Democrats seek re-election to seats representing Edmonds, Mukilteo

EDMONDS — Housing, public safety and ferries are some of the biggest issues in Legislative District 21, covering Edmonds and Mukilteo.

In the state representative race for Position 1, incumbent Rep. Strom Peterson, a Democrat from Edmonds, is facing off against Republican challenger Riaz Khan, of Mukilteo. Peterson has served in the House for nearly a decade, while Khan, a former Mukilteo City Council member, is running for the first time as a Republican.

In Position 2, incumbent Democratic Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, of Mukilteo, is running against Kristina Mitchell, of Lynnwood. Ortiz-Self first took office in 2014. Mitchell is a former public school teacher who said she wanted to withdraw from the race, but was unable to.

State legislators are paid $61,997 per year.

Position 1

Riaz Khan

Khan, who works at Boeing as an engineer, was first elected to the Mukilteo City Council in 2019 and served for four years. After formerly serving as vice chair of the 21st Legislative District Democrats, he switched to the Republican Party before filing for this election.

His top issues are housing, the economy, public safety and education.

Khan argued residents live in Mukilteo because it is a quiet community with single-family housing, so he opposes increasing density. Drug use and crime are killing resources that could be spent elsewhere, he said.

“I think the whole thing is, focus on how to control this, the drugs, the crime,” Khan said. “My thing is, we set up these resources to treat this cancer. We conquer that one, we have everything easier.”

Crime rates in Mukilteo and Edmonds have been on the decline the past few years following a rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to FBI statistics.

On the economy, Khan is a proponent of lowering taxes. He opposes estate taxes, which go toward education, and gasoline taxes, which fund road improvement projects. He also opposes banning natural gas, saying it could hurt restaurants and homeowners.

“This is going to hurt the businesses, the restaurants, if they do not get the proper tools for what they do,” Khan said. “The gas is very important for the restaurants. Restaurants will be shut down.”

Code changes passed last November made it significantly more difficult and expensive to install natural gas heating appliances in newly constructed homes, but did not outlaw the fossil fuel. Initiative 2066, also on the ballot this election, would prohibit state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas.

In terms of education, Khan wants to advocate for parental rights in schools, saying staff, parents and students should form a “triangle” of open communication.

“Parents should make a decision, a common decision, which is good for the kid,” he said.

To increase public safety, Khan advocated for neighborhood watch captains, to be trained by police, to help oversee local communities.

Khan had reported no campaign contributions as of Friday.

Strom Peterson

Peterson, 56, has served in the state House since 2015. He was also appointed to the Snohomish County Council in 2022, and won election for a full four-year term on the council last year, so Peterson is serving on the council and in the Legislature concurrently.

Peterson, chair of the state’s Housing, Human Services and Veterans Committee, said his top issue is housing. He “can turn any conversation into a conversation about housing,” he said.

His focus is on increasing density and affordability, two issues that go hand in hand, he said. Peterson said educating the public about density is a way he can change minds and alleviate concerns over increased housing, which he argues is critical to making sure people can live in the communities they want.

“People that are opposed to any density increases kind of gin up the story and talk about giant apartment complexes and somehow destroying the idea of single-family neighborhoods,” Peterson said. “But really what we’re looking at with most of the middle housing that would be in neighborhoods is types of housing that have been around for decades and decades. Duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage housing, things that, when actually built, really will fit into the character of the neighborhood.”

One of the top potential solutions Peterson champions is limiting the amount landlords can increase rent year over year. Last year, Peterson sponsored a rent stabilization bill similar to laws in states like Oregon to limit yearly rent increases to 7% and remove unnecessary fees. It passed the House but failed to go through the Senate. He hopes in his next term, if elected, he can pass the legislation.

Last year, Peterson also sponsored a bill to ban assault weapons in the state. He said he supports requiring permits to purchase firearms, as well.

Khan argued because Peterson is on both the Snohomish County Council and in the state House, his time and priorities are split. Peterson, however, said serving both positions gives him additional perspectives that benefit both the state and the county.

