Familiar contenders seek Mill Creek seat

MILL CREEK — When a vacancy occurred on the Mill Creek City Council last year, Lynn Sordel received the appointment and Sean Kelly did not.

Now the two men are competing again for the council seat and the winner of the next month’s election will earn a four-year term in Position 1.

Kelly won the August primary, finishing 56 votes ahead of Sordel.

“I took a really deep look at the situation and told myself it was time for me to do what I do best, which is getting out and meeting people,” Sordel said.

That means Sordel, 62, a seven-year resident of Mill Creek, is out talking about how his career in the public sector prepares him better to deal with the complexities of budgeting and long-term planning for the city. Today he is director of parks and recreation for the city of Lynnwood.

His campaign platform is simple: “to preserve the quality of life we enjoy here.”

Kelly, 46, also a seven-year resident of Mill Creek, is an engineer with the Boeing Co. and formerly worked for American Airlines. Kelly said his decision to run had nothing to do with Sordel’s service since he got appointed in November 2012.

“I think the city is doing a pretty good job. I like our community. I like living in it,” he said. (Running for office) is a good way to contribute, a good way to give back.”

Sordel’s goals, if elected, are to keep expenses under control and responsibly manage revenues that he hopes will climb as Mill Creek emerges from the recession.

Filling storefronts in Town Center and moving forward with the East Gateway Urban Village are two key steps to ensuring economic development in the city well into the future, he said.

Like Sordel, Kelly wants to attract businesses to those two commercial areas and sustain Mill Creek’s quality of life.

Government “should be minimal” and the city can maintain good streets and provide quality services including public safety “without having to go raise a whole lot of taxes and new taxes,” he said. “You just don’t have to do that.”

Four of the seven council seats are up for election this year. And in each contest, the topics generating the most heat are whether the City Council is moving to construct a multimillion-dollar civic center and impose a utility tax.

Council members conversed about the future need for a new city complex during a retreat in April. As far as the tax, it’s mentioned in the city’s year-old strategic plan as part of a list of revenue-raising options available to cities. Mill Creek has no utility tax today.

Sordel and the other incumbents say neither idea is getting pursued. Yet each of their challengers contends they are on the radar. Worries about a civic center have become a serious enough matter that city manager Ken Armstrong wrote a piece on the city’s website in September to counter the rumors of imminent action.

“There’s no plan to build a new city hall or civic center. There’s no plan for a utility tax,” Sordel said. “Right now I don’t think there’s any sentiment to move in that direction.”

If there’s a plan for a new city hall, Kelly is opposed.

“Personally, I don’t think it is something that should be done,” he said.

The election is Nov. 5.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

Meet the candidates

The job: At stake is a four-year term on the Mill Creek City Council where members earn $500 a month or $6,000 a year.

Lynn Sordel

Age: 62

Experience: Appointed to City Council in November 2012; member Mill Creek Parks and Recreation Advisory Board 2008-12; director of parks and recreation for the city of Lynnwood; master’s in parks and recreation administration, Western Illinois University

Website: none

Sean Kelly

Age: 46

Experience: Engineer, the Boeing Co.; bachelor’s of science in aeronautics, San Jose State; Gold Creek Community Church volunteer

Website: none

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The pathway at Matt Hirvela Bicentennial Park is completed Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Lynnwood light rail leads to new trees in Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace replaced trees removed during construction of the Lynnwood light rail… Continue reading

Riverfront Everett in Everett, Washington on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council extends deadline for riverfront grocery store

A city agreement requires the land owners to bring a grocer there. Developers say more housing units need to be built to attract one to the site.

A firefighter with Sky Valley Fire sprays water on a hotspot Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, along U.S. 2 as the Bolt Creek fire continues to burn between Index and Skykomish. (Peter Mongillo / Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue)
Snohomish County releases draft of wildfire protection plan

Community members can submit feedback and questions online through July.

Snow dusts the treeline near Heather Lake Trailhead in the area of a disputed logging project on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, outside Verlot, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Utah Senator pulls public lands provision from tax bill

The original proposal would have put federal land in Snohomish County up for sale.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.