Thurston County

Two other candidates are running for Olympia City Council, Position 4.

Wendy Carlson is a lifelong resident of Olympia and continues to live there with her family. Prior to running for office, Carlson worked as a parole officer for the Department of Corrections for 20 years.

Carlson's campaign website highlighted homelessness, public safety, and affordable housing as priorities. While her platform includes some progressive solutions, such as redirecting funds to addiction treatment and supporting housing density, her past comments on addressing homelessness in Olympia were worrisome and don't reflect the city's values. Since her current campaign includes some similar language, we cannot recommend Wendy Carlson as a progressive choice for Olympia City Council, Position 4.

Michael Marstrom is also running to challenge incumbent Clark Gilman for Olympia City Council, Position 4. As of mid July, Marstrom does not have a platform or campaign website available.

Clark Gilman is our choice for Olympia City Council, Position 4, due to his progressive leadership in the city.

Darleen Simkins and Dana Tan are also running for Olympia City Council, Position 6.

Darleen Simkins worked for the Washington State government for 27 years at various agencies. She is campaigning for compassionate policing and affordable housing strategies. She is advocating for progressive solutions such as de-escalation and "mental health support over military tactics and gear." She is also an advocate for housing first tactics to support those experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, she is a supporter of the arts and hopes to advocate for policies that foster a vibrant arts and music scene in Olympia.

As of mid July, Dana Tan has not published a detailed campaign website, and her platform is unknown. However, in the Thurston County voters' pamphlet, Tan said she will prioritize a clean downtown, practical and compassionate solutions for the unhoused, and expanding housing options.

David Wenzel is also running for Olympia City Council, Position 7. As of late June, Wenzel does not have a detailed campaign website available, nor did they submit a statement for the Thurston County voters' pamphlet.

Rhyan Smith is a small business owner, real estate agent, and former pastor at a local church. He and his children have all attended public school in the Olympia School District.

Smith is running a conservative campaign, saying the current Olympia School Board is increasingly focused on ideology over education. Smith echoes conservative talking points, such as teaching students "how to think, not what to think," and the impact of "ideology and politics" on falling district enrollment rates. In a candidate forum, he attempted to exploit a lack of familiarity with transgender people to exclude transgender kids from health care, school activities, and sports. In 2023, Rhyan Smith hosted conservative podcast host Brandi Kruse at his coffee shop, Cutters Point Coffee. At the event , they expressed wanting to write people who look like them out of our history books and opposed a state law which protects transgender youth seeking gender-affirming care. Olympia community members protested the event, whom Kruse referred to as "tran-tifa."

Rhyan Smith is too conservative and out of touch with the values of the Olympia School District.

Britney Johnson is also running for Olympia School Board from District 3. She has two children in the Olympia public school system. She is inspired by how involved and supportive the community has been around education issues, and credits that as one of the reasons her family moved here from Iowa. Johnson owns her own business, offering interior design and construction consulting.

As a candidate, she is committed to advocating for programs and policies that prioritize emotional well-being, reduce stigma, and foster a culture of care in Olympia schools. She believes that every family, teacher, and student deserves clear and honest communication from their school board.

While Britney Johnson is clearly passionate and deeply invested in the school district, we recommend Renee Fullerton in this race due to the clarity of her campaign and policy experience.

Emily Leddige is a deputy prosecuting attorney for Thurston County. She refers to herself as a long-time advocate for special education and resources for those with learning differences.

Leddige's priorities for the Olympia School Board are maintaining low class sizes, strengthening support for our teachers, and ensuring all students have the resources they need to thrive. In the OSD 4 All candidate forum, she emphasized the need for more community engagement, as well as transparency in the budget, and evaluating the efficacy of program funding in the district. Throughout her campaign, she has centered inclusivity and accessibility for all students. We appreciate Emily Leddige's inclusive approach; however, we lean towards Gilbert Lamont in this race due to the clarity of his campaign and community support.

Jeremy Ruse is a small business owner and thirty-year resident of Thurston County who is also running for the school board. He currently has one child attending Olympia public schools and he serves on the Olympia Social Justice & Equity Commission.

Ruse aims to enhance the school board's financial stability while also promoting alternative college options, including vocational schools and military service. Throughout his campaign, Ruse echoes certain conservative talking points, stating that the current board has become politicized and that schools should teach students "how to think" rather than "what to think." He also said certain decisions on the board are being based on "feelings and emotions rather than analytics and the common sense." Ruse is also a member of the conservative "Washington, Parents Rights in Education" Facebook group, which frequently posts harmful and misinformed rhetoric about the transgender community.

Jeremy Ruse is not the progressive and bold leader that will help the Olympia School District thrive.

Sarah Overbay is running for Tumwater School Board Director, District 1. Overbay is a parent of 6 children and a state-licensed foster parent. According to The Olympian, Overbay is a member of the district's Budget Advisory Committee and Equity Committee. In her campaign statement for The Olympian, Overbay said she is running for the school board to ensure they prioritize policies toward education and "establish a sustainable budget." However, she did not expand further on what policies she wants to prioritize, if elected.

More concerning are comments on Overbay's website about the WIAA amendment regarding transgender athletes. She called the amendment, which was pushed by conservative anti-trans activists, "thoughtfully written." In addition, she expressed more concern over the "divisive" rhetoric around the amendment than the inclusion and safety of transgender youth. Overbay is not a progressive choice in this race.

Dean Mings is also running for Tumwater School Board Director, District 1. Mings is an Army veteran and a retired teacher and school counselor. He continues to substitute and work as a counselor throughout Thurston County.

In his campaign statement for the school board, Mings said he is prioritizing a balanced budget and maintaining a smaller student-teacher ratio. Like his opponent, Julie Watts, Mings was also inspired to run after the current board's resolution against trans student athletes. He inferred that the decision was made hastily and that "all students and all points of view should be heard." His campaign website prioritizes balancing the budget, protecting student rights, smaller classroom sizes, and encouraging more volunteer participation in schools.

While we can appreciate Dean Mings comments on the anti-trans student athlete resolution, his campaign is not detailed enough for us to confidently recommend him in this race. We suggest voting for Julie Watts for Tumwater School Board Director, District 1.

Ty Kuehl is running to retain his seat on the Tumwater School Board, District 3. The board appointed Kuehl to the position in 2024. Since his appointment, Kuehl has faced criticism for his vote to bar transgender athletes from competing in sports aligned with their gender. In February 2025, a petition circulated to recall the members, including Kuehl, who voted in favor of the anti-trans policy.

Ty Kuehl and his conservative anti-trans agenda are not representative of the Tumwater School District. Instead, we recommend voting for Daniel Mies, who is running a compassionate and progressive campaign that puts students' needs first.

Jeff "Cowboy" Curry is also running for Tumwater School Board Director, District 3. According to his voter pamphlet entry, Curry is a district employee and previously ran a food bank for 8 years. If elected, Curry said he will bring transparency, accountability, and courage to the board. He cited student drug use and issues with the Running Start program as his inspirations to run. However, he did not offer any policies or solutions that he intends to implement if elected to the Tumwater School Board.