City of Newcastle

King County Assessor John Wilson is running unopposed for re-election. He worked as the chief deputy assessor for four years before being elected by the public to lead the office in 2015. Wilson has also worked in the county’s Department of Information Technology and in public affairs consulting. 

In office, Wilson has focused on housing affordability, making sure our tax code is balanced, and improving the efficiency of assessor services. One of his top priorities has been to ensure that property taxes don’t push our senior neighbors out of their homes. Wilson also revamped the office’s web services and instituted the Taxpayer Transparency Tool so county residents can easily calculate how policy changes impact their upcoming taxes. In this race, Wilson’s platform emphasizes similar values of accessibility, innovation, and efficiency in the office while working on community issues like housing and immigration.

With his years of experience and strong community focus, John Wilson deserves your vote to serve another term as King County Auditor. 

Incumbent Julie Wise is running for her third term serving as King County Director of Elections. Wise has worked in elections since 2000 and as the county’s director since 2015. During her two terms, she has brought innovative community services to the offices that have advanced civic education and voter participation.

Wise has led progress in the county elections office, instituting the Voter Education Fund (a public-philanthropic partnership), providing prepaid postage on ballots, introducing new language options, and adding 65 new ballot drop-off locations. Her past term included successfully navigating the storm of election misinformation and conspiracy theories about the democratic process. Wise has won numerous awards for her leadership in the office.

Wise’s campaign reflects her continued commitment to reducing barriers to voting, protecting elections from infringement, building community trust in the accuracy of election results, and making sure every vote is counted. Her biggest priorities for a third term are continuing progressive efforts to increase accessibility while investing in security to protect voters and elections offices from intimidation.

Republican Doug Basler is challenging Wise in this race. Basler runs a digital video and marketing services company, and he has previously run for office. His campaign platform dangerously promotes far-right fictions of election fraud that fueled the 2020 criminal conspiracy to overthrow the will of the people. Basler has also previously questioned the integrity of county elections, and even participated in lawsuits aimed at overturning the function of our democratic institutions. 

King County voters deserve an elections director who is focused on delivering quality and accurate services rather than someone who wants to overturn our votes and stoke chaos in order to elevate their position and that of their party. Julie Wise deserves re-election for another term as King County Director of Elections to continue bringing strong leadership to the office. 

Sam Cho is running unopposed for re-election for Seattle Port Commissioner, Position 2. Before his election in 2019, he served on Gov. Jay Inslee’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and previously worked on trade issues for a member of Congress. Aside from his work on the commission, Cho also serves on the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Council on International Trade.

Cho has been a standout on the commission in his first term. When Cho became commission president in 2022, he was the first Asian American to serve in the role in port history. As the son of South Korean immigrants and a fluent Korean speaker, Cho has led several international trade efforts with Korea, including creating a green trade corridor with the Port of Busan and working with Hyundai and KIA to make the Port of Seattle the exclusive importer of their cars.

Cho deserves your vote for Position 2 on the Seattle Port Commission. 

Incumbent Fred Felleman is an environmental consultant and marine biologist. He is running for re-election to the Seattle Port Commission, Position 5, as the senior member of the commission, having served since 2016. With his science background, Felleman has pledged to continue supporting environmentally friendly reforms at the port.

As commissioner, Felleman has focused on fighting climate change and increasing the port's green energy jobs. He has been a leader on the commission when it comes to protecting orcas, publicly opposing the dangerous Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, and advocating for well-paying jobs. Elected commission president in 2021, he has recently supported more efficient and greener policies at the port to reduce pollution, including adding solar panels to the Fishermen's Terminal's net shed and powering new docks so ships don't have to idle and burn additional fuel. Felleman often supports social causes as well, including condemning Trump's Muslim ban and government agencies’ response at the airport, as well as welcoming Ukrainian refugees, with Washington hosting 16,000 refugees, the third most among U.S. states.

Challenging Felleman is Jesse Tam, the managing director for Mega Pacific Investments, a strategic development consulting firm. He is a former parks commissioner for the city of Newcastle, as well as past president and current board director for the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, among other roles. 

Tam states that he's running to use his business experience to source well-paying union jobs, negotiate business deals, and lead on climate change. While we agree with Tam's listed priorities, Felleman has been an excellent environmental advocate and scientific mind on the board, and we don't see a strong case for how Tam would bring progressive change to the port. 

Felleman has earned your vote for re-election to the Port of Seattle, Position #5. 

Public school teacher Sun Burford is running for Position 1 on the Newcastle City Council. Burford is very active in bringing the Newcastle community together. She helped to organize the city’s first official Lunar New Year celebration, serves on the Newcastle Arts Council, and works with Friends of Newcastle Library.

