City of Edmonds

Alicia Crank is running for Edmonds City Council, Position 1. Crank currently works as the chief development officer at a local nonprofit and serves as the vice-chair of the Edmonds Planning Board. She has extensive community leadership experience including working for the Edmonds Senior Center, Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, and the Edmonds Sister City Commission.

In this campaign, Crank is prioritizing housing affordability, transparent and responsive government, thoughtful growth, and public safety such as reducing gun violence. She has proposed green building practices and constructing mixed-use developments to make sure that Edmonds can grow while remaining committed to environmental sustainability and economic diversity. Crank is running a strong campaign and has earned endorsements from progressive elected officials and organizations.

Crank is running against incumbent Councilmember Kristiana Johnson and Brian Hartman. First elected in 2012, Johnson has made environmental protections a focus of her time on the council. Unfortunately, she sent a racially insensitive email last year regarding federal grants for white-owned and Asian-owned businesses that drew criticism from her fellow council members. She has since apologized but the situation raises concerns about her ability to engage an equity lens and to serve all Edmonds residents.

Hartman is a precinct committee officer and senior director of enterprise technology at Blue Origin. He does not have a strong campaign presence but has emphasized that his business background would translate to economic leadership if he is elected.

Alicia Crank is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote for Position 1 on the Edmonds City Council.

Incumbent Luke Distelhorst is running for re-election to Position 2 after being appointed to the Edmonds City Council in 2020. Before joining the council, Distelhorst worked for Community Transit in Everett and in the private sector abroad. He serves as a council liaison on the Diversity Commission and as a board member for the Alliance for Housing Affordability, amongst other council-related community positions.

During his time on the council, Distelhorst authored the Housing and Relief Fund and a resolution banning residential evictions during the pandemic. His campaign is focusing on affordable housing, public safety and reducing gun violence, climate action, and equitably supporting Edmonds’ underserved communities. Distelhorst has widespread support from local Democratic and progressive organizations as well as elected officials.

There are three other candidates in this race. Lora Petso is a former city council member who served in Edmonds from 2000 to 2003 and from 2010 to 2015. Petso is a lawyer and local business owner who has made her platform in this race about resisting policy to make housing more affordable in the Edmonds area. Also in this race is Janelle Cass, a former bioenvironmental engineer for the Air Force and small business owner who serves on the board of directors for the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. Cass' platform is more moderate than that of Distelhorst and aims to commit to the needs of businesses and prevent zoning changes, which would keep housing out of reach for those who need more affordable options. The final candidate, Will Chen, is an auditor of large corporations as well as a small business owner. Chen currently serves on a lot of community groups including as Edmonds Citizen’s Housing commissioner. His platform lacks detail but is centered around his business background, council transparency, and post-COVID economic recovery.

Distelhorst is a strong progressive and the best choice for Edmonds City Council, Position 2.