“The way it works is we create policies and bring in funding, and that funding and those policies funnel down to cities and counties. They’re the ones implementing things on the ground,” Peterson said. “To be able to take the knowledge of what’s happening at the county level back to the state and say, ‘Hey, this might not be working the way we want,’ or, ‘Maybe we can do a little more of this,’ I think is hugely beneficial.”

Fellow Snohomish County Council member Sam Low is also a state representative, a Republican in the 39th Legislative District.

Peterson had reported $89,004 in campaign contributions, as of Friday.

Position 2

Kristina Mitchell

Mitchell, of Lynnwood, is a former public school teacher who last ran for office as a nonpartisan candidate for County Council in 2023. She did not advance past the primary. In this primary in August, she received 22.4% of the vote.

In her campaign filing, Mitchell listed her party preference as “Conservative.” In a previous interview with The Daily Herald, she said she used this label because she doesn’t align with the “far-right agenda” of the Republican Party.

Mitchell did not respond to repeated requests for an interview. In a Sept. 27 Facebook post, she said she wanted to withdraw from the race, but couldn’t. Her listed campaign websites were offline this week.

In the voters’ pamphlet distributed for the general election, Mitchell said she had served as a precinct committee officer, or PCO, an elected position that represents a major political party and provides information and assistance to voters. She did not specify which party she represented as a PCO, but Mitchell has a history of working with Republican campaigns.

Her top priority is education funding, she told the Herald in July. Lawmakers should prioritize fully funding K-12 schools before turning to “everything else,” but she said she doesn’t think raising taxes is a way to do it.

“My community is my world, I’ll be your voice,” Mitchell wrote in the voters’ pamphlet. “As a life resident, Wife and Mother of 3, I have a deep understanding for the needs and concerns for all. Including unincorporated communities. I am committed to promoting policies that prioritize Education, Inflation, Crime and Economy.”

Mitchell had reported $2,168 in campaign contributions, as of Friday. She had not reported spending any of the money.

Lillian Ortiz-Self

Ortiz-Self, 63, of Mukilteo, has worked as a school counselor at Everett Public Schools for over two decades. She first took office in 2014 and received over two-thirds of the vote in the August primary.

Ortiz-Self takes a “wraparound” approach to policy, believing complex issues don’t always have one easy fix. The housing crisis, for example, isn’t just related to the cost of renting or buying a home. People also need stable jobs, their mental and behavioral needs met and affordable healthcare so they don’t fall behind on bills in the first place, she said.

“I think we need to look at all of that when we try to solve a problem,” Ortiz-Self said. ” I always come at it systematically, from a comprehensive view.”

She hopes to add flexibility to municipal zoning laws to allow for small additional dwelling units on properties that can serve as affordable options, along with rent stabilization.

One of the big issues Ortiz-Self hopes to tackle is the state budget, which has suffered from lower than expected revenues. She said the state needs to maintain the current funding for programs that have already been signed into law and if the statewide ballot initiatives pass — particularly 2109 and 2117, to repeal the capital gains tax and provisions of the Climate Commitment Act, respectively — the budget will be even more strained than it already is.

Ortiz-Self said those initiatives are particularly important for her constituents, as a significant amount of the $16.8 billion Move Ahead Washington transportation plan is funded via the Climate Commitment Act. Losing those dollars would mean a massive setback to ferry electrification upgrades. One new hybrid-electric ferry is set to be delivered to Mukilteo in 2028.

“When a ferry is down and people can’t get to work, that’s an issue, and I guarantee you, I hear about it,” Ortiz-Self said.

To help fund education, Ortiz-Self wants to update the state’s school funding formula. Currently, it distributes money on a per-pupil basis to districts. She wants to increase the funding available for personnel, supplies and transportation needs at schools, as well as increasing the availability of early childhood education.

Ortiz-Self also wants to combat substance abuse, providing increased inpatient emergency services as well as outpatient treatment for those in need of drug and behavioral health support.

“I want to take the experiences I have as a mental health therapist, as a school counselor, as someone who has worked in the communities in elementary and middle school and high school and community organizations, I want to take that to Olympia,” Ortiz-Self said. “I want to make sure that I truly become that conduit that takes those voices and stories to Olympia, and that’s what shapes the work I do.”

Ortiz-Self had reported $97,209 in campaign contributions, as of Friday.

Ballots are due Nov. 5.

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