By The Herald Editorial Board
A diverse and growing city of 42,000 residents, a retail hub, and now the county’s northern terminus for Sound Transit’s Link light rail, Lynnwood also is facing, like other neighboring cities, a budget crisis, following a drop in revenues, putting increased importance on its election of four city council positions and the mayor’s office, for which an endorsement will be announced Thursday.
Position 1
Prior to the Aug. 5 primary election, The Herald Editorial Board endorsed Derica Escamilla, an environmental scientist and Lynnwood resident since 2008, who was appointed to the council in July 2024.
Position 2
The decision by current city council member Patrick Decker not to seek reelection to a second term — and instead seek a seat on the Snohomish County Charter Commission this fall — attracted two candidates to the position: Isabel Mata and Ki Seung Cho.
Cho, who runs a taekwondo studio in Lynnwood, declined an interview with the editorial board.
Mata is director of outreach for a personal health consultant and a freelance magazine writer. Formerly from New York, Tennessee and California before moving to Lynnwood about three years ago, Mata said she and her husband were drawn by the city’s parks and its light-rail connection to Seattle, seeing it as a good place to raise children.
Mata, acknowledging the recent growth in housing in and near the city, said she still has concerns for housing and homelessness, noting the city has only one shelter, open only to women and children and a months-long wait list.
She wants to see more housing available to low-income families and support, providing more incentives to developers and also wants to see the city work more closely with the region’s state lawmakers as it continues its work on housing.
Regarding the city’s financial difficulties, Mata advised — rather than cycles of cuts and rehiring — taking a longer view that looks at strategies for new revenue, rather than an over-reliance on the revenue from the city’s retail businesses, which can be prone to economic downturns.
She said she wants to see a more circular economy in the city, where people are making money in Lynnwood and then spending it in Lynnwood.
Mata said she’d like to see an emphasis on the city’s parks and recreation to create and market more events that can bring people in to support those businesses, taking advantage in particular of the city’s light-rail terminus and its development of its City Center.
Mata, while she said she was welcomed by neighbors when first moving in, is concerned about growing isolation and division in society and wants to work on encouraging connections and building community.
Mata in a relatively short time has built relationships with local officials and state lawmakers, learned the challenges ahead of Lynnwood and the larger county and expresses an ability to work collaboratively toward solutions. Mata is endorsed for the council seat.
Position 3
Prior to the Aug. 5 primary, the editorial board endorsed Josh Binda, who was first elected to the council in 2021.
Position 5
The resignation of council member Julieta Altamirano-Crosby, following her election to the Snohomish Public Utility District board, resulted in the appointment of Robert Leutwyler in March.
Leutwyler is challenged by Mpiima Mugambe for the two years remaining for the position’s term.
Mugambe, a Lynnwood resident since 2016, came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Uganda in 2012. He earned a master’s in social work from the University of Washington and works as a clinical supervisor and social worker for King County. He also teachers social work courses at the university.
Mugambe also operates a nonprofit that assists victims of human trafficking, asylum seekers and refugees. Mugambe also has volunteered with the city’s police department on its citizens patrol.
Mugambe said as a member of the council he would promote equity, transparency and sustainability, emphasizing affordable housing, economic opportunity and small businesses.
Leutwyler, who previously sought election to the city council seat in 2023, is a Army veteran. A Lynnwood resident since 2011, he has a master’s in business administration from the UW as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is the manager of a union pension fund, and served on the city’s planning commission from 2023 until his appointment to the council.
Leutwyler volunteers with a nonprofit environmental sustainability effort, a nonprofit helping to move women and families out of homelessness and a nonprofit aiding students struggling with hunger.
Leutwyler said the city’s budget crisis was the result of lower-than-forecast revenues from sales taxes, permits and fees for development and from traffic camera fines, requiring the city to make significant cuts to staff, selling off vehicles and cutting hours of service at the recreation and senior centers, with more decisions ahead.
With the volatility of revenue from sales tax receipts, he said, the city is at a disadvantage in having to sustain perpetual responsibilities for roads and parks, law enforcement and the other services that cities provide, making it important for the city to take greater care with revenue forecasts and its budgeting.
Mugambe agreed that the city needs to consider how its finances came to this point. He advised a process of “community budgeting,” encouraging city residents to take a participatory role in the city’s budget plans. In addition, he’d like to see a thorough review of city finances and a look into partnerships with neighboring communities regarding shared services and promotion of business growth.
Mugambe said he also wants a focus on improving the economic standing of the city’s residents, and has co-chaired an effort to put a minimum wage increase before city voters, seeing that as an important step in keeping people in their homes. He also supports other efforts on housing stability and supportive housing.
Leutwyler pointed to his work on the planning commissioner during its comprehensive plan update, which has allowed the city to update policies that will help provide a greater selection of housing and more density that can provide more affordable housing options. Yet, work remains on housing issues, he said, and he wants the council to continue working with developers and state lawmakers on the issue.
Both men show themselves as community-minded people looking to serve the public and address the city’s issues, and both have expended considerable time already in providing that service.
And both demonstrate a willingness to tackle the city’s financial crisis with transparency and innovation.
While not the council’s first pick when it first considered candidates — two other appointments later withdrew their names — Leutwyler had been the leading choice of three council members from the start and his participation thus far has affirmed their support and the council’s final decision.
While Mugambe’s suggestion for participatory budgeting is intriguing and should be explored, the city needs the more immediate financial guidance that Leutwyler offers, paired with his concern to advocate for all residents and his background in addressing housing and land use planning. Voters should give Leutwyler the opportunity to complete the term and continue his service.
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