Roberts has done a good job of courting and gaining acceptance by the "green and sustainable" crowd in Everett. For the past 4 years, Roberts has been the leading (sometimes the only) voice on the council on the issue of energy vulnerability/climate change and their impact on planning decisions. He has also been a strong advocate for better transportation choices for the area as well. For these reasons (and the fact that he plays a mean peddle steel) Paul Roberts is the progressive choice for re-election to Position 1. His challenger, Katie Duke wins some points with her articulate challenge to force the council to be more responsive to the needs of the "regular citizen" and having another woman on the council is always a plus but, unfortunately in this case, she is challenging the wrong seat.

Everett City Councilman, Paul Roberts

Everett City Council, Pos. 2:

With the decision of the incumbent, Mark Olson (more about him later) to vacate this seat for a run for Port Commissioner, two men are vying to fill his open seat. Jeff Moore is the son of a former mayor and member of the city planning staff. Moore's endorsement list reads like a who's who of the current city and county government starting with Mayor Stephanson, the two outgoing members of the Everett Port Commission, and 3 members of the county council. Local attorney and community activist, John Flowers' support comes mostly from friends and associates in the legal and progressive communities. While Both men share dual endorsements from the 38th and 44th LD Democrats (the 2 LDs with precincts in the city of Everett); Flowers carries the sole endorsement of the County Dems as well as the progressive organization, Democracy for Snohomish County.* He also enjoys the support of many of his fellow members of the Everett chapter of the NAACP and he has been a vocal supporter of Washington Public Campaigns in their effort to bring publicly financed campaigns to Washington State. It is his identification with these progressive groups that gives Flowers the progressive nod in this race. *Full disclosure - I sit on the board of Democracy for Snohomish County.

Everett City Council, Pos. 2 candidate, John Flowers

Everett City Council, Pos. 3:


This race (a flashback to 2005) features a conservative incumbent with strong roots in the business community being challenged by a strong progressive voice in the green and sustainable movement. The progressive choice, Jackie Minchew is a recent past chair of the 44th LD Democrats and a founding member of both Democracy for Snohomish County and Green Everett. Minchew is currently serving as the chair of the Lowell Civic Association and represents his neighbors on the Everett Council of Neighborhoods. A public school music teacher for 28 years, Minchew is an outspoken advocate for including energy and climate implications in all future growth planning at the local, regional, and national level. Progressives are hoping that Jackie Minchew will be that important voice to join with Paul Roberts to really start moving Everett in a more responsible and sustainable direction.

Everett City Council, Pos. 3 candidate, Jackie Minchew

Tomorrow I will cover the two positions on the Everett School Board as well as the rare occurence of two open positions on the Port of Everett.

Peace,
Chad Shue



*All photos courtesy of the various campaigns.*


For more on these races be sure to check out the candidates' websites as well as the County Auditor's online voters guide.