Ciudad de Kirkland

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.

Kirkland Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold was elected to the City Council in 2013 and has emerged as a real leader in the community. He chairs the council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, participates in the regional King County-Cities Climate Collaboration, and has held leadership roles in YES! For Great Kirkland Parks, Futurewise, and Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development). In his first term, Arnold has prioritized smart development and transportation plans for Kirkland, funding for parks, revitalizing the Totem Lake Mall, and supporting individual neighborhood plans. Arnold is also a part-time technology consultant at Fuse. He was not involved in this recommendation.

Jay Arnold's opponent is Martin Morgan, a perennial candidate who has sued Kirkland several times as part of a multi-year feud with the city. Arnold is clearly the best choice for Kirkland City Council Position 1.

Tom Neir is running unopposed for Position 2 on the Kirkland City Council. He has served in several community organizations, including as co-founder and board member of the Kirkland Parks Foundation, board member of the Tilth Alliance, and as Chairman of the Kirkland Transportation Commission. His platform includes improving local sustainability efforts, education, and equality.

Penny Sweet is running unopposed for Kirkland City Council Position 3. She has served on the council since 2010 and serves in the community on the Board of Directors of the Kirkland Downtown Association. Sweet is also the co-founder of Celebrate Kirkland. She is focused on continuing Kirkland's economic successes through the redevelopment at Totem Lake and making the city more inclusive and welcoming.

Amy Walen has served as the mayor of Kirkland since 2014 and as a councilmember since 2009. She is the vice president of the Sound Cities Association and a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board. Walen's track record includes supporting the Totem Lake revitalization and seeking to improve transportation infrastructure throughout the city. Her challenger, Jory Hamilton, is not running a competitive campaign. Walen is the best choice in this race.

Eastside high school teacher Anita Damjanovic has more than 13 years of experience in the field of education. Damjanovic is passionate about revitalizing K-12 education programs. She wants to invest in STEM education and early arts programs, create an early world language education program, and promote stronger teacher recruitment and retention strategies. Damjanovic also advocates for having school nurses present in all schools to ensure that the health and safety needs of students are met.

Cassandra Sage is a family advisor for Seattle Children’s Hospital and a Cub Scout leader who serves the community in many ways. As a mother with two sons with special needs, Sage wants to see more inclusion of special education kids in general school population. If elected, she would support increasing vocational programs, promote fully funded, equitable education, and increased support for college-bound students and their parents.

Both candidates have promising visions for the school district, however we lean towards Anita Damjanovic in this race because of the support she has earned from our progressive partners.