LYNNWOOD — Julieta Altamirano-Crosby has resigned from Lynnwood City Council, effective Monday.
Altamirano-Crosby was not present at Monday’s meeting and announced her resignation through a letter read by council member Patrick Decker.
On Nov. 5, Altamirano-Crosby was elected as a commissioner for the Snohomish County Public Utility District. On Tuesday, Altamirano-Crosby was sworn in as a PUD board member.
Her election as a PUD commissioner led to weeks of debate about whether Altamirano-Crosby could serve both positions concurrently, based on a city code that prohibits council members from holding other elected seats. Lynnwood City Attorney Lisa Marshall said in November that current state doctrine would allow her to serve on both bodies.
On Monday, her resignation became official.
“My decision to resign from my position on the Lynnwood City Council comes from a place of deep conviction rooted in professionalism, service, duty and a commitment to responsibility,” the letter read. “I have always said I will leave on my terms and that day has now come.”
On Nov. 12, Decker raised a motion to repeal the section of Lynnwood’s code that prevents someone from holding two elected positions at the same time. The council voted 5-2 to table the decision to a later date.
In December, council member Josh Binda made a motion to hire an independent attorney to determine if Altamirano-Crosby could hold both positions.
The motion led to an argument between the two council members. Binda noted that Altamirano-Crosby’s husband, Patrick Crosby, contributed $200 to a recall campaign against him in 2023. The campaign began after investigations found Binda committed multiple campaign finance and ethics violations.
In 2024, Altamirano-Crosby paid more than $37,500 to the recall campaign’s leader for mailers for her PUD campaign.
Before Decker announced Altamirano-Crosby’s resignation Monday, the council planned to see how much it would cost to bring the code question to the attorney general’s office. That expected discussion did not occur.
In 2019, Altamirano-Crosby became the first Latina to be elected to the Lynnwood City Council. In her resignation letter, she said she was proud of the council’s work on a number of issues during her tenure, including securing funding for residential street improvements, the Lynnwood Food Bank and the Lynnwood Neighborhood Center.
“I have appreciated Julieta’s ability to bring a unique perspective to a discussion and use that viewpoint to improve and help our community thrive,” Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell said in a written statement Tuesday. “Julieta’s passion for our community is unparalleled. I know she will bring that same energy to her role serving Snohomish County as PUD Commissioner. I wish her well in her future endeavors.”
Council member Derica Escamilla said she will do her best to continue Altamirano-Crosby’s work with the “Let’s Talk About Safety” forum series to address rising crime, especially following the New Year’s Eve shooting in Lynnwood that killed a 14-year-old boy.
“I’m sorry to hear about Councilwoman Crosby,” Escamilla said Monday. “I was really looking forward to having two Hispanics on here. I don’t really know what I expected or how it was going to end up, but I guess we can be glad that we have Hispanic representation now on the PUD council.”
The council will discuss how it will fill the vacancy at its Jan. 13 business meeting. According to Washington state code, the remaining members of Lynnwood City Council must appoint a new council member within 90 days. The city will make an announcement when an application is available for the vacant seat.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified council member Patrick Decker as Derek Decker.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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