Everett City Council president Don Schwab speaks during a September budget meeting in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke/The Herald)

Everett City Council president Don Schwab speaks during a September budget meeting in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke/The Herald)

Council leadership changes across the county

At the start of the year, some city councils held elections for new leaders.

As the new year begins, city councils across the county are holding elections for their representative leadership roles. Here are the results from some of the votes in Snohomish County cities over the past few weeks.

Edmonds

The Edmonds City Council unanimously elected Neil Tibbott, a council member who previously ran for mayor in 2019, as its council president. Tibbott is on the city’s public safety, personnel, human services and planning committees.

The council also unanimously selected Susan Paine as the council president pro tem. An advocate for increased housing supply, she was first elected to the council in 2019.

Everett

The Everett City Council voted 6-1 to re-elect council member Don Schwab as its council president. Schwab, a former firefighter, was elected to the council in 2021.

The council also voted 5-2 to re-elect Ben Zarlingo as the council vice president. He is a retired engineer, first elected to the council in 2022.

Lake Stevens

The Lake Stevens City Council unanimously voted to select Ryan Donoghue as the council president. Donoghue is a consultant who moved to Lake Stevens in 2016. The council appointed him to fill a vacancy in 2022.

The council also voted unanimously to select Kymm Shipman as the vice president. She owns a childcare business and was elected to the council in 2023.

Lynnwood

The Lynnwood city council voted 5-1 to elect Nick Coelho as its council president. Coelho, the owner of a tabletop board game shop in the city, was elected to the council in 2023.

Council member Josh Binda was elected in a 4-2 vote as the council vice president. At 25, he is one of the youngest city council members in the state.

The council voted 4-2 against council member George Hurst, the former council president, to take the vice president seat.

Mukilteo

Mukilteo City Council members voted 5-2 to give Tom Jordal, the former council vice president in Mukilteo, the seat of council president for the coming year. Jordal was first elected to the council in 2022. He owns a communications firm and also serves on the board of Snohomish County’s 911 communications center.

The council elected Richard Emery as the council vice president, with three members voting in favor. Two other council members were nominated but did not earn a majority. Emery has served on the Mukilteo Council since 2008.

Correction: A previous version of this story contained an incorrect spelling of Neil Tibbott’s name.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.

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