Budget cuts and reallocation of available funds and resources are not only top of mind for our state legislators. City and county level elected officials are also feeling the pinch. How are our local leaders in Snohomish County communicate and advocate with leadership in the state legislature? What priorities do they share? What won’t be possible to fund?

For those leaders who serve in dual capacities on the local and state level, how do they balance and prioritize the needs of each role?

These questions and more will be presented to our legislative roundtable on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett. Northwest WA Civic Circle (NWCC), in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Snohomish County, presents “It’s All Connected: 2025 Legislative Preview.” This panel represents a cross section of legislative and executive leadership, which includes:

– Rep. April Berg, 44th LD

– Rep. Shelley Kloba, 1st LD

– Erin Murray, Mountlake Terrace City Council

– Susan Paine, Edmonds City Council

– Rep. Strom Peterson, 21st LD

– Mayor Sid Roberts, City of Stanwood

– Neil Tibbott, Edmonds City Council

– Dr. Steve Woodard, Mountlake Terrace City Council

This event is open to all ages and is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how our elected officials connect, advocate, and educate each other on what’s coming down the pipeline. Moderated by Jon Bauer and Alicia Crank, registered attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions ahead of the event.

“It was really important to me to have a cross-level discussion,” said Crank. “We often hear or read about that’s happening in our city government, as well as state government, but rarely how they effect or connect with each other. It really is all connected, and spotlight this will be a good way to increase civic engagement with fellow constituents.”

Three areas that are top of mind for most constituents going into this legislative session are budget/finance, housing, and economic development. For this event, we wanted to have leadership from those committees on hand to answer questions and gain an understanding of their priorities:

Rep. Shelley Kloba will be the vice chair of the newly formed Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee. “Tech issues had previously been assigned to a variety of committees, but now will benefit from having a core group of legislators who focus on important and timely issues like consumer data privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, etc.,” said Kloba. “I have worked on these issues for a long time, and look forward to them having a home in one specific committee.” She will also serve on the Consumer Protection and Business Committee, which now houses the issues related to regulated substances: cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, vaping, and gambling, as well as the Environment and Energy Committee.

Rep. April Berg will chair the Finance Committee, as well as serve on the Economic & Revenue Forecast Council, Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC), House Appropriations Committee, and the Local Government Committee.

Rep Strom Peterson (who also serves on the Snohomish County Council), willchair the Housing Committee, as well as serve on the Capital Budget Committee, Work Group on Mental Health & Suicide Prevention for Agricultural Producers (Joint), Gambling Commission (Joint), and the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee.

Ticket price is $20, and comes with beverages and light appetizers. There will also be a networking opportunity after the panel discussion. Registration closes on Monday, Jan. 6.

Founded in 2024, NWCC is a 501c3 organization, and has early partnership support from Braver Angels and GSBA. Several local leaders in varying roles and across the political spectrum have also endorsed the new organization. Not wanting to recreate the wheel, NWCC is a hub for existing organizations to share resources, collaborate and partner on events that reach large audiences. As a cooperative, NWCC will work together beyond silos to impact and increase engagement for our respective partner organizations.

Learn more about NWCC’s goals and programming, as well as how to become a partner or sponsor, by visiting www.nwciviccircle.org.