Common ground cultivated at ‘Building Bridges’ event

About 50 people gathered at the Lynnwood Library on Tuesday for Building Bridges, an event designed to combat political polarization. City, county, and state officials with voters of all parties joined Snohomish County Council President Jared Mead (Democrat) and Vice President Nate Nehring (Republican) at the library in a conversation about political polarization. The hope…

AG Ferguson makes his case to be Washington’s next governor

Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday made his opening argument to be Washington’s next governor, vowing to “change the culture of state government” and ensure “our decisions as a state are not dictated by powerful special interests in back rooms.” “I want to make sure every Washingtonian gets a fair shake and level playing…

Reichert’s bid adds an early twist to the 2024 governor’s race

The emergence of a politically experienced Republican candidate is reshaping the contours of next year’s race for governor. Dave Reichert, who served seven terms in Congress after a stint as King County sheriff, registered a political committee on June 30, clearing the way for him to raise money for a campaign. On Friday morning, King…

Merits of ranked-choice voting explored during Edmonds presentation

Are we willing to change the way we vote?  That question fueled the discussion at a Monday meeting sponsored by the Edmonds Civic Roundtable. The discussion is about a possible major shift in the way we have always voted. It was billed as a look “at how we might vote or not vote in the…

County council approves 0.1% sales tax to fund affordable housing, behavioral health

The Snohomish County Council Wednesday voted 3-2 in favor of adopting a 0.1% sales and use tax countywide to fund more affordable housing and behaviorial health services Beginning in April 2022, the county will collect $0.01 per $10 purchase. It is expected to raise approximately $116 million over the next five years. The five councilmembers listened…

State redistricting maps will shuffle Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds

Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds are likely to see some changes made to their current districts under the state’s redistricting plan for the next decade. Using 2020 U.S. Census data, the Washington State Redistricting Commission was tasked with redrawing the boundaries of Washington’s 49 legislative and 10 congressional districts so as to create districts nearly equal…

Requirement to declare party affiliation on primary ballot raising privacy concerns

Are you planning to vote in the March 10 Washington State Presidential primary? Do you consider yourself Democrat, Republican or Independent – and (here’s the kicker) do you care who knows? Ballots were mailed last week, and by now they should have been received by all registered voters.  According to the information provided with the…

Stanford chosen vice chair of Senate Higher Education Committee

State Sen. Derek Stanford (D-Bothell), who represents part of Mountlake Terrace in the 1st Legislative District, has been chosen to be the vice chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee. He was also appointed to serve on the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee and the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee. “These…

‘Pretty soon we won’t have any food left’: QFC shoppers prepare for storm

With snow on the horizon for Friday and into the weekend, people are stocking up on food essentials. When asked if it’s been busy at at the Cedar Plaza QFC, Marty — one of the employees — said “That’s an understatement!” And overheard at a cash register: Customer:  “Been like this all day?” Cashier:  “Yeah, because…

Voter registration a focus of new Congress, Larsen tells constituents in Lynnwood

Community members were able to meet with Congressman Rick Larsen (D-2nd District) over a cup of coffee on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Verdant Health Commission in Lynnwood The meeting was an opportunity for Larsen to reach out to constituents after the recent election and discuss what’s to come in the new year. With Democrats…

All three council incumbents to serve four more years in Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace City Councilmember Laura Sonmore led challenger Stephen Barnes 63.25 percent to 36.26 percent Tuesday night, which will likely lead to her fourth full term on the Council. Sonmore, the longest tenured member of the council, was first appointed to the Council in 2000 and has served continuously since then. “It’s huge that the…

Just two days left to vote for city, school board, county executive races

A reminder that you have just two days to cast your ballot for local elections, including contested races for Mountlake Terrace City Council and Edmonds School District Board of Directors, and Snohomish County Executive. As of Friday, Oct. 30, just 1,331 ballots — or 11.37 percent — had been returned out of 11,707 ballots mailed…

Local candidates’ contributions and funding as of July 10

Here is the latest information from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission on our local candidates’ campaign finances. For each candidate, we’ve provided a link to the detailed breakdown of contributions by name and amount. Additional information, including details of how each candidate is spending his or her money, is available on the Public Disclosure…

Happening nearby: Sno-King Meaningful Movies present ‘Inequality for All’ on Saturday

Sno-King Meaningful Movies presents “Inequality for All,” a humorous and enlightening expose on America’s widening income gap narrated by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. The movie will be shown at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 11 at Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church, 8109 224th St. SW., Edmonds. Admission is free. Moviegoers are welcomed to stay for…

Rep. Kagi receives Washington CeaseFire Civic Leader award

Washington CeaseFire, a statewide organization dedicated to reducing gun violence, honored 32nd District Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Seattle, with their Ancil Payne Civic Leader of the Year Award for her work as a legislator to reduce gun violence, especially among children. “Since coming to the legislature in 1999, I have worked closely with CeaseFire and other…

Letter to the Editor: Time for a new Snohomish County Executive

Dear Editor: I’ve only lived in Snohomish County for eight years, but long enough to witness the resignation — in shame – of former Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, due to scandals. Have we jumped out of the frying pan, into the fire? Are we going to suffer interminably the questionable behavior of this current executive?…

Legislature passes Chase bill to protect utility ratepayers’ voting rights

A bill to ensure that voters in a water or sewer district retain ultimate control over whether a city or town can assume jurisdiction of their district passed the Legislature on Tuesday and will be sent to the Gov. Jay Inslee to be signed into law. “These special-purpose districts are created by a vote of the people,…

Chase introduces bill to address ‘upside-down tax system’

State Sen. Maralyn Chase, who represents the 32nd District including parts of Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, on Friday introduced a bill that would eliminate the tax exemption on intangible personal property and the business and occupation tax exemption on investments and dividends. Chase said in announcement from her office Friday that Senate Bill 6111…

Opinion: Don’t let your city turn basic necessities into a blank check

Our cities and towns are struggling to stay above water these days, with good reason. When the Great Recession devastated tax revenues, the state reduced every funding stream it could to balance the budget during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. As a result, the local infrastructure necessary for economic growth has become…

Chase bill to protect ratepayers’ voting rights heads to House

A bill to ensure that voters in a water or sewer district retain ultimate control over whether a city or town can assume jurisdiction of their district has passed the Senate and awaits action in the House of Representatives. “These special-purpose districts are created by a vote of the people, for the people. As such,…