I’ve asked city council candidates why city councils are important to voters.
In recent weeks, I’ve had comments from retiring Councilwoman Rosemary Bennetts; from Councilman Terry Ryan and Councilwoman Mary Kay Voss, who has given up her current seat to challenge Ryan; from former Councilwoman Kathy Nielsen and Deputy Sheriff Vincent Cavaleri, candidates for the Bennetts position; and from Tim Masterson, who is running against Ken Bender for the position that Voss now holds.
This week. I have comments from Councilwoman Donna Michelson, who is running unopposed for re-election. Here’s what she said:
“The city council members are elected by the citizens to be policy makers. There is a city manager, who is hired by the council, responsible for all staff and the day-to-day operations of the city.
“There are seven voices on the council shaping the city’s future. This is a tremendous responsibility, and your elected representatives must take their job very seriously. Decisions made at this local level can and most likely will impact some portion of the citizenry.
“When you select a representative you should feel comfortable that they are approachable and responsive to your concerns and willing to address your issues in an open-minded sensitive manner. Are they in touch with the community? They should possess common sense and be able to differentiate between ‘wants’ and ‘needs,’ which becomes critical during budget planning. You need to ask yourself if they share your vision and values for the city’s future.”
Problems with the five-way race for judge
The election for a position on the Snohomish County Superior Court will have five names on the ballot.
If this were an ordinary judicial election, the five names would have appeared on the primary election ballot, and, if no one got a majority, the top two from the primary would run off in November.
This, however, isn’t an ordinary judicial election. It’s a special election to fill a seat that became vacant after the filing period for the primary. So, we have an election in which someone could win with a quarter of the vote.
Such a situation would seem ripe for ranked order voting in which voters would mark their first, second and third choices. If no one gets a majority of the first-place votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, with his votes given to the candidates marked second on those ballots. The process continues until someone has a majority.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@verizon.net.
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