City of Issaquah

Sen. Victoria Hunt is running to retain her state Senate seat representing Legislative District 5 to protect the environment, secure reproductive rights, and modernize our state housing laws. Prior to running for legislature, Hunt served three terms on the Issaquah City Council, where she prioritized environmental protections and protecting open space. She holds a Ph.D. in ecology and serves as the Chief Data Officer at Crosswalk Labs, where she works to track and mitigate carbon pollution for local cities. 

During her first legislative session, Hunt voted to limit rent increases to 10%, which will reduce the cost of housing for renters across the state. She also voted in favor of anti-discrimination protections for students as well as a bill that would improve recycling and reduce the amount of plastic waste going to landfills. 

Hunt used her experience as a local elected official and environmental scientist to make a difference on key issues in just her first few months in office. She has clearly earned your vote for state Senate from the 5th Legislative District.
 

Rep. Janice Zahn is running to retain Position 1 representing the 41st Legislative District. Zahn emigrated from Hong Kong as a child and has dedicated her adult life to stewarding public infrastructure and services. She is the chief engineer for the Port of Seattle and served on the Bellevue City Council until her appointment to the Legislature in January.

Zahn has been a consistent and outspoken progressive leader in our community. In our interview, she shared that her priorities include supporting affordable housing, paid family leave, efficient project management, and protecting public education for students. She approaches policy with an eye on equity and wants to "help those who are furthest from power to create a level playing field for them to advocate for themselves."

One of Zahn's proudest accomplishments during her time on the Bellevue City Council was the development and implementation of a safe parking program. The program supported approximately 60 children experiencing housing instability by providing a safe space for families to park their cars, rest, study, and have a meal. The program particularly supported single working moms, helping them find their own stability and move into transitional housing.

Janice Zahn is a caring and compassionate leader who has hosted over 250 constituent meetings to hear their concerns. She has earned your vote for Position 1 representing the 41st Legislative District.

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci has served District 6 (Bellevue and East King County) since 2015. She began her career as a public interest lawyer fighting for women and LGBTQ+ people. She was a neighborhood organizer who went on to serve on the Bellevue City Council, including for a term as mayor. Balducci has served as chair of the county council and serves as vice chair of the Sound Transit Board of Directors, where she successfully advocated for an early opening of the "starter line" in East King County.

In her nearly two decades of public service, Balducci has prioritized progressive solutions to the issues facing our region, including improving transportation options, promoting affordable housing, enhancing community safety, addressing climate action, and supporting arts and culture. Her track record is strong in all of these areas, including an arts levy to invest in science, heritage, arts, and cultural organizations, as well as legislation to keep “forever chemicals” out of our local environment. She was a tenacious advocate for the East Link light rail and the 10-station, 14-mile expansion plan slated for completion in early 2026.

Balducci is running for the executive position with a vision of an inclusive, vibrant, and climate-friendly county where all residents can thrive. She emphasizes her track record of effective leadership at the city and county levels that has delivered results for her communities. As a bus and bike commuter, Balducci is an avid supporter of expanding transit options, particularly light rail and bus routes. Additionally, she is an advocate for transit-oriented housing as a means of improving affordability, as well as cutting red tape to expedite the construction of badly needed housing in our region. Furthermore, she has outlined thoughtful plans to reduce gun violence, expand mental health and addiction treatment services, and youth prevention programs.

Incumbent Commissioner Ryan Calkins is running for re-election for Port of Seattle, Commissioner Position 1, where he has served since 2017. He works for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as an advisor on offshore wind and maritime infrastructure. Previously, Calkins also ran a successful import and distribution company and started a local nonprofit focused on supporting small business entrepreneurship. His background in business, maritime infrastructure, and public service makes him a highly qualified voice on the commission.

The Port of Seattle oversees public assets in travel, trade, and commerce for the region. Over the last eight years, Calkins has helped push the commission in a more progressive direction. He advocates for equity, sustainability, and prosperity to port leadership, and he has supported measures to protect our port’s local ecosystem, fight for workers’ rights, and improve local immigration policy. Calkins is campaigning on a platform that emphasizes environmental justice, sustainable economic development, and creating living-wage jobs

Ryan Calkins deserves your vote for another term in Position 1 on the Seattle Port Commission.

Incumbent Hamdi Mohamed is running unopposed for re-election for Commissioner Position 3 on the Port of Seattle. Mohamed was first elected to the position in 2021 on a visionary progressive platform, making her the first Black woman to serve on the commission. Mohamed’s mother worked for the airport when her family first settled in SeaTac as Somali refugees – an upbringing that has deepened her knowledge of the port’s community importance. She is the department director for Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and previously worked as a policy advisor for the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice. She is currently the only commissioner who resides in South King County.

Mohamed is a leader in people-focused policy, taking seriously the real impact of port commission decisions on the local community, ecosystem, and economy. On the commission, she has prioritized economic development to create good-paying local jobs, support workers’ rights, and help small businesses flourish. She has also been a strong voice for addressing airport noise disruptions, reducing port pollution that impacts the South King County communities, and promoting renewable energy solutions.

We recommend Hamdi Mohamed for another term as Port of Seattle Commissioner, Position 3, to continue bringing strong, progressive leadership to the to the region.

Commission president Toshiko Grace Hasegawa is running for re-election to Commissioner Position 4 on the Port of Seattle. Hasegawa was first elected to the position in 2021, becoming one of the first women of color to serve on the commission, alongside her colleague Hamdi Mohamed. Hasegawa is the former executive director of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA), an advocacy organization that advises government agencies on issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She currently serves on the boards of Densho and the Seattle chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, both organizations that uplift the city’s Japanese American community.

