City of Kenmore

Sen. Joe Nguyen was elected to the Washington state Senate in 2018 and has worked as a senior program manager at Microsoft since 2013. His parents were refugees from Vietnam who came to White Center, where Nguyen was born and raised.

During Nguyen's time in the Legislature, he has been an advocate for Washington's families and equality, including playing a leadership role in fully funding the Working Families Tax Credit. In addition, he co-sponsored legislation to require anti-racism and equity training in public schools.

Nguyen is running for county executive to implement sweeping actions on the affordable housing crisis, to reform the criminal justice system with deep changes and accountability, and to make the state's economy work for everyone, not just the wealthiest people. In particular, Nguyen has proposed to make all transit services free to improve access and increase ridership. He also wants to leverage the new Regional Homelessness Authority to significantly scale up the building of affordable housing.

Nguyen has the support of elected leaders including state Reps. Kirsten Harris-Talley and David Hackney as well as state Sen. Bob Hasegawa and Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. Nguyen is a progressive choice if you're looking for new leadership in the executive's office who will prioritize racial justice and systemic change.

Incumbent Rod Dembowski is an attorney who has represented District 1 since 2013. He has served in county affairs in several capacities, including as a pro bono counsel for the King County Superior Court, policy analyst in the county executive's office, and special prosecuting attorney.

If re-elected, Dembowski will continue working on sustainable human services funding, protecting the wild areas of the Puget Sound region, and looking for sustainable transit funding that improves transportation options. He also wants to expand housing with an eye on reducing commute times and increasing affordability for workers and families. While on the council, Dembowski has sponsored several progressive reforms, including giving grocery workers hazard pay in the pandemic and moving to make the sheriff an appointed position through the council and an advisory committee.

Challenging Dembowski is Kenmore resident and first-time candidate Sally Caverzan. According to her LinkedIn, she has worked as a long-term care social worker and is passionate about the environment. Her official voters' guide statement says that she would support instituting term limits for politicians, expanding mental health and addiction care with the creation of a King County regional treatment facility, and increasing supportive and permanent housing.

Dembowski has earned broad support from elected officials, reproductive health and environmental organizations, labor unions, and many more. We recommend Dembowski for King County Council in District 1 because of his proven track record of progressive leadership.

Incumbent and businesses consultant Ryan Calkins has successfully pushed the port in a more progressive direction during his first term. The current Port of Seattle commissioners have enacted several crucial reforms over the last few years, including ensuring at least a $15 minimum wage for airline catering workers and starting an accelerator mentorship program aimed at increasing access to contracting jobs for women- and minority-owned businesses.

If re-elected, Calkins states that he will continue to lead on mitigating the environmental impacts of the airport and port operations, promoting living wage jobs, improving immigration policy, and more. He has earned broad support from progressive and Democratic Party organizations.

His opponent is Norman Sigler, the owner of a consulting firm that focuses on finding diverse executive leadership. He serves as a precinct committee officer and is on the executive board of the King County Democrats Central Committee. Sigler wants to focus the port on environmental and economic justice, stating that he would invest port profits into improving neighboring communities. He states that he would promote a green economy, work to end systemic racism and keep the port honest, but does not have as detailed of a policy agenda. For example, in a forum for Port of Seattle candidates, Sigler stated that he would seek "putting mandates" on cruises and airlines, while Calkins specifically stated that he would support electric aviation, cleaner fuels, and high-speed ground transportation over short flights.

Calkins has an excellent record on the port and broad support from the progressive community. Calkins is the best choice for Port of Seattle, Position #1.

Hamdi Mohamed is running for Seattle Port Commissioner, Position 3 with a visionary agenda for the port that centers the needs of the workers, the environment, and the broader community. Mohamed's family fled Somalia and settled in the SeaTac region when she was 5 years old, with her mother working in the airport. Mohamed now works in the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice as a policy advisor and has helped manage the millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds that went to community-based organizations in King County.

As a resident of SeaTac, Mohamed lives in one of the communities most affected by airport pollution. Given that none of the current commissioners live in South King County, she seeks to bridge the gap between port policy and lived experience. She wants to expand the port's efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and restore habitats for salmon and orcas. Through greater direct partnership with workers, Mohamed wants to protect unions, provide pandemic relief, and prioritize workplace health.

In our interview with Mohamed, we were incredibly impressed by her drive to improve the lives of those who work and live near the port. One recent example of her accomplishment was her work with Beyoncé and Tina Knowles to provide free coronavirus testing and supplies to local organizations and working with the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission to center language access in COVID-19 relief.

