City of Lake Forest Park

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. 

Tom French is a Lake Forest Park city council member who is challenging incumbent Jeff Johnson for mayor. French is a consultant in the technology industry and an author who has served on the council since 2012. Two years ago, he became deputy mayor.

While in office, he championed banning single-use plastics, acquiring new land for parks, and introducing more speed limit setting and crosswalks. If elected, he would prioritize protecting the environment and city trees, making the city more safe for people walking and biking, and allowing more housing that is affordable and senior-friendly. He has supported efforts in the past to allow ADUs for downsizing seniors.

He is running against Jeff Johnson, who is in the race this year to keep his position as mayor of Lake Forest Park. Johnson was first elected to the city council in 2012, and has served as mayor for two terms. Outside of his political work, he is the owner of his family auto repair business.

Johnson is a conservative who was first inspired to run for office because of his opposition to Prop 1, which was a modest property tax increase that funds open spaces, sidewalks, and traffic calming infrastructure to help people stay safe while walking to schools and parks. 

If re-elected, Johnson would focus on building more culverts to prevent flooding, creating a waterfront park, and passing a levy to fund policing, sidewalk maintenance, and road calming. 

Although we like Johnson's efforts to protect the environment and create more safe, walkable neighborhoods, there are some drawbacks to his policy proposals. His levy combines funding basics like good sidewalks and public parks with unneeded funding for policing. He also wants to resist efforts by the state to require affordable housing near transit, continuing to keep neighborhoods that are zoned without options for working renters.

Although French, like Johnson, is also concerned about maintaining the "small town character" of Lake Forest Park with the expansion of Sound Transit and the development of the town center, he is more friendly towards housing options that working people can afford. He also has more progressive support than Johnson, including endorsements from the King County Democrats and First Legislative District Democrats. 

French is the best choice in this race.

Lorri Bodi is running unopposed to retain her seat in Position 2 on the Lake Forest Park City Council. Bodi is a former environmental attorney who oversaw conservation and habitat restoration efforts with national agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bodi founded and co-directed the Northwest Office of American Rivers, and has remained involved in protecting our clean water and salmon populations since becoming a city council member.

Understandably, environment is high on Bodi's list of priorities. She voted in favor of Lake Forest Park's climate action plan, and has advocated for thriving streams, green spaces, and city trees. She was one of the city council members who reported concerns to Sound Transit about the environmental impact and harm to community caused by their expansion of routes.

Bodi has also been a champion for allowing housing options that seniors, young families, and lower income residents can afford. She supports middle housing options like ADUs and DADUs, and wants to introduce more affordable housing incentives to developers in the town center.

Bodi is also one of the most progressive city council members when it comes to public safety. She praised the city program that introduced mental health navigators to work alongside police, and supports new crisis response centers, and would prioritize community-based care over inflating police budgets.

Bodi has significant support from the progressive community, and is the best choice for Lake Forest Park residents who want an advocate for the environment and our schools.
 

Ellyn Saunders is a registered nurse and mother who is running for Lake Forest Park City Council, Position 4. Saunders is a community advocate who has been invested in environmental issues and volunteerism. 

If elected, Saunders would focus on creating safer roads and parks, protecting our clean air and water, and building affordable housing that will allow future generations to stay in the city.

She is running against Nigel Keiffer, an extremely conservative candidate who has run numerous times for various city council and commissioner positions. Keiffer is a retired civil engineer and property agent.

He has campaigned against Prop 1, which was a small property tax to fund parks, sidewalks, and traffic calming measures that protect pedestrians. Like most conservatives, he wants to cut public support programs, slash environmental regulations, and prioritize private property owners.

His campaign statements are full of racist dogwhistles, blaming antiracism efforts, LGBTQ+ people, and "woke" politicians for attacking American values in schools and work. Keiffer falls into the worrying trend of conservatives who want to ban books, censor our history, and make our kids' classrooms a political battleground.

Saunders has earned the support of progressive councilmembers and organizations in this race. She deserves your vote for Lake Forest Park City Council, Position 4.
 

Stephanie Angelis is an affordable housing landlord and real estate broker who is running for Lake Forest Park City Council, Position 6. Angelis got her degree in environmental studies from the University of Washington, where her research led to cleanup events and lawsuits against water polluters. Angelis' leadership experience in numerous neighborhood associations, housing advocacy spaces, and her local Democratic precinct have proven her dedication to serving residents of every income level and background.

Angelis has been inspired to activism by people experiencing homeless with whom she has built relationships through her work and volunteerism. She advocated for the opening of new shelters, a ban on no-cause evictions, and the prevention of inhumane sweeps of encampments.

It's no surprise that one of Angelis' top priorities is affordable housing. She wants to build sustainable housing that has a low impact on the environment as well as the city's character. Additionally, Angelis acknowledges and wants to reverse racist redlining in Lake Forest Park, to make the city a more welcoming and accessible place for Black and brown residents. Angelis also stands out from the crowd because she wants to fund new housing through progressive taxes that are mostly paid by the wealthiest rather than working people. In addition to housing, Angelis would focus on making roads and sidewalks accessible, protecting our parks, urban forest, and waterfront access, and advocating for low-income and disabled residents.

Also in the race for Lake Forest Park City Council is business owner Paula Goode. Goode is the owner of the Sheridan Market, a local coffee shop and music venue. She is also the co-founder of CORE, a citizens' group that advocates for Sound Transit to reduce impacts on the environment and community as they expand routes through Lake Forest Park. If elected, Goode would focus on addressing the budget shortfall, creating more affordable homes while maintaining the city's character, and maintaining tree cover in the city. 

Angelis has the support of more of the progressive community and would be a strong voice for racial equity, housing justice, and sustainability on the city council. She deserves your vote for Lake Forest Park City Council, Position 6.