Kitsap County

Longtime nonprofit leader Denise Frey is running for re-election to Bremerton City Council, District 2. Frey is the retired CEO of both the YWCA Kitsap County and the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce. She has served on the city council since her appointment last year.

Frey's experience with the YWCA has made her an outspoken advocate for many communities facing challenges in Bremerton. Frey shared her own experience as a survivor when speaking out against the Supreme Court's reversal of abortion rights, advocated for a city resolution to treat immigrants with dignity during the wave of anti-immigrant sentiments in 2017, and helped establish Morrow Manor in Poulsbo, which provided long-term supportive housing to gender-based violence survivors who were experiencing homelessness.

During her time on the council, Frey has focused on creating better infrastructure for people to walk, bike, and roll through Bremerton. She supported updates to make the Warren Avenue bridge more accessible, and wants to support more sustainable development along the Wheaton Way Corridor and Eastside Village.

The city council is currently considering an extremely backwards proposal to criminalize camping in public areas, even if there is no shelter space available. Frey argued that the city should provide adequate support and services before punishing people on the streets. She does acknowledge safety concerns with encampments, and would consider restricting camping to nighttime hours only.

Adrian Wright is a far-right candidate who is challenging Frey for her seat on the Bremerton City Council. Wright is the former regional director for the Libertarian Party of Washington, and is a current Republican precinct committee officer. He has no public policy platform as of early October, but his personal Facebook has posts where he supported far-right politician Loren Culp and defended a Kitsap neo-Nazi who was accused of stockpiling materials for a racially-motivated attack.

Wright would be a dangerous addition to the Bremerton City Council. Frey is the by far the best choice for this race. 

Anna Mockler is running for re-election to Bremerton City Council, Position 6. Mockler is a former professor and wetland scientist who has spent her time on council advocating for affordable housing and accessible streets. She narrowly won her seat last year when Mike Simpson relocated to Japan for over a month, prompting a special election.

Mockler has been a vocal advocate for streets that are accessible to walkers, bikers, and wheelchair users. She supported efforts to repave and add sidewalks to dangerous streets, implement traffic calming, and fund a street sign shop. As a Kitsap Transit commissioner, she has additionally supported the addition of more electric buses and the reduction of transportation fares.

As a former insulation contractor and third generation union member, Mockler is invested in building safe and affordable housing for working people in Bremerton. She advocated to adjust the multifamily housing rules to create more housing that is truly affordable for locals, and helped open Pendleton Place to provide housing with supportive services. If re-elected, she would devote more city-owned properties toward becoming affordable homes and allow more dense and lower-cost housing options like ADUs. 

Disappointingly, Mockler recently voted in favor of a strict anti-camping ordinance that criminalizes people who are experiencing homelessness, although she did suggest that the city create more housing options during the debate.

However, her opponent is conservative Mike Simpson, who is trying to win back his seat on Bremerton City Council, Position 6, from Mockler. Simpson is an Army veteran, former corrections officer, and former deputy sheriff for the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.

Simpson's journey to in political office has been rife with complications - he was briefly removed from office in 2021 because he had spent more than 30 days overseas in Japan, and had to be re-elected that same year. Because of an elections error where ballots were sent to voters outside of the district, the election had to be redone in 2022, and Anna Mockler won by a slim margin.

This error prompted Simpson to run unsuccessfully for Kitsap County Auditor as a Republican. During that campaign, Simpson echoed typical conservative fearmongering about voter fraud, and argued that more emphasis should be placed on in-person voting over Washington's much-loved, accessible vote-by-mail system.

While on the council, Simpson voted against making it easier for people to have small rentals on their properties, which could help alleviate the affordable housing crunch. He also pushed back on the need for a racial equity committee, which was established after the national conversation on racial justice to better address the concerns of Bremerton residents. If elected, Simpson would act on his conservative values and cut funding for the vital services that communities depend on to thrive.

Mockler is the best choice in this race.