City of Lacey

Emily Clouse is running for Thurston County Commission to represent the newly-created District 5. Clouse is the executive director of CARE Olympia, a nonprofit that connects formerly-incarcerated youth with counseling, education, and mutual aid. She is also a union member through her work in human services, and she is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where she worked as a military intelligence analyst.

If elected, Clouse would prioritize funding programs that serve youth and families, protecting the environment, and ensuring working people can all access affordable homes. Her platform contains bold, progressive proposals like powering utilities through renewable public power instead of wealthy fossil fuel corporations, bringing social housing and mandatory affordable housing to the county, and creating a new board with the sheriff's office to include the voices of people impacted by the legal system. While she works to create more housing that working people can afford, she would also fund case managers to work with residents of existing camps and RV settlements to help them transition to permanent homes.

Terry S. Ballard is Clouse’s conservative opponent for Thurston County Commission, District 5. He believes climate change is not a “here and now” issue and has made very divisive statements regarding people struggling with addiction. If elected, he would prioritize removing county offices from Olympia and allowing developers to build on land without mitigating their impact on the habitats of protected species. 

Clouse's strong emphasis on racial equity and her dedication to restorative justice makes her an excellent choice to represent Thurston County, District 5. 
 

Incumbent and deputy mayor Malcolm Miller is running unopposed for re-election to the Lacey City Council. A loan officer by trade, Miller was first elected in 2019 on a platform of growth management, strategic planning for seniors including expanded services, and addressing homelessness. He has voted with the more progressive members of the council on issues such as allowing the flying of Pride and Indigenous flags and amending an agreement with the Regional Housing Council to allow the creation of an affordable housing board and a homeless services board. If re-elected, he states that he wants to bring commuter rail service to the city.

Spencer Zeman is challenging incumbent Lenny Greenstein for Position 2 on the Lacey City Council. He is a disabled Army veteran and local business owner whose platform represents a much more progressive take than Greenstein's.

Zeman believes in working wages and stable housing for all. On homelessness, he points to how incarceration has failed to solve the root problems of people needing to live on the streets in the first place. He would act with civic mindedness and follow the science on housing to work regionally on creating more affordable housing options and homes with smaller footprints. He acknowledges that growth is coming to the city, and wants to manage it sustainably by creating an environmentally sustainable plan. Zeman believes collaborating regionally is the best way forward on big problems, pooling resources and expertise so that the residents of Lacey can thrive.

Lenny Greenstein has served on the council for three terms already. He touts his advocacy for a "business-friendly environment" and the new $40 million police station as two points of pride and accomplishment of his service so far, part of a conservative platform that doesn't recognize the needs of all Lacey residents.

Greenstein was one of two councilmembers, including fellow conservative Ed Kunkel, who voted against flying diverse flags through the year to celebrate the Nisqually and Squaxin Tribes, as well as Juneteenth and Pride Flags. In February of this year, Greenstein voted against an agreement with the Regional Housing Council, a process that seeks to bring Thurston County and its cities together to solve issues with homelessness and housing. Greenstein has been an impediment on the time-sensitive issue, stating that Olympia has too much representation of the council despite the majority of services being located there.

If elected to a fourth term, Greenstein will continue to be a roadblock to progress on several fronts. Zeman has the endorsement of local Democratic groups and is the best choice in this race.