City of Auburn

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. 

Democrat Jamie Smith is challenging incumbent Paul Herrera for the Pierce County Council, District 2 seat. Smith has spent nearly two decades teaching high school at local public schools, and she works as a youth sports coach. Additionally, she serves as an elected executive board member with the Puyallup Education Association.

Smith has a progressive vision for a vibrant county with a strong community, a healthy economy, and a unique character. She wants to build bridges between law enforcement and mental health care professionals to create collaborative community safety. If elected, Smith would also build affordable housing so that people of all income levels can find a home, as well as invest in our school district to develop successful future generations and protect our local ecosystem. She has earned impressive support in this race, including from local city and county council members.

Republican incumbent Paul Herrera is running for another term on the county council. Herrera is an army veteran and served as a police sergeant for the Puyallup Tribe for more than two decades. In this campaign, he wants to bring his military and law enforcement expertise to the council. However, he places less emphasis on the things that we know keep our communities safe: affordable housing, health care, and good wages.

We recommend Jamie Smith in this race to bring community-focused progress to Pierce County Council in District 2.
 

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. 

Jeanette Twitty is the founder and partner of Homeward Bound, a program that provides life skills training for those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. She is also a member of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, and a board member of the Washington League of Minority Voters, among other roles. 

Though Twitty has much experience in community service and leadership, her vision for the port is somewhat lacking. She states that she's running to bring good jobs and prevent pollution, bring more equity and diversity to the port, and sustainably invest, but her campaign website lacks detail about what policies in particular she advocates for or would do to change things. Her campaign materials, similarly, say that she will maintain and enhance partnerships that are critical to the port's success and address the port's impact on local communities, though again no specifics are provided. She has been endorsed by Pierce County Democratic Central Committee but has not earned as much support as her opponent in this race.  

Attorney Kristin Ang is running for re-election for Port of Tacoma Commissioner, Position 5 to continue building a sustainable vision for industry at the port. She seeks to protect community health and the environment by reducing noise and air pollution, improving water quality, and increasing shore power technology. Ang opposes the port's property tax and supports pressing businesses to clean up their share of pollution, developing a comprehensive public engagement plan, and working with tribes, businesses, and local government to create shared agendas for the port.

Ang is running against Dave Bryant, a Navy veteran. Voters may find this matchup familiar - Bryant and Ang also ran against each other in 2019, with Ang winning by about 3 percent. This year, Bryant's campaign is similar to his last run. He wants to optimize the loading and offloading of goods with surface transportation, update the port's infrastructure, and use his knowledge of operating deep draft ships to make the port more competitive. However, he still lacks Ang's knowledge and experience when it comes to environmental conservation and creating clean energy jobs.

Ang has worked hard as a member of the port’s tribal liaison committee, diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, and as a board member of the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District and the Washington Council on International Trade. She has earned your vote for Port of Tacoma Commission, Position 5.
 

Cheryl Rakes is running to retain Position 1 on the Auburn City Council. She was appointed to the seat in January of this year after Councilmember Chris Stearns was elected to the state House in 2022. 

As the executive director of the Downtown Auburn Cooperative, unsurprisingly, she stated that revitalizing downtown was her top priority when she was appointed. As a candidate, she seeks to advance local entrepreneurship and support workforce development programs.

Rakes states that she will work to improve public safety through community policing, like neighborhood watch programs, and would also invest in crime prevention. She also says she will address homelessness, though there's no mention of investing in more affordable housing, a key component of making sure that people don't fall into or remain houseless. 

Rakes faces a challenge from consultant Lisa Stirgus, who has worked in the financial industry for over 20 years and is now running for city council on a motto of clean and safe streets. She's running on a moderate angle that aims to support police officers, connect people to city resources, and support businesses. Stirgus does not have organizational endorsements as of mid-October. 

Rakes has been endorsed by several of the local district Democrats as well as five of her fellow council members. Rakes is the best choice for Auburn City Council, Position 1. 
 

Deputy Mayor James Jeyaraj is running for another term in Position 3 on the Auburn City Council. Jeyaraj made history as Auburn’s first Indian-American immigrant to serve on the city council when he joined in 2020. In his professional life, Jeyaraj has worked in the aerospace industry, and he serves in the community as a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Board as well as for the nonprofit Lighthouse for the Blind.

On the council, one of Jeyaraj's progressive accomplishments was bringing forward a resolution to affirm abortion access in Auburn after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Jeyaraj’s campaign priorities this year include creating more living-wage jobs, more affordable housing options, and progress on community safety. He has earned overwhelming support in this race from key progressive leaders, unions, and political organizations.

Former KIRO news reporter Tracy Taylor Turner is challenging Jeyaraj in this race. Taylor Turner currently serves as the vice president of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation and works in communications for Kent’s municipal government. Her platform is not very detailed as of mid- October, focusing primarily on more policing in our neighborhoods and more governmental support for businesses and development. Her individual endorsements listed on her Facebook come largely from conservative elected officials, including House Republican Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary.

Jeyaraj is the best choice for Auburn City Council, Position 3.
 

Incumbent Robyn Mulenga is running for re-election to Auburn City Council, Position 5. Before joining the council in 2020, Mulenga served as the District 2 director for the Auburn School Board where she advocated for both racial equity policies and funding for two new elementary schools and six replacement schools. Outside of public service, she works as a program analyst for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mulenga previously ran for this seat with a platform focused on bringing Auburn’s diverse stakeholders together to make the city a better place to live, work, start businesses and families, and call home. In office, she voted against an ordinance that would have criminalized homelessness and brought more people into our overpopulated incarceration system, and instead, she focused on generating more public revenue to connect those struggling the most with the resources they need. Mulenga also reduced barriers to creating more affordable housing to help people keep a roof over their heads. Though she has not released a campaign platform in this election, it is clear that Mulenga has progressive priorities and a successful track record of executing community policy plans.

