City of Olympia

Bob Iyall is running for the Port of Olympia, District 2. Iyall is a Nisqually Tribal Elder who works in management with the Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC). He has also served as a member of the Nisqually Board of Economic Development and has been a member of the Bricklayers Union for over 40 years. Iyall's platform includes healing parts of the local environment and revising the port's approach to operations as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

His opponent in this race is Jessie Simmons, an Army veteran and former political consultant. Simmons also served as a board member with the Lacey Gold Star Memorial Foundation. His campaign is emphasizing protecting good-paying jobs and balancing organized labor with environmentalism. Additionally, Simmons wants to create an electric ferry service to run from the port to places like Tacoma and Bremerton.

Iyall is the best choice for Port of Olympia, District 2.

Joel Hansen is running a progressive campaign for Port of Olympia commissioner in District 3. He works at a solar energy company, and serves on both the Port of Olympia Citizens Advisory Committee and Tumwater Planning Commission and as a precinct committee officer. Hansen wants to put his expertise in finance and environmental science to use in order to strengthen the port economy without compromising on climate action.

If elected, Hansen wants to take a holistic approach to the commissioner position in order to generate living-wage jobs, attract local eco-friendly businesses, and engage an equity lens for port policymaking. He says he will listen to constituents about port issues and seek to better the communications between commissioners and those who live and work near the ort. Further, Hansen wants to advance environmental justice, and social justice broadly. He is supported by a number of local progressives and community leaders in this race.

Real estate broker and attorney Amy Evans is the other candidate in this race. Evans’ priorities include public access to port property, environmental stewardship, and job growth. Unfortunately, she lacks both a background in community leadership and widespread support in this race.

We recommend Hansen for Port of Olympia in District 3 to bring strong progressive leadership and a new perspective to the port.

Incumbent Yến Huỳnh was appointed to the Position 2 seat in January 2021 after Jessica Bateman left the council to join the state Legislature. She is a former equity and social justice coordinator at the Washington State Department of Corrections, where she aimed to reduce recidivism and is a former Olympia planning commissioner. She is the only person of color currently serving on the council as well as the youngest member of the council.

Huỳnh's priorities include helping small businesses recover from the pandemic, working with local arts organizations, expanding affordable housing, and improving transportation for all. The council member wants to see public safety reimagined through the input of the community, and wants to see first responders and diverse community members included as part of the city's public safety decision-making process. She is endorsed by a wide slate of state senators, elected officials, city council members, unions, and other progressive organizations.

She is running against Robbi Kesler, the former general counsel for the Confederated Tribes of Chehalis, and a member of the Skokomish Tribe in Mason County. In the primary, Kesler's initial answers on homelessness in local interviews did not point to an effective strategy, with an overemphasis on private property. Kesler has since significantly expanded her platform, providing more details on her plans to address homelessness, handle waterfront development, and support collective bargaining. However, Huynh's solid track record on the council and support from the progressive community still makes her the best choice in this race.

Incumbent mayor pro tem Clark Gilman is running for re-election to his seat on the Olympia City Council, where he has served since January 2016. Previously, Gilman worked as a clean energy advocate at Climate Solutions and an organizer for the carpenters union. Currently, he works as a paraeducator at South Sound High School.

Gilman's top three campaign priorities are protecting the city's environment and natural spaces, engaging residents in city planning, and encouraging a sense of cooperation in the community. While on the council, Gilman has been an advocate for affordability requirements on tax-incentivized development, which keeps more homes and apartments affordable for all. He also worked to pass renter protections for people falling behind on payments due to COVID. Gilman and the council have also supported reverting Capitol Lake back to an estuary to support salmon populations.

His opponent is Candace Mercer, who says that she is a 'progressive' who voted for Donald Trump. Much of her writing focuses on her decision to embrace right-wing advocates and ideals. Her secondary focus is on homelessness and addiction, with a stronger focus on the latter, though the measures she suggests are largely punitive. Mercer states that the city should aggressively prosecute drug dealing and sex work, build privatized urban campsites, and push for substance abstinence.

Gilman's agenda is far more comprehensive and actually progressive, addressing the city's biggest issues at the source with services that help struggling families and prevent people from falling into poverty in the first place. Clark Gilman is the best choice for Olympia City Council, Position 4.

Dontae Payne is a former U.S. Army member and currently works as the deputy district director to Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. Payne has also worked as the regional representative for the Olympic Peninsula and South Puget Sound to the governor's office.

Payne wants to see the city acknowledge systemic racism and support the use of an equity lens in its policymaking. On housing and homelessness, Payne states that expanded transitional and permanent supportive housing will help alleviate the crisis while providing COVID relief for small businesses and rent stabilization for commercial tenants will aid the city's economic recovery.

