City of Snohomish

Incumbent Dave Somers is running for re-election for Snohomish County Executive. A former member of the Snohomish County Council, Somers has served as executive since 2016, where he manages twelve county offices, including Human Services, Medical Examiner, and Emergency Management.

As county executive, Somers has supported measures to create parks and open spaces, invest in alternative fuels, aid salmon recovery, and develop the Snohomish County Housing Task Force to help meet the affordable housing needs of the community. More recently, Somers announced the Snohomish County Outreach Team (SCOUT) to pair social workers with law enforcement on behavioral health calls. Somers has also awarded $500,000 in federal recovery dollars for two new youth and family resource centers: the South County Korean Community Service Center and The Clearwater School. These two centers will help provide culturally-appropriate health services, community workshops, food access, and support for LGTBQ youth and families.

Challenging Somers is Republican Bob Hagglund, who has served as the Snohomish County Republican Legislative District committee chairman and election integrity chairman since 2020. He also ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2022. In an interview with The Everett Herald, Hagglund said that he voted for Trump in 2020 and hopes more Republicans will run on new ideas. Despite that, he touts tired old policies that have failed to address the root causes of homelessness and often end in cycling people through jail who may simply need more affordable housing or small amounts of support.

Somers is by far the best choice for Snohomish County Executive. 
 

Cindy Gobel, a certification and training specialist with the Washington Secretary of State, is running for county auditor again after a narrow loss for the position four years ago. She previously served the public as a representative with the Women’s Law Caucus in Snohomish County from 2012 to 2015. Gobel states that she has spent 11 years working in records, licensing, and animal control with law enforcement, and several more years working in elections, including some in former Secretary of State Kim Wyman's office.

Gobel views the auditor’s office as a place where we all come together – to register a pet, apply for a marriage license, or register to vote. If elected, she has a progressive vision for strengthening our democratic systems, increasing transparency and community trust, and delivering efficient services for all residents. County auditors play an important role in upholding our election integrity, and Gobel wants to safeguard Snohomish voters from conspiracies and ensure every vote is counted. She also wants to implement accessibility measures to make sure that all Snohomish residents can make use of the auditor’s services, especially non-English speakers and residents of color who have historically been left behind by the office.

Gobel is challenging incumbent auditor Garth Fell, who has 24 years of county election management experience, including previously working as Snohomish County’s elections manager and as county auditor. If re-elected, Fell wants to continue to ensure accurate, transparent, and customer-focused elections and animal services. Fell’s leadership in the auditor’s office has been characterized as “steadfastly neutral” by the Everett Herald. However, with our democracy under attack from the right, it is imperative that our next county auditor has a bold, community-focused plan that seeks to improve the office rather than simply maintain the status quo. 

Gobel has earned an impressive list of progressive and community endorsements in this race. She is the best choice for Snohomish County Auditor.
 

Susanna Johnson, a 30-year veteran of the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, is challenging incumbent Adam Fortney for Snohomish County Sheriff. She has worked in many roles across departments, including as a patrol deputy, detective sergeant, and SWAT Entry Team. Johnson was recently recruited by the Bothell Police Department to serve as a Lateral Police Captain and promoted to deputy chief. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, which is the most sought-after executive law enforcement leadership training.

In our interview with Johnson, she pointed to her vast executive and police experience compared to Fortney's and her desire to return the sheriff's office to steady leadership. She points to Fortney's rehiring of officers fired for dishonesty and improper use of force as well as the hiring of a Proud Boy as two reasons why the public has lost confidence in the office as a neutral body. She also points to internal issues, including the department's loss of accreditation, which costs taxpayers money in higher litigation and insurance fees, as well as increasing reports of PTSD for officers as other reasons for voters to be concerned. If elected, Johnson wants to see the office return to more community policing, building rapport among neighbors and businesses, reducing armed officer responses to calls when it's unnecessary, and using better analysis to prevent crime. 

Incumbent Adam Fortney has served as sheriff since a contentious run against former sheriff Ty Trenary in 2019, whom Fortney worked for as sergeant. Fortney is a so-called "constitutional sheriff" who has refused to enforce laws that he doesn't personally believe in, including public health laws. 

Fortney also used his position to publicly advocate against state laws on police accountability and high speed chases in a video he released from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. These types of communications may be illegal, as sheriff's offices and other public agencies are supposed to be limited to communications with constituents, not lobbying against lawmakers or public policy.

Fortney's term has been marred by endless controversies that have eroded confidence in his leadership and judgement. Johnson's clearheaded vision would return the office to a much healthier place, and her enormous amount of endorsements, from progressive elected officials to other sheriffs' offices, show the strength of her platform and personal character. Johnson is by far the best choice for Snohomish County Sheriff. 
 

