City of Mukilteo

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. 
 

Megan Dunn, the program director for the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides, is running for re-election to the Snohomish County Council in District 2. Prior to being elected to the council in 2019, Dunn led the successful effort to improve representation on the Everett City Council by creating local districts and served on the Everett Community Streets Initiative Task Force, which helps address homelessness in downtown Everett.

Dunn ran for Snohomish County Council in 2019 to continue her work on community-building and environmental sustainability. She's met her campaign promises by using pandemic recovery funding for district organizations that are committed to helping neighbors, including the Interfaith Family Shelter, Everett Recovery Café, and Madres de Casino Road's meal program.

She's focused on voting for policies that would best uplift people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Dunn was one of three council members who voted to convert two hotels into low-barrier shelters for people experiencing homelessness. She correctly noted that putting up barriers like drug testing would have put 20 million federal dollars at risk of being lost and likely prevented the shelter from being built. 

Dunn faces a challenge from Georgia Fisher. a precinct committee officer for the Snohomish County Republican Party and district chair for the 21st Legislative District Republicans. In addressing the opioid and drug epidemic, she wants to see more people arrested for addiction, sending more people in crisis to jail. Much of her campaign platform follows a familiar path for conservatives this year, with promises to support business and pour even more funds into militarized police. For reference, the county already spends over 75 percent of its $288.5 million general budget on police and the criminal legal system. 

If elected, Dunn will continue to advocate for those who need it most in the country. She is by far the best choice for the Snohomish County Council in District 2. 
 

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.
 

Richard Emery is running for re-election to Mukilteo City Council, Position 4. He was first appointed to the council in 2008 and has since won election in 2015 and 2019. In his long tenure in city politics, Emery has prioritized preserving property in Japanese Gulch for recreation, and focused on increasing police and fire staffing and improving school crosswalks. If re-elected, he states that his priorities include meeting clean energy goals, supporting a senior center, and developing the waterfront. Emery's campaign this year has been endorsed by many progressive and Democratic elected leaders, including Sen. Marko Liias and Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self.

Running against Emery is planning commissioner Ashvin Sangvhi, whose plan to retain single-family housing doesn't mesh with the affordable housing crisis facing the city. His public safety policies are nondescript, instead choosing to describe the entire region as one of "crime and squalor" without advancing any concrete or new policy ideas. In contract to Emery, Sangvhi is supported by several prominent conservatives.

Emery is the best choice for Mukilteo City Council, Position 4.

Incumbent Councilmember Riaz Khan is running for a second term on the Mukilteo City Council in Position 5. Khan works at Boeing as a manufacturing engineer and has long been a community leader in Mukilteo. He is a Muslim immigrant and served as president of the Islamic Center of Mukilteo, including leading the mosque building project that faced racist attacks from right-wing candidates in the area. Khan is also involved with the local Democrats as the vice chair of the 21st Legislative District group.

Though not a progressive, Khan has a campaign platform that reflects a knowledge of community concerns. If re-elected he wants to build a new senior center, strengthen public safety, and invest in waterfront redevelopment in order to support green space, recreation, local businesses, and Tulalip tribal history.

Mukilteo DEI commissioner Mike Dixon is the other candidate in this race. Dixon runs his own insurance company and serves in a number of elected and volunteer public service roles, including as commissioner and the current board president of Mukilteo’s Water & Wastewater District. He was also appointed to serve on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission in 2022. Now, he is running on a moderate platform similar to Khan’s that emphasizes waterfront development, small business support, public safety, and housing accessibility.

We recommend Riaz Khan in this race because of his proven track record and the Democratic support he has received in this race.