EVERETT — Three newcomers are vying for a vacant seat on Edmonds City Council amid the city’s continuing fiscal crisis.
Security guard Joseph Ademofe, small-business owner Erika Barnett and nonprofit executive Alex Newman are eyeing Position 3 on the council.
Council President Neil Tibbott currently holds the position and is not running for reelection. Tibbott has held Position 3 since 2022 after defeating then-incumbent Adrienne Fraley-Monillas. Three seats on the council are up for election this year, with current council members Chris Eck and Will Chen facing one challenger each in November.
It’s unclear exactly what issues the city will face after November. On Tuesday, the council voted to place a $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift on the November ballot. If the levy fails, the city could face a significant budget deficit, requiring the council to cut essential city services. If it passes, the council will have the task of allocating the new sum of money to rebuild city services.
Many residents have raised concerns about steep property tax increases. In April, Edmonds voters approved annexation into South County Fire, raising property taxes by about $62 per month for the median household. The levy lid lift would raise taxes by about $63 per month for the median household, and both increases would go into effect in January. A top issue for all of the Position 3 candidates is finding solutions to ease the burden of property taxes on residents.
Of the three, Barnett has raised the most campaign contributions with $12,462 as of Friday. Newman and Ademofe have raised $8,866 and $1,956, respectively. The current salary for Edmonds City Council members is $21,076 per year, city spokesperson Neil Neroutsos said.
The primary election is Aug. 5. The top two candidates will move on to the November election.
Joseph Ademofe
Ademofe, 40, has lived in Edmonds for more than a decade. He works as a lead security guard at the University of Washington. He is a commissioner for Edmonds’ diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility commission, which is currently suspended due to the city’s fiscal crisis. He’s also worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and coached high school and community college soccer teams.
Ademofe’s top issue is addressing the city’s financial crisis, he said. He supports finding new revenue streams rather than placing financial burden on taxpayers. Edmonds currently relies on property taxes for about 27% of its revenue, which Ademofe said is unsustainable and disproportionately impacts low-income residents.
“Who is going to be the person speaking for less-privileged people, the voiceless people that this economic crisis is affecting?” he said. “So that is the reason I’m running.”
Ademofe said he would have voted for the $14.5 million levy out of necessity. But if elected, his first priority would be finding ways to diversify revenue.
“At this point, for us to get out of the fiscal crisis that we are in, (the levy) needs to be implemented,” he said, “because not doing that is going to have a very, very negative impact on our services that we need to take care of in our city.”
Ademofe supports using tax incentives to attract new businesses to Edmonds, specifically along Highway 99, Edmonds Way and newly designated neighborhood centers and hubs.
His other priorities include public safety, environmental protection and housing affordability, which includes keeping property taxes affordable for existing homeowners, he said. He wants to preserve Edmonds’ parks, especially after council members proposed selling Hummingbird Hill Park earlier this year.
“I truly believe that this is a place that people want to raise their kids, their family, in a very safe and sound environment,” he said. “I see all those things, all those traits and good things and qualities, kind of eroding.”
Ademofe said the fiscal crisis has existed since he first moved to Edmonds more than 10 years ago. He pointed to a former council’s decision to disband the city’s fire department in 2009, which led to annexing into South County Fire earlier this year.
“I don’t think anybody is trying to even change anything,” he said. “This problem didn’t just start last year or the last two years, this has been an ongoing issue for over a decade.”
Some current council members have too much experience, Ademofe said, which he said prevents them from truly relating to people in the community.
“When you’re desperate, you do everything you can to protect your home, to protect any little stuff you have,” he said. “But when you are not desperate, you have options. You don’t really care. That’s the mentality I’m seeing.”
Ademofe was born and raised in Nigeria and immigrated to the United States in 2008. He set his mind to becoming the first person in his family to graduate college, he said. In 2009, he received a GED certificate and later graduated with an associate degree from Shoreline Community College. He’s since earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in international studies.
“If I get elected, I promise you, I’ll make sure everything happens,” Ademofe said. “I don’t just speak. When I say that I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it.”
Ademofe is endorsed by Snohomish County Democrats and Snohomish County Indivisible.
Erika Barnett
Barnett, 52, and her husband own Salish Sea Brewing Company, which has two locations in Edmonds. Over the years, the brewpub has become a community gathering space, she said. Being involved in the community inspired Barnett to run for council.
“This town is just full of people who care,” she said. “They care about their neighbors, about their schools, their parks, their future. Running for office, honestly, it’s just one more way I can give back to a community that gives so much to us all.”
Barnett’s priorities are public safety, fiscal responsibility and maintaining quality of life for Edmonds residents, she said.
She said she supports strong emergency response and improving mental health resources.
