LYNNWOOD — A long-serving Snohomish County PUD commissioner plans to challenge the newest member of the County Council this election season.
Commissioner Kathy Vaughn conducted a poll this spring, weighing a run against Democratic County Executive Aaron Reardon. Instead, she decided to take on Democratic County Councilwoman Stephanie Wright. Vaughn, whose PUD position is nonpartisan, plans to run as a Republican.
“My main focus is we need to bring family-wage jobs here to the community and make sure the welcome mat’s put out for them,” she said.
The council’s District 3 includes Lynnwood, Edmonds, Woodway and surrounding areas. The job pays $102,779 per year. Wright, 38, was appointed to that seat in August after former County Councilman Mike Cooper resigned to become mayor of Edmonds.
Vaughn, 60, of Lynnwood, has served on the PUD commission since 1995. Her current term expires at the end of 2012. She represents District 2, which covers the southwestern part of the county.
In that job, she earns $1,800 per month. She also receives a $104 per diem when she attends PUD meetings. The per diem goes to a maximum 140 days or $14,560 per year.
Vaughn also serves on the executive board of the Richland-based public power consortium Energy Northwest and owns a mortgage company, Goldmark Financial Corporation.
Vaughn said she thought the County Council would be a good match because of her experience working with PUD budgets similar in size to the county’s budget. She also said her years of policy work have prepared her for the county job.
On Monday, Wright said her campaign will focus on economic development, the county budget and transportation. The most common request from constituents these days is to bring back the Sunday bus routes that Community Transit cut last year. Wright said she has been pushing the Legislature to pass a bill to do that.
“The loudest call coming from constituents, especially transit-depend constituents, is Sunday service,” she said.
Before joining the County Council, Wright served on the Lynnwood City Council. She also worked as a teacher and librarian in the Northshore School District, but resigned from the school job to join the County Council.
In the county executive race, Reardon is facing state Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens, who also works as a Seattle police officer.
Mukilteo Democrat Brian Sullivan, who also is up for reelection this year, faces no challengers so far for his District 2 seat on the County Council. Neither does Sheriff John Lovick, a Democrat from Mill Creek.
The official filing period for races is June 6-10. The primary election is Aug. 16. The top two candidates go on to the Nov. 8 general election.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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