By The Herald Editorial Board
Continuing with The Herald Editorial Board’s recommendations and endorsements for the Aug. 1 primary:
Because of the number of races in the primary for Snohomish County voters, for some races the editorial board will offer its recommendations for the two candidates best qualified to move on to the general election based on a review of candidate statements, Herald news coverage and past interviews with candidates. Full endorsements will follow prior to the general election on Nov. 7.
Stanwood City Council, Position 7: Incumbent city council member Dorothy Gorsuch, an accounting employee for Philips Healthcare is seeking re-election following her first four-year term on the council. She is challenged by Judy Williams, a title officer for Chicago Title, and Mike Braley, a sergeant with the Everett Police Department.
Williams and Braley should advance to the general election.
Braley, a U.S. Army veteran, is a lifelong resident of the county. He has lived in Stanwood for 22 years and has worked in law enforcement for 21 years. He has served as a delegate for the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs. In campaign statements, Braley has identified infrastructure, parks and safe pedestrian routes from east Stanwood to downtown as important issues for Stanwood as well as public safety in general. He also advocates participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s community rating system to seek ways to reduce the costs of flood insurance downtown and encourage development.
Williams has served on the city’s planning commission since the start of 2016 and its parks and trails committee since 2015. She has volunteered with the Stanwood High School’s planning committee from 2015-17, as the school’s band booster president from 2009 to 2015 and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Williams says she is supportive of business and growth but not soley for the sake of growth.
Lynnwood City Council, Position 1: Council member M. Christopher Boyer, appointed to his seat in 2012 and elected in 2013, is not seeking re-election, drawing the candidacies of Ben Corey, a fourth-grade teacher at a Redmond elementary school; James Robert Deal, a real estate attorney and broker and frequent candidate for state and local offices; Christine Frizzell, a self-employed accountant for small businesses and individuals; and Van AuBuchon, an IT consultant and past council member with experience on the council’s finance committee and the city’s planning commission.
Voters should send Frizzell and AuBuchon on to the general election.
Frizzell, a graduate of Meadowdale High School, is making her second run for the city council. She ran in 2015 and qualified for the general election, but lost to incumbent Benjamin Goodwin. The editorial board endorsed Frizzell in 2015, noting her accounting background as being of use to the council. At that time she said the city should prioritize its needs and better explain to residents its decisions on spending.
Frizzell recently told The Herald she sees managing the city’s growth as its most pressing issue. She is supportive of the proposed merger of Fire District 1 and the Lynnwood Fire Department. And she has been an active volunteer with groups involved in addressing homelessness and low-income senior housing and has served as a mentor to incarcerated women at the county jail.
AuBuchon has previously served one four-year term on the city council, but lost in 2015 to current council member Shannon Sessions. The editorial board endorsed AuBuchon that year, believing his past experience regarding land use, finances and budgeting was needed on the council. He also participating in discussions during the city’s Visioning Task Force sessions that outlined residents’ desires for the city.
He recently told The Herald that he wants to see a review of the city’s finances and greater transparency for the residents.
While he opposes the merger with Fire District 1, also on the Aug. 1 ballot, if it is approved by voters AuBuchon says he wants residents to see tax savings while ensuring the service levels needed as the city continues its growth.
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