Judge Patrick M. Moriarty is running to retain his seat on the Snohomish County Superior Court in Position 17. Moriarty was appointed to this position by Governor Inslee in 2022 to fill a newly-created seat on the court. Before his appointment, Moriarty worked as a court commissioner for the county’s superior court, spent almost two decades as a judge pro tem in the county, and practiced law for almost three decades. In his law career, he has served as the assistant city attorney of Seattle, a public defender, and a private attorney in criminal defense and family law.

The superior court is where Snohomish community members have important criminal, civil, and family matters adjudicated. Moriarty recognizes the important role judges play for the Snohomish community and wants to continue utilizing his extensive legal expertise to bring fair and experienced leadership to the court. In this race, he has earned an impressive roster of progressive endorsements from community organizations, labor groups, local Democrats, and elected officials. Moriarty has also been endorsed by every sitting judge at all levels in Snohomish County.

In this race, Judge Moriarty faces Mary C. Anderson, a private attorney who started her own firm and has a strong background in civil cases. Anderson was driven to a career in law after her family suffered injustice. Now, she serves as her clients’ unwavering advocate in a range of matters, offers pro bono legal support and volunteers with the community’s most vulnerable, and serves as a pro tem judge. One of Anderson’s priorities as a lawyer and as an aspiring judge is to ensure that all Snohomish community members know their rights and have their rights respected in the courts.

Moriarty has the most judicial experience in this race and has earned the broadest set of endorsements. We recommend Judge Patrick Moriarty to retain Position 17 on the Snohomish County Superior Court.
 

Maygen Hetherington is running for Snohomish City Council, Position 6 At-Large. She's the executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association.

Hetherington's campaign site features a detailed plan to preserve and update the city's historic charm. She wants to see a comprehensive assessment of the downtown district that would support future infrastructure updates, including pathways for pedestrians, bike lanes, transit, and more. Under this plan public spaces would be created or enhanced to promote performance spaces, community engagement, and more. She believes that addressing climate change and air quality are two major parts of a comprehensive environmental impact plan, which means protecting the Snohomish River and better waste management. Finally, Hetherington wants the city to invest in crime prevention programs and emergency services.

She is running against former Snohomish mayor John Kartak, who was ousted by voters in 2021. As the city's first elected mayor since a shift in the governmental system, Kartak had a controversial tenure. In May of 2020, Kartak faced heavy criticism for allowing a gathering of 100 armed vigilantes with confederate flags to tailgate and intimidate Snohomish protestors. Kartak claimed, falsely, that only a few of the people were associated with fringe groups. In October of that year, Kartak sparked outrage once again by posting a picture on Facebook depicting a toy car running over figurines meant to resemble protesters.

Kartak's conservative agenda has brought endless division and controversy to the city of Snohomish. Maygen Hetherington is the best choice in this race.

Melanie Ryan is a progressive advocate who is challenging incumbent Chuck Whitfield to represent District 2 on the Monroe School Board. Ryan has worked as a school social worker and an advocate for foster students while earning her master's in social work. She then moved into the private sector, where she got experience managing large budgets and projects for Microsoft Education. Now, she is a certified diversity coach, the founder of a nonprofit that fosters pets for low-income families, and an advocate with numerous social justice organizations like the Monroe Equity Council.

Monroe has faced challenges with school environment in recent years - several hate crimes made headlines, and many students stepped up to share their struggles with homophobic and racist slurs, bullying, and violence. Superintendent Justin Blasko resigned after he mishandled these racist incidents and was found to have created a toxic workplace himself.

Through her role as board president of the Monroe Equity Council, Ryan helped organize families of color to share their experiences and hold the superintendent accountable. If elected, she would fight for more consistent training for staff on how to handle bigotry in schools, create more accountability measures for leaders, and hire staff to coordinate diversity and inclusion efforts across the district.

Notably, the incumbent Chuck Whitfield voted against basic inclusivity trainings for staff, and continued to support Superintendent Blasko even after credible reports of his sexism and inappropriate behavior. Whitfield is an Army veteran and the owner of a vehicle-licensing agency. His platform centers around making a strategic plan and improving test scores, but lacks concrete ways he will support students and teachers. His statements on student safety focus on his fears about drugs and alcohol, but fail to acknowledge the racism that has led several students of color to leave school. Whitfield is supported by several Republican elected officials, and the teachers' union has endorsed Ryan.

Ryan would focus on improving students' academics by creating a more welcoming culture, investing in resources to keep quality teachers, and engaging families in kids' education. She also is passionate about fully funding support for multi-language learners and special education, which became a priority after her conversations with educators. Ryan also wants to elevate the student voice by including student representatives on the board to inform their strategic plan.

Ryan has one of the most impressive and detailed platforms that we have seen in all school board races this year. Her dedication to racial justice and her extensive experience advocating for students make her by far the best choice in this race.