Alicia’s View: Year in local politics saw dissatisfaction, hope

Published 1:30 am Saturday, January 6, 2024

By Alicia Crank / Herald Columnist

When I started this column this time last year, I was looking forward to seeing how civil discourse (or the lack thereof) would play out in 2023, especially with a number of local elections happening across the region.

Not only did I find myself closely following the campaign trails in Edmonds and Snohomish County, my role at Seattle CityClub had me paying closer attention to the Seattle City Council elections as well. My hope was, as we continue coming out the pandemic, that better understandings of community members differences, cultures and similarities would result in higher voter engagement, re-engagement, and/or higher voter turnout. More conversations and actions towards seeking common ground would surface to the top.

The year did start off promising. We did see and hear more residents weigh in on local affairs, and others ended up throwing their hats in the ring to run for office. Two Snohomish County Council members, from different political parties, embarked on their Building Bridges Tour, creating spaces for residents to engage in civil discourse as well as ways to battle political polarization. Numerous efforts were made to make sure topics and issues that impact all of us were done from a broader angle.

Finally, I wanted to sit back and take in the campaigning as a constituent, not as a candidate. It felt different. It felt strange.

On one hand, there were a significant number of uncontested races across both counties. On the other hand, there were significant challenges to the higher leadership status quo. As we got closer to the primary elections, there seemed to be a certain tameness. I couldn’t’ put my finger on it at the time, but there was change in the air. Whether those changes were for the best or worst is subjective.

The tameness I experienced quickly turned into something completely different, post-primary. The temperature and tones increased in volume, and some witnessed or experienced infighting within our own “safe spaces.” Once vocal supporters for a candidate now began to fall silent, while those who normally sat on the sidelines took major steps forward to advocate against a candidate. This goes back to my last column where I mentioned that being able to reach across the aisle was once seen as a good thing. Not so much now.

So … what happened?

By definition, a referendum is a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision. I submit that the final election results were a referendum on a single political question that wasn’t being directly asked: Are any of us happy with the current makeup of our elected leadership (not just one candidate)?

The answer: No.

I follow a lot of different political groups, journalists and commentators on X (formerly Twitter), many of them being on opposites of just about any issue. Yet, a common denominator I’ve observed across all of them was the dissatisfaction of not finding balance within their own parties. There is no such thing as being a Democrat or a Republican, instead there are multiple branches within. Any movement within those branches ends up leading a person to be questioned on their allegiance to the party. Over the summer months, I started logging how many times I saw RINO or DINO being used to describe a candidate who disagreed or showed flexibility on an issue.

That referendum showed itself in the general election. Seattle stood out with seven of its nine council seats up for election: four incumbents chose not to run, the other three incumbents lost, and now there is an eighth seat that will be appointed by the new council in January. Not only is this a significant change in leadership by the numbers, but those voted into office now make up a more moderate council than progressive.

In Edmonds, we had a mixed bag: unopposed seats, a small diversity of candidates, and a highly contentious mayoral race. A record amount of money was raised in the mayoral race, and the same goes for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s race. Not unlike the Seattle results, the council and mayoral makeup will be more moderate than it has been. In the case of the sheriff’s race, while close, there were also Republicans who couldn’t quite side the incumbent being their choice.

In the end, I don’t think this referendum is a bad thing, if treated as the opportunity that it should be. The discourse happening internally and externally can create the right set of circumstances to examine and challenge our individual beliefs, as well as learn from one another. Find ways to cheer each other on as opposed to tearing each other down. The latter can be pretty exhausting.

Again, I applaud County Council Members Jared Mead and Nate Nehring for creating a “right set of circumstances” with their Building Bridges effort, and I’m excited to see what more comes of it as their new nonprofit: The Building Bridges Project. Check our their website, and if you believe in the cause, take the pledge there. I did.

Here comes 2024, with new leadership, new ideas, and new chances to embark on something dynamic.

Let’s have some fun.

Alicia Crank lives in Edmonds. Email her at alicia@aliciainedmonds.com.