City of Bellevue

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.

Kim-Khanh Van is a current Renton City Council member who is running for King County Council in District 9 to bring her experience and dedication to the county. After her family escaped Vietnam as refugees and settled in King County, she went on to earn her doctorate and become an attorney. Van credits the community for her successes and wants to provide families and residents with healthy, livable communities that include child care access and infrastructure maintenance. Outside of her work on the city council, Van serves in a multitude of organizations, including as a PTA president, a volunteer attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the co-founder of AAPI Against Hate.

Van has demonstrated that she is willing to take tough public votes on behalf of the most vulnerable in the community. She was one of only two members of the Renton City Council who voted to maintain the Red Lion Hotel as a source of housing for residents experiencing homelessness. In our interview, we were impressed with her in-depth knowledge about the issue and her desire to lead as a consensus and coalition builder at the county level. She wants to do more to educate voters on the economic and social benefits of providing supportive, stable housing early, rather than jailing people experiencing homelessness.

Van has done much advocacy work for marginalized communities. She understands the struggles that the Black, Latino, and Asian-Pacific Islander communities have faced historically and in the present, and vows to continue to stand with residents to make the county a place of opportunity for all.

Her opponent is Republican incumbent Reagan Dunn, who has served on the council since he was appointed and later elected to the position in 2005. Before that, he worked as a federal prosecutor appointed by President George W. Bush and was the national coordinator of a Department of Justice program that increases policing in neighborhoods. Dunn challenged Bob Ferguson in the 2012 race for attorney general and lost.

On the council, Dunn has been a consistent voice opposing the progressive reforms proposed by the rest of the council. In March, Dunn was the lone vote against giving grocery store workers $4 per hour hazard pay for their service on the front lines of the pandemic. In addition, Dunn was a vocal opponent of streamlining homelessness services between Seattle and King County. Instead, he proposed spending $1 million of taxpayer money on bus tickets to send people experiencing homelessness to other states, another shortsighted proposal that failed to address the root causes of the issue. In this campaign, he has emphasized his prosecutorial background and longstanding support of law enforcement without talking about how to increase accountability for law enforcement.

Van's strong experience and progressive values make her the best choice for King County Council in District 9.

Small business owner and former renewable energy executive Dexter Borbe is running for Bellevue City Council, Position 2. Born in the Phillippines, he moved to the U.S. to earn his MBA at MIT before going on to work at several technology companies.

Borbe is a political newcomer who wants to bring an outside perspective to the Bellevue City Council. His campaign is focused on transportation, affordability, and economic development. He supports building more housing, particularly in Factoria and Crossroads, along with making the transit and transportation investments necessary to reduce traffic congestion. In addition, this would help alleviate a severe shortage of housing for low-income residents of Bellevue. If elected, Borbe would also push to improve transparency on the council by reducing voice votes so Bellevue residents have a record of how their representatives vote.

Borbe is challenging longtime incumbent Conrad Lee, who is running for re-election to the council position he has served in since 1994. Lee is a Republican who opposed the light rail expansion to the Eastside, which will begin service in 2023. More recently, Lee opposed efforts to expand shelter options for people experiencing homelessness in Bellevue. He is not a progressive choice.

Bellevue is a rapidly growing and changing city that deserves leaders who are ready to tackle a host of new challenges. Dexter Borbe is the best choice for Bellevue City Council, Position 2.

Retired software engineer and philanthropist Ruth Lipscomb is running for Bellevue City Council, Position 4. She has served on the boards of many nonprofit organizations, including Fuse Washington, the Progress Alliance of Washington, Washington Women For Choice PAC, and others.

Her vision for Bellevue includes protecting the environment by reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions and prioritizing bringing stronger public transit, walkable neighborhoods, and safe biking routes to Bellevue. Lipscomb wants to use her background in technology to increase transparency in government and will work to improve affordability and safety for all Bellevue families.

Lipscomb is facing conservative deputy mayor Jared Nieuwenhuis. Nieuwenhuis recently voted against important housing affordability legislation because he wanted yet another taxpayer-funded study that would kick the can down the road. Nieuwenhuis has also displayed a disappointing lack of leadership on the issue of police accountability and racial justice during council meetings over the last year.

The Bellevue City Council is currently narrowly divided along political and ideological lines. Electing Lipscomb is the key to creating a progressive governing majority that could pursue a more ambitious agenda on issues like housing affordability, climate change, and reducing traffic congestion.

Lipscomb’s track record of community engagement, progressive values, and strong support from our partner organizations make her the clear choice for Bellevue City Council, Position 4.

Lynne Robinson is running for re-election to Bellevue City Council, Position 6. Since joining in 2014, Robinson has prioritized supporting small businesses, increasing responsible development, and protecting the environment at the local level. She is focused on addressing the needs of Bellevue families by focusing on education, affordable housing, human services for vulnerable community members, and advocating for local parks and public spaces.

In 2020, Robinson was elected mayor of Bellevue by her fellow council members and has been a moderate voice leading the city. During the COVID-19 crisis, she has focused on addressing food insecurity for community members as well as supporting women and minority-owned businesses with grants. Robinson has supported increasing affordable housing and shelter space, though far more progress is needed in Bellevue and across the region

Robinson is facing Dr. Gina Johnson, the founder of Vital Mind Body. Johnson's platform emphasizes police funding without mentioning much-needed accountability measures or increased funding for community-based alternatives. In addition, Johnson proposes harsh and punitive measures that fail to address the root of homelessness in Bellevue. Finally, Johnson opposes some of the city's basic COVID-19 protections, which are consistent with CDC recommendations and have helped keep our community safe.