On the commission, Hasegawa has been a voice for community empowerment, equitable prosperity, and regional sustainability. She was a critical advocate protecting North SeaTac Park, led efforts to increase childcare and health care for airport employees, helped set ambitious goals to decarbonize the cruise industry, expanded the South King County Community Impact Fund, and more. If re–elected, Hasegawa will continue her tireless work to fight for clean water and air, strong workers' protections, and economic development that benefits local communities first in her progressive vision for the commission.

We recommend Hasegawa for a second term on the Seattle Port Commission.

Issaquah City Council president Lindsey Walsh is now running for mayor. Walsh is a small business owner who has served on the city council since 2019, when she was first appointed. Her community leadership is extensive, encompassing service on the Eastside Fire & Rescue board, the city’s Planning Policy Commission, the King County Affordable Housing Committee, and the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Growth Management Policy Board. She has run her own search engine marketing company outside of public service work for the past two decades.

Walsh is running on a platform that emphasizes affordable housing, community safety, environmental health, and economic prosperity. If elected mayor, she aims to streamline permitting while promoting workforce and middle-income housing development. Walsh also supports expanding green spaces, bikeways, and walkways, as well as investing in sustainable infrastructure. In addition, she would advocate for bolstering local crisis response with mental health professionals and making strong investments in downtown revitalization and economic growth. She envisions an Issaquah that is prosperous, safe, and welcoming for all, and she has earned strong support in this campaign from fellow city leaders, neighboring mayors, and progressive lawmakers at the state level.

Lindsey Walsh is the clear progressive choice for Mayor of Issaquah.

Kelly Jiang is running to be retained on the Issaquah City Council in Position 6. Jiang was appointed to fill Victoria Hunt’s seat in February of this year. She is the director of strategic initiatives for a renewable energy company that focuses on improving sustainability in buildings. In the community, Jiang serves as the board president for the Issaquah Alps Trail Club and as a member of the board of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust.

Jiang is running with a focus on affordable housing, sustainability, transportation, and public safety. She is a proponent of streamlining permits to boost a range of housing development. She also supports leveraging the Inclusive Housing Investment Pool, which was developed to preserve current affordable housing infrastructure and promote transit-oriented development. Jiang is an advocate for funding mental health professionals and the homeless outreach team as a component of public safety.

Jiang has been a strong addition to the Issaquah City Council and has earned your vote for Position 6.

Barbara de Michele is running unopposed for another term on the Issaquah City Council in Position 3, where she has served since 2019. Before that, de Michele held other community leadership positions, including serving two terms on the Issaquah School District Board of Directors and more than a decade on the Issaquah Arts Commission. She is also actively involved in building safe opportunities and communities for youth and families through her past roles as business manager of The Garage and executive director of Issaquah Community Network.

De Michele has been a staunch voice for reducing the cost of living while maintaining a well-resourced community with high-quality public services. On the council, she worked to redirect millions in progressive revenue for local affordable housing and homelessness prevention measures, protect tenants with a required six-month rent increase notice, champion the continued development of a 2042 Sound Transit station in Issaquah, and establish an Equity Board to ensure Issaquah is a thriving and welcoming community for all.

She is running for re-election on a detailed and optimistic platform with goals including increasing language access to municipal resources, partnering with marginalized community members to improve life in Issaquah, leading the way for greater transit diversity in the city to reduce congestion, and preserving public green and recreation spaces. She has strong progressive support and deserves your vote for Position 3.

Engineer Tola Marts has served on the Issaquah City Council in Position 7 since 2010 and is running unopposed for re-election. Marts has served as the council president multiple times during his 15 years on the council. Outside of elected office, he has worked as a director of engineering for multiple technology companies, including a local defense and space company.

Marts has identified workforce housing and living-wage jobs as his top priorities in creating a sustainable Issaquah. Unfortunately, in 2023, he opposed local measures to increase housing supply and improve affordability, as well as publicly criticizing similar statewide efforts.

Washington families need more housing options in every city across the state. While Marts has yet to release a new set of campaign priorities for this current campaign as of mid-August, we hope that he is more open in his next term to supporting development that helps Issaquah become a better place for everyone to live.

Natalie Anderson is an aerospace professional and active PTA member seeking the District 2 position on the Issaquah School Board. Anderson has spent more than a decade at an aerospace company where she now works in quality performance and control. She is also the director of ongoing programs for the Maple Hills PTA. Anderson has two children enrolled in Issaquah public schools.

Anderson is running on a community-oriented platform. Despite the Trump administration’s focus on division and hatred, Anderson wants to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Issaquah schools to ensure that all students can access opportunity. She also wants to invest in school infrastructure, fixes for overcrowding, special education, career and technical education programming, and mental health resources. She has earned strong local support in this race.

We recommend Natalie Anderson due to her many endorsements from educators and progressive organizations.

Sydne Mullings is running for another term in Position 4 on the Issaquah School Board, to which she was first appointed in 2019. Mullings is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants who moved her family to Issaquah in 2014. She has been a community leader ever since, including her service on the After-School All-Stars Puget Sound advisory board to help bring enrichment programs to the local region’s underserved young people. Outside of public service, she is a general manager at Microsoft, where she has worked for nearly 17 years.

As an incumbent school board director and parent to two students in the school district, Mullings has a strong grasp of the challenges and opportunities facing the district. Mullings has been a voice for the holistic well-being of students, modern and sustainable learning infrastructure, and a district that is welcoming and diverse. Her re-election campaign continues to focus on improving student resources, such as robust activities, athletics, and arts. She is supportive of broadening course offerings that match students' interests and fostering a welcoming environment for students, families, and staff.

Sydne Mulings is a proven progressive leader and has earned your vote to serve another term on the Issaquah School Board.