Burford, an immigrant and working mom, is running a hopeful and inclusive campaign to bring a brighter future to Newcastle. If elected, she wants to uplift residents and the local economy while building community safety. Burford wants to protect our senior neighbors from rising property taxes so that Newcastle residents can retire with security and dignity. Her commitment to working hard on behalf of Newcastle residents has earned her a long list of progressive endorsements in this race, including from progressive elected leaders, community organizations, and the local Democrats.

Len Trautman is the other candidate vying for retiring Councilmember Linda Newing’s seat. Trautman is a retired contractor and electrician running on a platform that is not progressive. His vision of safety excludes community investments that bring all residents the resources they need to thrive, and instead, he wants to funnel more money into policing. Trautman has refused to accept endorsements in this race.

Sun Burford is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Newcastle City Council, Position 1.
 

Deputy Mayor Arian Sherlock is running for re-election to the Newcastle City Council, Position 2. She is a professional chef and served as the PTSA president for her kids' school.

Sherlock is running on a platform of housing affordability, public safety, and fiscal sustainability. After the passage of the state Missing Middle Housing bill, she is eager to work with staff, council members, and the public to find ways to incentivize more affordable housing in Newcastle. She states that she has a good working relationship with the police chief and wants to find ways to prioritize safety within budget constraints. She is interested in exploring an emergency medical services levy or a transportation levy to provide critical new funding.

Sherlock faces a challenge from Amanda W. Li, who is a clinical pharmacist. Li states in her voters' pamphlet that she wants to bring the community together and expand services to seniors. However, she has not released a campaign website nor is any additional information about her platform or priorities available.

Sherlock's track record of leadership and strong endorsements make her the clear choice for Newcastle City Council, Position 2. 

Small business owner Allison Sweeney is running for Newcastle City Council, Position 3. She has lived in Newcastle for 17 years and co-owns the Frosty Barrel ice cream shop. Sweeney is also active in the community, serving on the Newcastle Elementary PTSA Executive Board and founding two Girl Scout troops. 

Sweeney is running for city council to support local small businesses, strengthen community connections, and ensure everyone in Newcastle feels safe. She believes some of the city's unused $1 million in federal funding should be used to support local businesses still recovering from the pandemic. She also wants to fund traffic safety improvements to keep our neighborhoods safe. She supports reforms to make housing more affordable and would work to improve walkability in Newcastle. 

Sweeney is challenging incumbent Tom Griffin for Position 3. Griffin, a retired accountant, is running on nearly a single-issue platform around financial management. However, as of mid-October, he has not released a campaign plan for how he would approach any of the other important issues facing the city like affordability, transportation, cultural events, parks and green spaces, and public safety.

Sweeney's impressive list of local endorsements and her commitment to serving the community make her the clear choice for Newcastle City Council, Position 3. 
 

Chris Villasenor is running to retain Position 4 on the Newcastle City Council. He ran and lost in the primary in 2021 and was subsequently appointed to fill a vacancy by the King County Council. Prior to serving on the council, he served on the city's planning commission. Villasenor is the first person of color to serve on the Newcastle City Council. 

Villasenor is running for council focused on affordability, public safety, and supporting small businesses. He takes a human-first approach to policing and wants to ensure first responders have the training and equipment they need to protect our community. Unlike his opponent, Villasenor is committed to maintaining events like the Art Fair and the Lunar New Year Celebration that bring the community together.

Villasenor faces a challenge from business executive Steve Tallman. He is a frequent critic of the current city leadership, unleashing angry rants at council members about taxes. He touts his frequent posts on Nextdoor about public safety but fails to offer concrete plans for how he would keep the community safe. 

Villasenor has earned strong endorsements from community leaders and deserves your vote for Newcastle City Council, Position 4.

Anthony Berkley is running for King County Public Hospital District 1, Commissioner District 1. Berkley is a nurse, small business owner, nursing home operator, and proud union member. He has also been active in the community as a youth football coach.

Berkley is running on a progressive platform to care for the entire community. If elected, he wants to ensure healthcare for women, support at-risk populations, strengthen working conditions for frontline health care workers, and increase information about available services. He believes that as a health care worker, he would bring a practical and important perspective to the board of commissioners. His campaign is endorsed by some of the region’s most progressive leaders, unions, and organizations.

Incumbent commissioner and former surgical care nurse Erin Smith Aboudara is running for another term on the hospital board. While Adoubara has been a voice for South King County’s diverse health needs, she does not share the progressive vision or the widespread support that Berkley has earned in this race.

We recommend Anthony Berkley for King County Public Hospital District, Commissioner District 1.