Robinson is the best choice in the race for Position 6. Given the other competitive races for Bellevue City Council on the ballot, we hope Robinson will have the opportunity to work with a more progressive council and will support a bolder agenda for the city of Bellevue.

Joyce Shui is an attorney and founder of the Purple School who is running for the Bellevue School Board in District 3. Shui is currently the lead senior legal counsel for a software company and has previously served on the boards of the Washington Women Lawyers and the American Lung Association of Washington. She has also volunteered at a legal clinic in the International District providing legal services to community members with low incomes.

Her campaign is emphasizing equity and empathy, as well as increasing opportunities for all students. She wants the community to be involved in school board decision-making and pledges to be a transparent leader on the board. Shui is endorsed by progressive leaders including Rep. My-Linh Thai and groups including the 41st and 48th Legislative District Democrats.

Shui is facing Faye Yang, a dietician and nutrition service director. Yang's campaign is focused on criticizing the Bellevue School District's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also strongly opposed to the district's efforts to promote racial equity and reduce the opportunity gap.

Yang has faced extensive criticism during the campaign for racist remarks she made about Black and Latino students. In a shocking email to the Bellevue School Board in 2018, Yang said that the lower graduation rate of Black and Latino students was due to the "genetic disparity between the races when it comes to IQ scores." This extremely racist and factually inaccurate statement harkens back to the worst of the Jim Crow era and segregated schools.

One out of every six students in the Bellevue School District is Black or Latino. Yang has clearly demonstrated that she is unqualified and uninterested in providing them a quality education. Her racism has no place in our schools or any elected office.

Shui is the clear choice for Bellevue School Board in District 3.

Jane Aras is running for the Bellevue School District Board of Directors in District 5. She has experience teaching special education and has spent the past 19 years volunteering in Bellevue schools. She is active in the PTSA, created a math and reading club for students, and introduced before-school computer programming for 4th- and 5th-grade students.

Aras understands the toll COVID-19 has taken on students and staff. She wants to prioritize bringing students back with proper support while addressing pre-pandemic issues including closing academic gaps and encouraging everyone to consider a variety of options after graduating. Aras’ campaign also focuses on equitable access to high-quality education for all, giving every student the tools they need to thrive.

Aras is facing Gregg Smith. He owns a broadband business and has been a Parent Student Teacher Association vice president. Smith has two children who he pulled out of Bellevue public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and enrolled in private schools to receive in-person education.

Smith has been active with a small group of conservative Bellevue parents who has been spreading divisive conspiracy theories about Bellevue schools. Classrooms should be a place where kids develop their understanding of the world, but some politicians like Smith are trying to make our kids’ classrooms into political battlegrounds. Part of Smith's campaign strategy is scaring parents by spreading lies about the lessons being taught instead of supporting a historically accurate education. Like Faye Yang, Smith has also been a vocal opponent of the district's efforts to promote racial equity and reduce the opportunity gap for students of color.

Smith's track record indicates he would be a divisive and inflammatory voice who would unnecessarily politicize the school board. Aras’ experience, strong platform, and endorsements make her the clear choice for Bellevue School District Board of Directors in District 5.

Dustin Lambro, president of the King County Labor Council and political director for Teamsters Local 117, is running for Public Hospital District No. 1 in District 2. Lambro has extensive community leadership experience and is a staunch workers’ rights advocate.

If elected, Lambro wants to restore a balance of power between UW Medicine and both its hospital staff and the community it serves. He would work to bring final decision authority back to the hospital commissioners elected by voters instead of trustees selected by the University of Washington. Additionally, Lambro would fight for the rights of frontline, health care workers to make sure that the hospital district has proper labor conditions.

Lambro is facing incumbent commissioner and veteran Jim Griggs, who currently serves as the president of the board of commissioners as well as the chair of the Finance & Audit Committee. Griggs formerly worked as an audit manager for the state's auditor’s office and is running on a vague platform to serve the valley, in his owns words, as a financial watchdog.

With his demonstrated progressive values and experience organizing for the public good, Dustin Lambro is the best choice for Public Hospital District 1, Commissioner in District 2.

Monique Taylor-Swan is running for King County Hospital District 1, Commissioner Position 4. Taylor-Swan is a community leader who serves as a board member of the caregivers union SEIU 775 and a member of the Renton Inclusion Task Force. She currently works as a home care aide with Washington's Department of Social and Health Services.

Taylor-Swan is running for commissioner to work towards more accessible, quality care in Renton. She wants to focus on proper staffing and making pay more equitable between the highest-paid executives and underpaid nurses and staff. If elected, Taylor-Swan will use an inclusion and equity lens to make sure that everyone who needs it can access culturally competent care at Valley Medical Center.

Taylor-Swan is running against Katie Bachand, a birth and postpartum doula. Bachand has been posting extreme conspiracies for months about the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine. She has promoted fake treatments, including a horse dewormer, that have been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, Bachand participated in the January 6 insurrection in Washington D.C. that sought to overturn the 2020 election results. Bachand's dangerous views are completely disqualifying for elected office, especially as a hospital commissioner. 

We recommend Monique Taylor-Swan because of her direct background in health care and her clear, progressive vision for the role.