Lynnwood City Council incumbent Loren Simmonds faces challengers Maria Ambalada and Shirley Sutton in the Aug. 4 primary election. It is one of two Lynnwood Council positions on the primary ballot. The top two vote getters for each position advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Two other Lynnwood council positions have only two candidates and will appear only on the November ballot.
Ambalada, Simmonds and Sutton recently sent statements introducing themselves to voters. Here they are:
Lynnwood City Council position #4:
Maria Ambalada: Maria Ambalada, resident of South Snohomish County for the past 56 years; also long time, since 1964, advocate of senior citizens in Snohomish County; saved two mobile home parks from developers; member of Snohomish County Council on Aging. As a Lynnwood resident I am a member of the Planning Commission; advocate Public Market for residents to supplement income of one-paycheck households.
Shirley Sutton: Shirley Sutton is a candidate for Lynnwood City Council. She is an educator, mediator, Diversity and Inclusion trainer, family advocate and community outreach specialist who is committed to the residents of Lynnwood. She has lived in Lynnwood since 2001 and is a retired college administrator. She is a proven community member who serves on multiple state and local boards.
Shirley learned her values of hard work and responsibility growing up in her family-owned neighborhood grocery store. Witnessing her parents provide food to those in need taught her humility and compassion for others. She also grew up in a diverse community and learned at a young age the importance of acceptance of individuals who look different than she did.
Shirley earned a bachelor’s degree in law and justice from Central Washington University and a master’s degree in community and human resource development from Heritage University. Her contact information is shirley@voteshirleysutton.com.
Loren Simmonds:
- Family: I have been a resident/homeowner in Lynnwood for almost 35 years. My two children attended our public schools and both graduated from Meadowdale High School. Today, I am the proud “Papa Loren” of five grandchildren.
- Professional career: I have worked in the field of resource development virtually all of my professional career. I have served as an advisor to more than 300 worthy non-profits agencies. I have owned and operated my own business, plus doing contract work for several national firms.
- Formal and continuing education: I have three academic degrees including a BA, MA, and M.Div. While serving on the City Council, I earned the Advanced Leadership Certification from the Association of Washington Cities.
- Political career: I have served on the City Council from 2000 to 2015; Council President 8 of 16 years. Our community remains my passion.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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