Mohamed is running against incumbent Stephanie Bowman, who has served on the commission since 2013. Bowman is proud of the port commission's progress on many fronts, including expanding youth job training opportunities in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, making stormwater improvements, and developing a noise insulation program for homes close to the airport. She states that one of her most important accomplishments was tripling the number of interns, many of which were youth of color from marginalized communities. If re-elected, Bowman would focus on improving economic opportunity at the port for all, including union members, women-owned businesses, lower-income workers, and more.

However, we were extremely disappointed when Bowman voted in 2015 to allow Shell Oil to base its arctic drilling operations in Seattle. In addition, she voted to use taxpayer money to file a legal challenge against SeaTac's $15 per hour minimum wage. In our interview with Bowman this year, she stated that she had been on the commission for less than six months before the wage increase vote, and believed that the council did not have the regulatory authority to make the change. On the Shell vote, she said that the commission was not transparent enough about it and that she would rather have ships come to Seattle ports where the environmental standards are the highest.

We believe Mohamed would be a stronger leader for progress at the port and would bring much-needed representation to the commission for South King County communities. We strongly support Hamdi Mohamed for her dedication to the community, her progressive agenda, and her backing by progressive organizations.

Incumbent Peter Steinbrueck is running for his second term in Position 4 on the Seattle Port Commission. He is an architect and former Seattle City Council member who has also served on the boards of many organizations in his history of public service, including the Washington Environmental Council, AIA Center for Civic Leadership, and Walkable Livable Communities Institute.

If re-elected, Steinbrueck has vowed to push the status quo on the economic, social, and political issues that matter to everyone in the region. In our interview, he stated that he supports a just and fair transition to clean fuels, one that includes electrification at the port as well as reducing ultrafine particulates and other kinds of pollution. He points to the port's job and apprenticeship programs, many of which offer opportunities to youth of color, women, and others as indicators of the types of policies he wants to continue moving forward. Environmentalism is his great passion, he states, and he believes that as the port recovers from the pandemic and evolves that he would continue to support climate justice at all levels, from workers' health, habitat restoration, and more.

Joe Marshall is running unopposed for re-election to Kenmore City Council, Position 2. Marshall is an attorney and the former president of the Northshore Rotary Club who was elected to the city council in 2017. In his first term, Marshall supported Kenmore's Climate Action Plan and first Pride Proclamation, helped distribute COVID-19 relief and assistance in the community, and worked to improve roads and traffic congestion. If re-elected, he states that he will continue to support safer sidewalks and new bike lanes, environmental protections, and a public pool.

Marshall is running unopposed and deserves your vote for Kenmore City Council, Position 2.

Angela Kugler is running unopposed to retain Kenmore City Council, Position 3. Kugler has served on the local planning commission as vice-chair and was appointed to the city council in January of this year. She has volunteered as an advisor to the Kenmore Business Incubator and was an advocate for buses along 522. Kugler's campaign platform emphasizes environmental stewardship and making government more equitable and accessible. She also wants to prioritize increased affordable housing and public transit.

Kugler is unopposed in the race for Kenmore City Council, Position 3, and deserves your vote.

Nigel Herbig is running for re-election to Position 4 on the Kenmore City Council. Herbig has served on the city council since 2014 and was appointed deputy mayor in 2018 and again in 2020. He also works in the state House of Representatives as a legislative assistant.

During his time on the council, Herbig has worked to improve government transparency and upgrade transportation options and pedestrian safety. He helped develop the Walkways and Waterways projects, which have already added three miles of new bike lanes and sidewalks to Kenmore.

Recently, Herbig played a lead role in extending Kenmore's eviction ban through January 15, 2021 to ensure that renters can access federal assistance before potentially facing eviction. If re-elected, Herbig plans to continue building progressive momentum in Kenmore towards improving transportation, maintaining affordability, acting on the climate crisis, and making Kenmore a welcoming city for all. He also helped create the Kenmore Cares program that is using federal funding to provide one-time direct cash payments to low-income Kenmore residents.

Also in this race is Bob Black, a former operating engineer and aviation inspector who has run for Kenmore City Council twice before. Black does not have experience in community leadership, and his campaign website and his statement in the King County Voters Guide are copied directly from his 2015 race in some places. In both past and current statements, Black prioritizes conservative economic policy, emphasizing again and again that he would stop any new revenue-collecting measures while simultaneously promising new infrastructure improvements.

Nigel Herbig is the clear choice for Kenmore City Council, Position 4.

Debra Srebnik is running for re-election to Kenmore City Council, Position 6. Srebnik was first elected to City Council in 2017 and is a human services program manager at the University of Washington. She has served on the Kenmore Planning Commission and is a member of both Friends of St. Edwards State Park and the Northshore School District nutrition and the fitness advisory council.

