By The Herald Editorial Board
Mountlake Terrace, a city of 25,000 with an expectation of adding 15,000 more residents during the next two decades, has worked to prepare for that growth. That work is a primary focus for its city council, for which four of the council’s seven seats are on the ballot this year.
Position 1
Incumbent Rick Ryan is seeking a fifth term on the Mountlake Terrace council. He is challenged by Sam Doyle.
Doyle, a city resident since 2012 who, she says, came to the city seeking affordable housing for her family, has a master’s in nursing and is an oncology nurse practitioner at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center at the University of Washington.
Since moving to Mountlake Terrace, she said, she’s fallen in love with the city and wants to serve as an active and outspoken council member in a city that is changing and struggling with affordable housing, public safety, food insecurity for residents and infrastructure needs related to its growth.
Ryan and his wife have lived in the city for 33 years and raised two sons there. A retired public school teacher of 34 years with a master’s in education, he says his time on the council has enabled him to be a good listener able to fully analyze issues and make decisions that enhance the community’s quality of life.
Even as Doyle found a home in Terrace, she said the cost then was still a stretch even with a good-paying job. Housing, for renters and buyers, she said, remains out of reach for many. She endorses the city’s tax exemption for multi-family housing, but it’s not enough to meet the need for housing supply, she said. She would like to see the city explore, as Seattle has done, a requirement for multi-unit housing to dedicate a portion to affordable housing units. She also would back incentives for building more accessory dwelling unit (ADU) housing.
Noting the city’s completion of its comprehensive plan, Ryan said the city is working to increase the supply of affordable housing, by incentivizing greater density, streamlining the city’s permit process, reducing parking requirements and encouraging “middle” housing for duplexes and triplexes between single-family neighborhoods and apartment complexes. The arrival of the Link light-rail system in Mountlake Terrace, he said, has encouraged even more density within walking distance of the transit line. Rather than mandating a percentage of units for affordable housing, Ryan said he prefers incentives.
Noting the growth in housing, Ryan said the city also has taken care to develop its Town Center Plan to provide the necessary infrastructure for that growth, allowing the city to replace aging infrastructure, such as sewer and water lines, incrementally.
Doyle sees more of a mixed bag with the city’s infrastructure planning. She’s concerned that the costs of upgrades to the water system have hit some ratepayers hard. And while Terrace is generally equipped to deal with growth, she said, she sees opportunities to address the city’s aging recreation center and related programs and a general lack of sidewalks in many neighborhoods.
While the city has avoided some of the more dire financial problems of its neighboring cities, the city is expecting a possible budget gap of $1.6 million in coming years. Ryan noted the city is working with financial consultants and has assembled a financial advisory task force to address rising costs for insurance, court administration and public defense and more, along with potential new sources of revenue.
Drawing from information in the consultant report, Doyle said the city will need to seek better sources of revenue to meet its needs but also will need to make decisions on what it values in deciding how it spends that revenue. Seeing sales tax as regressive, Doyle said the city can look at property taxes or possiblly a wealth tax or income tax for high earners, which she sees as more equitable.
Doyle demonstrates a detailed knowledge and thoughtful consideration of the city’s needs and concerns and would provide the council with the perspective of a younger, working parent.
Ryan, however, has an undeniable track record of service over nearly 16 years and has built relationships with other public officials throughout the county and state that are of value to the council and the city.
Ryan’s leadership has been key to the city’s careful growth and would be of service in a fifth term. Voters should reelect Ryan.
Position 2
Incumbent Steven Woodard, who first won election in 2021 following his appointment to the council in 2019 to fill a vacancy, is running unopposed for reelection.
Position 3
Prior to the Aug. 5 primary, the editorial board endorsed William Paige Jr., who was appointed to the council in 2022 to fill a vacancy. The position is for the remaining portion of the current term and a full four-year term.
Position 4
Incumbent Kyoko Matsumoto Wright, first appointed to the council in 2008 is seeking a fifth term on the council. She is challenged by Steven Mossman. Mossman did not respond to a request to participate in a board interview.
Mountlake Terrace uses a council/manager system of government, with the duties of mayor appointed by those on the council. Matsumoto Wright currently serves as mayor.
Matsumoto Wright, who served for five years on the city planning commission before her appointment to the council, said she’s proud to have served during the long process to develop the city’s Town Center Plan, which now is expected to begin its second phase of construction in 2026, as well as the arrival of light rail.
The town center planning, the city’s work to update the comprehensive plan and light rail have contributed to recent growth and development in the city, with more on the way, including three apartment complexes, she said.
She’s drawn on her mayor title and a background in real estate in dicussions with developers and groups like the the Master Builders Association to encourage construction in the city and build a supply of housing that can provide more affordable options, she said. Still, she said, it’s a challenge to get some developers to look beyond Seattle and Bellevue, but it is happening.
Along with housing, she’s hoping the city can attract more retail shops, restaurants and hotels to the Town Center area. Matsumoto Wright, who has a degree in theater, said she would love to see a performing arts center in Mountlake Terrace, an attraction that would bring people to the city for an evening or weekends.
The Terrace mayor also noted her work with state lawmakers on housing and other issues, and hopes the Legislature takes up a bill that would encourage the construction of condos, which could attract older homeowners who could put current homes on the market for younger families.
Matsumoto Wright has concerns for the city’s financial health and said the city is looking at ways to tighten its belt, but those conversations are happening in a transparent manner and with online access for all to review.
Key to the city’s financial stability will be the economic growth it is encouraging, she said, and there’s an opportunity for the city to demonstrate that next year during the region’s participation in the FIFA World Cup, with games in Seattle and activities set throughout the region.
Matsumoto Wright, in addition to her work on the council, has made the most of her role as mayor as well, promoting the city and working with other local officials in the interests of her city and the region.
Voters should return her to her to the council.
Ballots coming
Voters should expect their ballots and local voters guide in the mail later this week.
An online voter’s guide is available at tinyurl.com/SnoCoVotersGuide2025.
A full list of The Herald Editorial Board’s endorsements will be published and be available online on Oct. 25.
More information on the Nov. 4 election, registering to vote, ballot drop box locations and more is available at tinyurl.com/SnoCoElex.
The League of Women Voters of Snohomish County has produced candidate forms for many city council, mayor and school district races, available at tinyurl.com/LWVSC-Forums25.
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