Last year, Edmonds looked into disbanding its police department if voters didn’t approve annexation into South County Fire, a levy lid lift or both. In June, the council passed a resolution outlining the specific cuts if the levy doesn’t pass, including reducing staffing to nearly the contract minimum, and eliminating departments such as animal control, community engagement and domestic violence victim coordination.
“A number of folks who were not fans of the regional fire authority annexation that happened, one of the reasons that I had heard repeatedly was just that loss of control and having an organization that was not in and of Edmonds being responsible for Edmonds,” Barnett said. “And I feel like it would be the same story if we’re looking at our police.”
Barnett spent much of her career working in tech, including at Microsoft. She has experience managing payroll at Microsoft and her small business, which she said makes her prepared to tackle budget issues on the council.
Barnett said she would likely have voted for a levy, but she didn’t know if she’d vote for the $14.5 million amount.
“I don’t have the data that I would’ve requested in order for me to come to that conclusion,” she said.
She supports capturing more economic activity through paid parking and sales tax before overburdening residents, she said.
“We can’t just worry about balancing this year’s budget, but we need to make sure that we future-proof Edmonds so that our revenue grows in step with our ever-changing needs,” she said.
She proposed having the city go through a financial audit before increasing property taxes.
“I want to make sure every tax dollar works harder, improving efficiency, adopting smarter tools and capturing more of our visitor revenue before raising costs on residents,” she said.
One way to improve efficiency, Barnett said, is artificial intelligence. If elected, she would look into using AI for public records requests and chatbots for residents to ask simple questions on the city’s website.
“Using AI to help people navigate what is not common language, as far as the government and the rules and the procedures, is a great way to begin that process,” she said. “They’re relatively inexpensive to put into place, but they could save entire salaried people hours, which we could then reallocate toward those higher impact and higher value purposes.”
Barnett said she’ll work to preserve Edmonds’ charm by preserving parks, supporting local businesses and fostering the arts.
“Everybody’s here because they want to live here,” she said. “Edmonds’ charm and natural beauty and that sense of community is what makes it so special. So I’ll advocate for smart, sustainable growth that helps preserve our neighborhood character, protects the environment and keeps our infrastructure in step with our needs.”
Barnett does not have any endorsements listed on her campaign website.
Alex Newman
Newman, 26, is the executive director of American Red Cross Northwest Washington. His priorities are public safety, affordability and environmental protection. The threats to sell public parks and the financial crisis inspired Newman to run for City Council.
“Basically, business as usual is leading us down a really dangerous path financially,” he said.
Newman said he supports the $14.5 million levy, but wants to look into more revenue streams.
“It’s going to be an important step in the right direction, but also, we shouldn’t be relying on raising property taxes to be the end all, be all,” he said.
As part of deciding on the levy amount, the council came up with a list of $5 million in potential revenue sources. Newman said he did not support some of the items on the council’s list, including steep increases in utility and sales taxes, which still place a financial burden on residents, he said.
“We know that those things affect disproportionately the less well-off residents, and I don’t want to see bills go up for people who are on tight budgets, whether those are working families or seniors on fixed income,” he said.
Newman supports other items on the council’s list, including raising the city’s cultural access sales tax, which would primarily impact tourists, and installing more red light cameras in school zones.
He also pointed to the current uncertainty with federal grants, which he has experience managing at Red Cross.
“Navigating that is something I look forward to tackling,” he said.
To increase housing affordability, Newman wants housing abundance and variety. He proposed creating more walkable neighborhoods, such as the Edmonds Bowl, and building more townhouses and duplexes without getting rid of single family homes. He was nearly priced out of Edmonds, he said.
“If that’s affecting someone like me, I can’t imagine how challenging that’s got to be for people with young families or seniors who want to downsize and stay in the community,” he said.
Newman is passionate about the environment and said he’d ensure Edmonds is doing its fair share to keep down carbon emissions. In his role with Red Cross, Newman led responses to the Los Angeles wildfires in January and Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
“I’ve seen the impacts of the climate crisis first hand, I’ve seen these climate disasters and I know that we need really comprehensive solutions to prevent and prepare for those things,” he said.
Emergency management plans are “severely lacking” in Edmonds, he added. He would work with public safety officials and the city’s environmental community to develop effective emergency management and climate action plans, he said.
In addition, he’d make sure the council financially supports fire and police services to preserve public safety. He supports gun safety and community-based approaches to creating safe streets and neighborhoods.
“My little brother lived through a shooting at his high school, and I’ve seen the effect that even single acts of serious violence can have on individuals and communities as a whole,” Newman said.
Newman is endorsed by Snohomish County Democrats, 21st Legislative District Democrats, Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund, Fairvote Washington, Moms Demand Action and Washington Conservation Action. He also has endorsements from U.S. Sen. Jesse Salomon, City Council member Chris Eck, City Council President Pro Tem Susan Paine, and State Reps. Strom Peterson, Cindy Ryu and Brandy Donaghy, among others.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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