MUKILTEO — The city has its first Korean American council member.
Jason Moon, 40, was selected unanimously Monday by the six-member Mukilteo City Council to fill the seat vacated by Mayor Joe Marine.
Moon, who has never held political office, spoke like a polished politician about the waterfront, budget, housing, growth and food. He’d obviously done his homework.
“I’ll promise to put the people first before politics,” he told the council.
The news of his appointment went beyond the city limits.
“In less than 30 minutes I got a call from one of the Korean newspapers,” Moon said Tuesday. “It’s a really tight community, eager to have representation.”
Moon and his wife pinched pennies to buy a house in Mukilteo in 2016 to raise their two sons, he said. He is a customer success account manager at Microsoft, with a resume that includes Amazon, a nonprofit, a bank and the Office of Education in South Korea. His parents, owners of a small dry cleaning business in Lynnwood for 30 years, moved to Mukilteo in 2020.
His interest in the Mukilteo council seat was sparked while serving on the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission.
“Since I can speak Korean, I’d reach out to the Korean community in Korean,” Moon said at the meeting. “Partnering with people of different languages is also key.”
When asked at the meeting how his closest friends would describe him, Moon said, “I’m the guy to call when they’re hungry.”
Sharing meals builds relationships, he said.
“My favorite form of engagement is food.”
He also enjoys waterfront activities.
“Fishing, crabbing, kayaking, scuba diving, free diving and beach combing,” he said. “My kids love going on the beach, picking up rocks, throwing rocks and looking for crabs.”
His Zoom background for Monday’s meeting was of the ferry terminal.
Despite his apparent razor-sharp poise, “My hands were super sweaty,” he said Tuesday. “I am going in humbly, learning as much as I can, and ultimately being a voice for the people.”
The last appointed seat was filled in 2020 by Louis Harris, the city’s first Black councilmember. He was elected to the council in 2021.
Other finalists interviewed Monday were Carolyn “Dode” Carlson and Alex Crocco, both of whom ran in 2021, and Donald Saul.
Ten people applied for the council seat. Those not making it to the final round were Kevin Stoltz, Peter Zieve, Ashvin Sanghvi, Joleen Sims, Sharon Swann and Theodore “Ted” Wheeler.
Councilmember Riaz Kahn told the applicants, “Please don’t give up.”
Khan was elected to council on his fifth run for various public offices.
“You’ve got a council meeting coming up soon,” Marine told Moon. “Your Mondays are now full, sir.”
Andrea Brown: abrown@heraldnet.com;
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