City of Bothell

Incumbent Dow Constantine has been a strong and effective leader for King County. Throughout his two terms in office, Constantine has improved King County Metro transit service and promoted the health of our natural environment. Constantine is leading efforts to protect King County from the Trump administration by proposing to triple the Veterans and Human Services Levy and offering regional support for the Paris climate agreement.

He is running against retired engineer and light rail opponent Bill Hirt, who is not running an effective campaign. Constantine has clearly earned another term as King County Executive.

Mitzi Johanknecht has worked in law enforcement for 32 years and is running to "restore honor and integrity to the Office of Sheriff." She believes the controversies surrounding the Sheriff’s office have been demoralizing for the department and a distraction for officers in the community. Johanknecht is against safe injection sites but has pledged to uphold any local laws surrounding these sites. She says she has never reported anyone to ICE and is a strong proponent of restorative justice. Johanknecht earned the support of staunch progressives such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal and The Stranger newspaper.

Johanknecht is challenging Sheriff John Urquhart, who was first elected in 2012 after serving 23 years as a sergeant and department spokesperson, where he was twice named Officer of the Year. As Sheriff, Urquhart has been an ally on a wide range of progressive issues. He supports sanctuary cities and protecting immigrant communities, and he was an outspoken critic of two anti-transgender ballot measures. He has been endorsed by a number of progressive organizations.

However, Urquhart has also been plagued by very troubling ethics issues in recent months. Late last year, reports surfaced that Urquhart was accused of raping a colleague 15 years ago. The FBI, Seattle Police Department, and the King County Prosecutor’s office investigated the allegations and did not find grounds to pursue criminal charges against him. However, the county ombudsman’s office faulted Urquhart for blocking an internal investigation into his behavior. You can read a lengthy description of the events here. In the closing days of the election, Urquhart has faced renewed criticism for attempting to bully and intimidate people who accuse him of wrongdoing and because a representative of his campaign threatened to release one accuser’s medical records to discredit her charges.

We expect our leaders in law enforcement to uphold the highest ethical standards and maintain the trust of the community they are sworn to protect. For this reason, we cannot recommend Urquhart and believe Johanknecht is the best choice in this race.

Rod Dembowski has played a key role on the King County Council promoting responsible regional development that balances environmental protections and job growth. Dembowski has prioritized improving domestic abuse services, green transit, and voting access in King County. He has strong stances on progressive issues like affordable housing and homelessness, but it is worth noting that he did take some questionable votes on revenue and health and human services issues during his most recent term. Dembowski is running unopposed for reelection.

Terry Ryan is seeking re-election to the Snohomish County Council. He previously served on the Mill Creek City Council, as well as numerous community boards, including the Community Transit Board of Directors and the Snohomish County Conservation Futures Advisory Board. Ryan has focused strongly on addressing quality of life issues in the county including supporting pedestrian sidewalk improvements, senior center updates, and public safety investments to the Violent Offender Task Force and the Office of Neighborhoods. He is running against Republican Marcus Barton, whose campaign focuses on infrastructure improvements and public safety. Ryan is the best choice in this race.

Kristin Kelly is running for the Snohomish County Council's District 5 position. A former Snohomish County Program Director at Futurewise and Snohomish County Charter Review Commissioner for District 5, Kelly is a well-known land use and conservation advocate in Snohomish County. She is currently working as the Smart Growth Executive Director for the Pilchuck Audubon Society. As a candidate, Kelly is focused on balancing environmental protections solutions with the need for sustainable development. Currently, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Lands Strategy and works to restore wildlife and salmon habitats along the Skykomish, Snohomish, and Stillaguamish River basins and estuaries. Kristin Kelly's vision for Snohomish includes supporting living wage jobs, preserving farmland, increasing affordable housing, and fully funding public health and education in the annual budget.

Kelly is running against Republican incumbent Samuel Low, who was elected to a one-year special term in this position. Low opposes transit options that keep the community moving and is backed by some of the most far-right members of the Republican Party. We believe Kelly is the best choice in this race because of her broad progressive support and experience with public policy.

Former Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is running to ensure that the Port of Seattle balances job growth and development with environmentally friendly environment platforms. He aims to make the Port of Seattle a leader in reducing emissions and restoring habitats. While Peter has a proven track record on supporting workers' rights, living wages, and environmentally responsible policies, we lean toward Shridhar for Port of Seattle, Position 4.

Judge Michael Spearman is running for re-election to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1, Position 2. Appointed by former Governor Christine Gregoire in 2010, Spearman has more than three decades of legal experience including 14 years as a Superior Court judge. Spearman has also been rated as "exceptionally well qualified" by more than 5 Washington state bar associations including the King County Bar Association and QLAW, the LGBT Bar Association of Washington. He is opposed by attorney Nathan W. S. Choi, who lacks Spearman's depth of judicial experience. Spearman has earned another term on the appellate court.

Judge David Mann is unopposed in this race. With more than three decades of experience, Judge Mann was appointed to this seat in 2016 because of his extensive judicial track record. He is a former board member of Conservation Northwest, the Northwest Fund for the Environment, and the Washington Environmental Council. He also successfully argued before the Supreme Court in the case of Milner v. Dept. of Navy, which improved government transparency through the Freedom of Information Act. Mann has earned your vote.

Liam Olsen is running for Bothell City Council Position 5. Olsen is a civil engineer who has also worked with the Bothell Landmark Preservation Board since 2010. If elected, Olsen wants to protect Bothell's open spaces, develop more parks, and improve access to multiple modes of transportation.

Olsen is running against Jeremy Michel, who has no website or campaign info available. Olsen is the best choice in this race.

Aaron Moreau-Cook is a Senior Engineering Manager at Microsoft. He is the Chair of Bothell’s Safe School Walk Routes Taskforce. Moreau-Cook is seeking reforms to housing, including increasing aging-in-place services, improving affordable housing options, securing affordable housing for workers making less than a living wage, and preventing Section 8 discrimination. If elected, he supports applying for federal and state grants to preserve forested areas, restoring wildlife habitats, implementing safe sidewalk plans, and adding bikeways to Bothell.

He is running against Thomas Agnew, who was elected to the council in 2009 and is running on a platform of public safety, fiscal responsibility, infrastructure improvement, bringing a Boys and Girls Club to Bothell, and the environment.

Moreau-Cook is the best choice in this race because of his broader support from progressive advocates.