Clinton Taylor is the other candidate in this race. He is the CEO and founder of a financial mentorship program, a board member of the Auburn Public School Foundation, and an army veteran. If elected, he wants to address the housing crisis, increase law enforcement budgets, cut funding from public services, and create more jobs. Unfortunately, Taylor recently posted a video on Facebook saying "the Bible said that homosexuality is an abomination", and when asked about it later, he responded with "What did I say that was wrong?" Taylor's harshly anti-LGBTQ views have no place in public service and only further divide our community against one another. 

Mulenga is the clear choice in this race to bring tested progressive leadership to the Auburn City Council in Position 5.
 

Hanan Amer is running for Auburn City Council, Position 7. The seat is currently held by Bob Baggett who is not seeking a third term on the council. Amer has a background in chemistry and works at a local aerospace company. She dedicates much of her free time to public service and has served on the city’s diversity council and on the planning commission. Amer also volunteers with the Girl Scouts.

Amer is running an optimistic, inclusive campaign to make Auburn a safe place to live and work for all. If elected, she wants to focus on social equity, environmental stewardship, community safety, and quality municipal leadership. In this race, Amer has earned endorsements from local unions, Democratic groups, and community leaders across multiple levels of government.

The other candidate in this race is Brian Lott, an administrative executive for a local food technology company. Though he says he disagrees with partisan politics, Lott is running on a conservative platform. He offers an uncompassionate and ineffective approach to the housing crisis and wants to use public funds to further militarize our police instead of investing in alternatives.

Auburn residents deserve a council member focused on community solutions instead of divisive policies. Hanan Amer is the clear choice in this race for Auburn City Council, Position 7.
 

Dr. Jennifer Jones is running for another term serving Director District 2 on the Federal Way School Board. She is a professor at Highline College, where she has worked for 25 years. She has a long track record serving the community including as a social worker for public housing, as a member of an elementary school PTA, and as a guest lecturer for senior centers.

In Jones’ first term, she worked hard to make the school district a welcoming place where all students gain the skills they need in our modern world. Now, she is running with a focus on bringing the community together and delivering a high-quality education to Federal Way students. Jones has earned a strong slate of progressive endorsements from elected leaders, community organizations, and local unions.

Jones faces a challenge from Daniel Kukhar, who works as a manager at his own general contracting company. Kukhar is running on a typically Republican agenda that does not reflect the needs of local students and families. Compared with Jones, Kukhar's lack of experience in education shows in his failure to understand the nuances of the school district and the curriculum. 

Dr. Jennifer Jones has been a strong leader on the Federal Way School Board and deserves your vote for another term serving as Director, District 2. 

Educator and district parent Luckisha Phillips is running for re-election for Federal Way School Board, Director District 3 where she has been serving since 2018. Phillips is a faculty member at Highline College and has previously worked for nonprofits providing direct services to children, families, and community members. Phillips is also a very involved community leader on equity and inclusion in our schools, and has served on the OSPI Dyslexia Advisory Council, worked with the Hamlin Robinson School for Children with Language Learning Impacts, and joined the King County Youth Community Accountability Committee.

Phillips has worked tirelessly to ensure that all Federal Way students can access the education and support they need to thrive. Combining the perspectives of a parent and an educator herself, Phillips has a strong understanding of the various community needs at stake in school board decisions. If re-elected, she wants to continue making investments in mental health resources and special education programs. Her progressive and community-oriented platform has been endorsed by a number of elected leaders, unions, and community organizations.

The challenger in this race is Christopher Dowllar, who has submitted no information to the voters' pamphlet. He is associated with the far-right Moms for Liberty group and is endorsed by one of the most conservative organizations in school board politics. With no public platform but strong ties to far-right movements that want to impose their political agenda on our kids, it is clear that Dowllar would be a step backward for Federal Way students.

Luckisha Phillips is clearly the best choice in this race and deserves your vote for another term in Federal Way School Board, Director District 3.

Public school teacher and librarian Gavin Downing is running for Federal Way School Board, Director, District 5, the seat currently held by Hiroshi Eto, who is not seeking re-election. Downing has worked in public education for 17 years and is a union member. He has advocated against conservative censorship movements and received a 2022 award for fighting book bans. Downing also serves as vice-chair of the Washington Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Section.

Downing has an optimistic vision for the school district where every student can access the resources and education they need to thrive. One of his top campaign priorities in this race is to ensure that our school district is a safe, equitable place both to learn and to work. Downing believes that student success comes from having the best possible staff and faculty, which he wants to attract through competitive wages. If elected, he would also invest in libraries, including staffing and curriculum development, so that students are both prepared for the digital age and gain literacy in identifying misinformation. 

Joan Marie Murphy, a former special education teacher in the school district, is running against Downing. Murphy is running on a broad platform that includes specific curriculum ideas such as an emphasis on STEM, strategies to engage students, and changes to school board procedures like making meetings more accessible to the public. Unfortunately, she appears to oppose the inclusion of some LGBTQ+ stories in public libraries. We know our children are the safest and have the best opportunity to grow when their stories are represented in history curriculums and on library shelves.

Gavin Downing is the clear choice for Federal Way School Board, Director, District 5.