LYNNWOOD — Some Lynnwood City Council Position 1 candidates are eyeing plans for population growth. One is focused on the environment. Another says he wants to save the city from a “catastrophic direction.”
Four people are vying for the seat now held by M. Christopher Boyer, who decided not to run again. At stake is a four-year term, which pays about $19,800 annually.
City government could see new faces in 2018. Two other council positions are up for election, along with the mayor’s job. In those three races, there are only two contenders, so everyone will advance to the general election in November.
For Position 1, only two candidates will make it past the August primary.
The names on the ballot are Van AuBuchon, a former councilman and IT consultant making another run; Ben Corey, a teacher who is fairly new to Lynnwood; James Robert Deal, an attorney known for his anti-fluoride stance; and Christine Frizzell, an accountant who narrowly lost a spot on the council in 2015.
AuBuchon, 69, doesn’t mince words about his dislike for the current city administration and its way of budgeting. He thinks there could be “catastrophic” consequences.
“People are being misled and we’ve gotten to the point where we don’t know where the money is,” he said.
If elected, AuBuchon would seek a review of city finances, he said. He wants to “roll back” taxes and also opposes a merger of the city’s fire department with Snohomish County Fire District 1, a measure that’s also on the Aug. 1 ballot.
Corey, 33, loves Lynnwood and he wants to see it ready for light rail. “It’s an amazing city with a lot of potential, but we need to act,” he said. He sees a need to focus on infrastructure and “appropriate development” including small businesses. He thinks the city should be easier to navigate for walking and cycling. He supports affordable housing and increasing the minimum wage.
Deal, 70, believes the city uses too many “toxic chemicals” in landscaping. He says Lynnwood should demand that Everett stop using fluoride in the regional drinking water supply. Other ideas include reforming public transit and launching a government-funded Internet provider. “The other candidates are just conventional,” he said.
Frizzell, 58, has a passion for public service, including volunteering, she said.
“Managing our growth is the most important issue,” she said. “Whether that is roads or keeping our single-family neighborhoods or providing space for new people coming in.”
The city needs to do a better job maintaining roads and parks, Frizzell said. She also wants to work on homelessness issues
July 3 is the deadline to register to vote in the primary.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @rikkiking.
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