Ellen Hiatt Watson; candidate for Snohomish County Council

May 3, 8:15 AMSnohomish County Progressive ExaminerChad Shue

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If Ellen Hiatt Watson is successful she will have made the 2009 Snohomish County Council election one for the history books. Watson is running to unseat District 1 incumbent, John Koster. If she succeeds she will become the only woman serving on the five seat council and could become the fifth Democrat by replacing the only Republican currently serving. It will be a tall order but Watson believes that she is up to the task.

Ellen Hiatt Watson

Watson, 43, is a lifelong resident of Snohomish County. Born and raised in Stanwood; she is a 1983 graduate of Stanwood High School. She has a BA in Mass Communications and Political Science (with a minor in economics) from Central Washington University. Her background includes some 10 years in journalism at the Skagit Valley Herald and the Whidbey News-Times. For the past eight years she has been managing her own consulting business, Hiatt Watson Writing and Design. In 2007 Watson founded 7-Lakes; a non-profit land-use advocacy group focusing mostlty on the rural land and waterways in northern Snohomish County. It is chiefly though her efforts with 7-Lakes that she has come to public attention in her council district and the rest of Snohomish County; and has brought her to the decision to run for a seat on the county council. When asked why she was running this year when she could wait four years and (due to term limits) be running for an open seat, she says,

"Why wait? The time for change is now and the issues we are facing aren't waiting for us. Also, waiting for an open seat would seem to assume a political motivation where there is none. I am not a politician but, rather, a mother and a concerned citizen with a strong desire to contribute to sustainable solutions about the way growth will be managed in the near future with an eye to our long range future. Because much of the projected growth in Snohomish County over the next five years will occur in District 1 I believe the people and the land we live on require a strong advocate and that I am best suited for that job."

While she may not be a politician, Watson is not without political savvy. Because she believes her views on a number of issues are more compatible with the county's Democrats than the Republicans she feels comfortable carrying their brand into the campaign and has been actively seeking the support of the Democratic Party organizations within her district as well as the county party organization. She counts amongst her list of early endorsers current county council member Dave Somers as well as 10th LD State Senator, Mary Margaret Haugen. While she prefers to discuss her campaign in terms of what she will bring to the position and refrains from talking about the incumbent; when pressed, she expresses concerns about Koster's tendency to lean more toward "asphalt over greenbelt." She points to Koster's votes in favor of so-called Fully Contained Communities and the rezoning at Island Crossing that will allow for a car dealership to be built on a flood plain as examples of his "pro-developer" bent. While acknowledging the need to encourage sustainable small business growth in her district she is concerned that Koster might feel less accountable to the long term needs of the district if he were re-elected to a third and final term on the council.

"Considering that he would be serving a term where he would not be accountable to the voters at the end, I'm concerned that Councilman Koster might feel more free to accomodate the developers than the ordinary citizens. I hope that the voters weigh this risk before they simply re-elect him by assuming, 'Oh well, it's just one more term.'"

Koster came to the Snohomish County Council in 2001 after losing the 2000 2nd Congressional District race to Democrat Rick Larsen. Prior to that Koster had been serving in the State House where, in 1997, he introduced a bill that would have carved up Snohomish County and created Freedom County with his hometown of Arlington at its center.

Ellen Hiatt Watson lives on Lake Howard near Stanwood with her husband Jon and their two youngest children, Grace and James.

Peace,
Chad Shue