He also supports additional funding for body cameras, social services, mental health, addiction programs, and the city's crisis response unit. In his interview, he stated that his opinion on defunding the police was nuanced and that the city should focus on true reform, justice, and accountability.

Payne states that if elected, he would be the first Black man to ever serve on the city council. He says that his experience as a gay, Black, former military member would bring the voice of marginalized people to the table.

He is running against retired Air Force member and former firefighter Corey Gauny, who works as a management analyst for the state's Department of Licensing. The only issue listed in detail on his site is around homelessness. Gauny says that he would tackle the issues by providing resources around behavioral health, but does not address key issues like affordable housing or the need to provide shelter for the hundreds of people who sleep on the streets every night. He also mentions that he wants to focus on a vision of the city that centers businesses. Gauny is also using a Republican consultant, which further indicates he would bring a more conservative voice to the council.

Payne is the best choice in this race.

Incumbent Jim Cooper is a veteran and the CEO of United Ways of the Pacific Northwest. He is also deeply involved in the community as president of the Olympia Metropolitan Parks District, chair of the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency Board, and chair of the Regional Housing Council.

Cooper and the city council have passed several significant pieces of legislation that benefit the community. Notably, he supported the Olympia Home Fund to build new supportive permanent housing, provided funding for struggling businesses and families during the pandemic, and created a regional climate plan with neighboring cities. If re-elected, Cooper states that he will focus on housing and economic recovery, twin crises that affect everyone in the community, as well as continuing conversations on criminal justice reform.

Cooper faces a challenge from conservative Spence Weigand, an Olympia-based realtor. His three listed campaign priorities include addressing homelessness, housing, and improving the business climate. While his site doesn't go into specifics on these as of mid-October, he repeats false and misleading claims about people experiencing homelessness in Thurston County. He also criticizes efforts to clean up and supply sanitation at encampments and wants to see increased law enforcement presence and new mental health facilities. On the matter of affordable housing, he is a supporter of zoning reform on single-family zoning, as well as projects like the 478-unit West Bay Yards project, while disclosing that his real estate firm is involved in the Hardel property.

Cooper is backed by a significant number of unions, including the Lacey and Olympia firefighters' unions and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367, as well as by Lt. Gov. Denny Heck and a large number of county and city elected officials. His track record on the council and strong support from our partners and local leaders make him the best choice in this race.

Darcy Huffman, a communications and resource director for her church, is running for Olympia School Board in District 3. The former finance professional challenged an incumbent Republican in the state’s 35th Legislative District last year. Huffman currently also works on the Affordable Housing Taskforce for a coalition of Washington churches and as a member of the Quixote Communities board, which works to provide permanent supportive housing for people struggling with homelessness.

If elected, Huffman wants to make sure that Olympia’s public schools are supportive learning environments for all students. Her platform includes strengthening lines of communications with parents, prioritizing the emotional and social wellbeing of students, funding essential skills learning, and closing the opportunity gap. Huffman’s campaign to create a more equitable school system is supported by a large number of local progressive and Democratic organizations and leaders.

Wealth advisor Mark Boyer is running against Huffman on a vague platform that highlights no priorities or policy. He was a part of a conservative group that campaigned to bring back in-person learning earlier this year before it was safe to do so.

We recommend Darcy Huffman because of her progressive background, strong community support, and clear vision for the District 3 director position.

Incumbent Director Scott Clifthorne is running to retain his seat serving District 5 on the Olympia School Board. Clifthorne was first elected in 2017 and now serves as president. Clifthorne works as a negotiator for Teamster 117 and was formerly the president of the Lincoln Community Council. Previously, he was a member of the City of Olympia Community Workgroup on Homelessness.

During Clifthorne’s time on the board, Olympia was able to secure PE, art, and music teachers in all elementary schools beginning in Fall 2021. In this race, Clifthorne wants to continue expanding student opportunities, deepen lines of communication for families and schools, and address systemic inequities particularly relating to race, disability, and socioeconomic status. With three kids enrolled in Olympia public schools and widespread support from community leaders and organizations, Clifthorne will continue to bring progressive values to the board.

Challenging Clifthorne is Don Mitchell, a nurse and assistant professor of nursing. Mitchell advocated for school re-opening earlier than was safe, and he is now running on a reactionary platform that ignores scientific-informed, school board decisions. He also wants to continue valuing standardized tests despite ample research that shows that they are not an effective assessment of student success. Mitchell is not a progressive choice.

We recommend Scott Clifthorne in this race because of his school board experience and inclusive plan for the school district.