In her time on the council, Srebnik has worked on Kenmore's Climate Action Plan, overseen shoreline and habitat restoration in local parks, and supported the completion of hundreds of new affordable housing units. She also made an effort to engage the community in the civic process.

Also in this race is Jon Culver. He is a civic technologist and small business owner running with a focus on climate action, affordable housing, and proactive civic engagement. Culver's campaign conveys the dangers of an incremental approach to fighting climate change and promotes phasing out fossil fuels in favor of more sustainable sources of energy. However, Culver lacks the experience and deep community connections that Srebnik brings to the council.

Srebnik is the best choice for Kenmore City Council, Position 6.

Jacqueline McGourty is running for re-election to Northshore School Board in District 1. She has worked in the biotechnology industry for three decades and was elected to the school board in 2017 where she now serves as the vice president. In her leadership role, she has hosted community forums on equity issues facing the Northshore school district.

In her time on the school board, McGourty advanced mental health support, upgraded learning facilities, and worked to provide internet access and digital devices to all students. Her strong campaign platform includes ensuring students are able to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, closing opportunity and outcome gaps, and making more progress on inclusivity and access to education for all students. In this race, she is endorsed by local Democrats and a number of elected leaders.

McGourty is being challenged by Elizabeth Crowley, a Boeing employee and concerned parent running without a background in community leadership. Her top campaign priorities are increased cybersecurity for teachers and students as well as stronger communication between the school district and the community.

McGourty is the best choice in the race for Northshore School Board Director representing District 1.

Incumbent director Sandy Hayes is running for re-election to represent District 4 on the Northshore School Board. Hayes first joined the school board in 2009 and has also served as a leadership consultant for the Washington State School Directors’ Association since then. Outside of public service, she runs a restorative justice practice.

Since joining the board, Hayes has led school district improvements such as building both Ruby Bridges Elementary and North Creek High School, creating one-to-one student access to laptops for learning, and purchasing three electric buses to reduce the school district’s carbon footprint. In this race, she is prioritizing expanding arts programming, achieving digital equity including universally accessible broadband, and building an adaptable curriculum to support career paths that may not yet exist. Hayes defines her campaign against the reactionary politics of some conservative school board candidates, and she has been widely endorsed by progressive elected officials and organizations.

Aerospace professional and consultant Chris Roberdeau is also in this race. Earlier this year, Roberdeau participated in a reactionary rally to unseat board members for not going back to in-person learning sooner, despite science-based health concerns. Unfortunately, he also subscribes to the Trump-led, right-wing efforts to not teach honest, up-to-date history to students. Roberdeau is not a progressive choice.

Hayes is the best choice to represent District 4 with her background in law, community leadership, and direct school board experience. She deserves your vote to continue bringing positive change to the school district.

Incumbent school board director Amy Cast is running to retain her seat representing District 5 on the Northshore School Board. Cast has served the school district since first being elected in 2013. Outside of elected office, she runs her own website design company and serves as a leadership consultant for the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

On the board, Cast has helped Northshore to become one of the highest performing school districts in the state through work like adding language immersion programs, investing in alternative career paths through the Career and Technical Education class, and implementing social-emotional health curriculum for kindergartners and up. If elected, she has detailed suggestions to increase equity, including incorporating Universal Design for Learning, expanding cultural competence curriculum, and investing in student services like social-emotional learning, mental health supports, and wrap-around financial need programs. Cast is also prioritizing thoughtful budgeting after a 20% increase in the student population, and she wants to fund programming for modernized skill-building.

The other candidate in this race is Amy Felt, an attorney, NSD parent, and PTA member. Felt wants to amplify student voices while improving relationships between all school stakeholders including parents, administrators, teachers, unions, and board directors. She supports spending to close learning gaps between students and funding mental health resources.

Cast is the best choice in this race because of her widespread support from local leaders and organizations as well as her clear plan for bringing positive change to the school district.

Katie Grainger is running for King County Public Hospital District 2, Commissioner Position 4. Grainger works as a communications consultant with Clinical Care at Providence. She was the first in her family to receive a college degree and went on to earn a master's at the University of Washington. Additionally, Grainger serves as an ambassador with the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation.

Grainger believes her experience living with an autoimmune disease paired with her work at a health care nonprofit makes her well-poised to bridge hospital administration and patient needs while bringing a community focus. If elected, she wants to work on health care reform at the local level in the service of the health and wellbeing of all district residents.

Grainger is facing retired emergency doctor Charles Pilcher. He was elected to Commissioner Position 4 in 2010 and is running to cut funding for services. While Pilcher is the only physician on the board, he does not appear to be a progressive choice.

Katie Grainger is the best candidate for King County Public Hospital District 2, Commissioner Position 4.