LYNNWOOD — Four incumbents on the Lynnwood City Council face challengers in the Nov. 3 general election. The city is undergoing a time of bustling construction and rapid growth. The candidates cite population growth, public safety and roads as some of the most pressing issues.
Of the incumbents, the longest-serving is Loren Simmonds, with 16 years on the council. He’s seeking re-election to Position 4, challenged by Shirley Sutton.
Simmonds says that some of the key issues he has been working on are coming to fruition and he wants to be there to help them succeed, such as the development of City Center. He likes the ideas of annexing more land into the city and creating neighborhood advisory groups. Road projects and a larger senior center also are needed, he said.
Shirley Sutton is opposed to a proposal that could consolidate the city fire department with Fire District 1. Lynnwood needs to focus on neighborhood safety, in particular for the growing senior population, she said.
She also wants to see more diversity at City Hall.
“City services should mirror the community, particularly starting with the leadership,” she said.
Position 5 incumbent Benjamin Goodwin believes the city budget process needs a revamp. The police, fire and public works departments should be funded first, then the rest of city functions, he said.
Goodwin also says Lynnwood needs more community events. People should be able to live-stream council meetings and submit questions online, maybe through Skype, he said.
“We should take ourselves to the citizens rather than having the citizens to come to us,” he said.
Challenger Chris Frizzell says her experience as an accountant would be useful for the city budget.
She would be “getting into the numbers and seeing what makes sense. I am pretty good at that,” she said. She wants the city to be more transparent about how it collects and spends money. She also has ideas for addressing homelessness, and for involving the public in decisions.
“I want to see what we can do to get neighborhood associations going, so we can get people out of their houses and talking to one another,” she said.
Position 6 incumbent Sid Roberts is proud of his work on new bans for fireworks and smoking in parks.
“I just am a no-drama guy,” he said. “I just don’t like the drama in politics. My thing as a real estate broker has always been, how can we sit down at the table and talk about this as adults?” Roberts hasn’t made up his mind about consolidating fire services which is an important decision for voters, he said.
In addition, “our roads are beat. That’s a big issue,” he said.
Challenger George Hurst thinks the fire department question needs an independent study. He also would like to see money diverted from the mayor’s office toward the police and fire departments. He would like to establish a small business advisory group to report to the council, and also to rework the formula for the head tax on employees now collected from business owners.
“We want to encourage businesses to come in,” he said. “Lynnwood’s great as far as having service industry jobs here. We want to create some other higher-end jobs.”
Position 7 incumbent Van AuBuchon has made a point of voting against tax increases, he said. He also helped the city to get a full-time information technology department and to start posting council meeting videos on YouTube. His biggest concerns are police, fire and roads, he said.
“If we as the City Council cannot properly fund those three things, none of us have any business sitting on that dais,” he said. “I want to make sure those things, those essential services, are properly funded.”
Still, millions of dollars are needed just for road maintenance, AuBuchon said. He would like to see a ballot measure before voters asking for a levy lid lift for better roads.
Challenger Shannon Sessions cites her experience as a U.S. Air Force veteran, former firefighter and former police department spokeswoman. She would be “making sure Lynnwood has the public safety necessary,” she said. Growth is exciting but challenging, she said, and she wants to be there to make sure it happens responsibly and neighbors are protected.
Sessions noted that some people have asked about a potential conflict of interest with her husband being a Lynnwood firefighter. The city attorney advised her there was no problem, so long as she recused herself from votes on fire department-related issues, she said.
Ballots are due Nov. 3. The three other council positions will be up for election in 2017.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Lynnwood City Council
At stake are four four-year terms on the Lynnwood City Council, which pays about $1,650 per month or $19,800 per year.
POSITION 4
Loren Simmonds
Age: 72
Experience: Lynnwood City Council, 2000 to present. Senior adviser for nonprofits.
Website: www.lorensimmonds.com
Shirley Sutton
Age: 68
Experience: Served on the Lynnwood Diversity Commission and other city advisory boards, and the state’s Homelessness Advisory Board. Decades of experience in schools and with the railroad.
Website: www.voteshirleysutton.com
POSITION 5
Chris Frizzell
Age: 56
Experience: Self-employed accountant.
Website: www.chrisfrizzell4lynnwood.com
Benjamin Goodwin
Age: 38
Experience: Four years on the City Council. Works for Costco in corporate training and training development.
Website: www.benjamingoodwin.org
POSITION 6
George Hurst
Age: 62
Experience: Lynnwood planning commissioner since 2014, also served on a city transportation task force. Has worked as a quotations specialist for a lighting company since 2002.
Website: Hurst4Lynnwood.com
Sid Roberts
Age: 61
Experience: Four years on the council, 31 years as a real estate broker.
Website: www.sidroberts.com
POSITION 7
Van AuBuchon
Age: 67
Experience: Council member since 2012, also served on the city vision committee and planning commission. Has worked as a small business technology consultant since 1993.
Website: www.votevan.net
Shannon Sessions
Age: 45
Experience: U.S. Air Force veteran who was a military firefighter, former public information officer for the Lynnwood Police Department, former newspaper editor and reporter, small business owner.
Website: www.shannonsessions.com
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