City of Mercer Island

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 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.

Small business owner Daniel Becker is running for Mercer Island City Council to improve community outreach and ensure all voices on the island are represented.

He's running on a forward-looking platform that includes pushing the city to act on climate change and improving transit connections with the future light rail station. Becker critiques the council for reducing counseling services for students during the pandemic and he wants to ensure that a stable funding source is identified to restore the service. He also wants to incentivize more restaurants and retail shops in the city center.

Becker is challenging incumbent Salim Nice. Nice, the former deputy mayor, is the president and CEO of a health care financial consulting company. He was elected to the council in 2017 in an unopposed race after serving by appointment. Nice voted seven months ago to prohibit people from camping or sleeping in cars, which means police will shuttle anyone experiencing homelessness off the island to shelters in neighboring cities. Violation of the law could result in a misdemeanor crime of up to 90 days in prison or a $1,000 fine. Local, off-island shelters have expressed concern that the council did not notify them of the new rule, and there is not enough space to accommodate those in need.

While we appreciate that Nice and the council revisited their prohibition of camping in September, with additional resources to potentially go to local shelters, we believe Becker will make stronger pushes for progressive policy on the council.

Daniel Becker is the best choice for Mercer Island City Council, Position 2.

Ted Weinberg is a resource manager for the city of Seattle's IT Department. He has served on the Mercer Island Planning Commission since 2017, and also serves on the Mercer Island Sister City Association, which partners with the city of Thonon-les-Bains in France.

Weinberg's available platform is not extensive, but it mentions that he would work to find solid funding for the island's school counselors. Two counselor positions were up for cuts in the 2019-2020 school year as voters failed to pass education funding through Proposition 1 and the council had to address the city's budget deficit. Weinberg also wants to develop a long-term plan for the city's parks and develop strong partnerships with other government agencies both on and off the island.

Weinberg is running against technical consultant Michael Curry, whose campaign is focused on incentivizing retail growth downtown and preserving park land. While both candidates support keeping the first response teams local and city-run, Weinberg's campaign is also supported by progressive state representatives, and current and former Mercer Island council members as well as school board members.

Weinberg is the best choice in this race.

Kate Akyuz is a senior capital project manager with the King County River and Floodplain Management Section, where she manages large flood safety and habitat restoration projects for endangered species. She wants to use her experience in wildlife and natural resource management to create a parks conservancy for Mercer Island. By protecting forested areas and wetlands, Akyuz points out that the island can simultaneously create natural stormwater infrastructure and erosion protection. If elected, she would also prioritize middle-income housing and work to secure funding for mental health services by increasing the designated reserves for Mercer Island Youth and Family Services.

Akyuz is running against incumbent Lisa Anderl, who has not been a progressive voice on the Mercer Island City Council. Unfortunately, Anderl joined five of her fellow council members voting to make it illegal for anyone to camp or even sleep in their car. Anyone on Mercer Island found in violation of this law now faces up to 90 days in prison or a $1,000 fine. While we appreciate that Anderl and the council revisited this policy in September, Anderl also opposed a 2018 levy that would have increased local funding for mental health counseling, first responders, parks, and youth and senior services.

Akyuz has earned strong support from local leaders and is the clear choice for Mercer Island City Council, Position 6.