City of Olympia

Elected to the Olympia City Council in 2011 and reelected in 2013, Jim Cooper is the CEO of United Way of the Pacific Northwest. He holds several local leadership roles, including Chair of the City Council Finance Committee, Chair of the Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency Board, and President of the Olympia Metropolitan Parks District.

Cooper helped create an air quality monitoring program at the Olympia Regional Clean Air Agency. He also had a hand in the creation of the Thurston Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. If re-elected, Cooper will continue to focus on seeking racial, gender, and economic justice for residents of Olympia, including bringing in more living wage jobs, establishing the Olympia Human Rights Commission, preserving the environment, and fighting climate change locally. He is running against activist Heather Wood and anti-tax candidate Daniel Marsh. Cooper is the best choice in this race.

Scott Clifthorne is a consultant and the current president of a local parent-teacher organization at his son's elementary school. He volunteers as a coach for youth soccer and high school debate and has served on the Olympia Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Clifthorne's campaign is focused on community engagement and equity strategies, including reaching out to all areas of the community for input on education issues, supporting evidence-based equity strategies, hiring more teachers of color to help students of color succeed, and supporting public alternative programs as a roadblock to the privatization of education.

He is running against incumbent Mark Campeau and Rebecca Cornelius. Campbeau is the current board President and has focused his previous campaigns on reducing class size and supporting students who need help to achieve grade-level goals. He was also endorsed by our partners at Teamsters Joint Council 28. We believe Clifthorne is the most progressive candidate in this race.