The race to replace Joan Miller of Edmonds on the Snohomish County Fire District 1 Board of Commissioners drew a crowded field. It’s so crowded, that the race will appear on the primary election ballot Sept. 20.
Three men are running to replace Miller, who is not seeking re-election. When the filing period ended in July, four people applied for the seat, the only one open on the board this year.
One candidate, Lisa Hopp of the Mill Creek area, withdrew in early August because of family concerns, leaving three candidates of diverse backgrounds — John Billen, David Chan and Christopher Glenn — to vie for the position, which has a six-year term.
John Billen
Billen, 46, has spent much of his adult life working in the public sector. Currently a crime analyst for the Monroe Police Department, the Everett resident spent 15 years working as a Snohomish County Jail guard and seven years as a volunteer firefighter for Fire District 11, before that department merged with District 1.
This is Billen’s second bid for a spot on the Fire District 1 board. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the late 1990s, running on a platform for more public education and outreach.
“At this point I’m running because the department seems obsessed with mergers,” Billen said, referring to efforts in the last two years to merge with Fire District 7. “Everything’s going too fast. They’re gobbling everything up.”
In addition, Billen says the board is losing sight of what’s good for the residents served by the district, instead focusing on the needs of the department too much.
“I don’t think the board is communicating enough with the public,” Billen said.
Billen is married with three children. He has served as a precinct committee officer and is an assistant soccer coach at Mariner High School.
David Chan
A longtime business owner and certified public accountant (CPA), Chan, a Lake Stickney resident, is a business consultant. He is making his first bid for public office.
“I’m just an average Joe, not a political man,” he said.
Chan says he is running in part to bring a business mentality onto the District 1 board, which currently has two members who work as full-time firefighters.
“Much of a fire district board’s work is business-oriented,” Chan said. “We’re talking about a district with total revenues of around $22 million, which could double with growth in the area. You really have limited resources, but you have to provide a variety of services.”
Chan also wants the district to work with the county on growth issues, to make sure streets in new developments are wide enough to allow fire trucks to pass through, for example. He also cited how newer developments are being built on smaller lots, which increases the possibility of a fire in one home spreading to a neighboring one.
Chan has been active in a variety of community organizations. Among his grassroots work has been his neighborhood association, the Snohomish County YMCA and the Everett Rotary Club.
Chan, 54, is married with two children.
Christopher Glenn
A resident of the area served by District 1 since 1979, Glenn, of Lynnwood, brings a variety of volunteer experience to the race.
The former Boeing employee has previously served on the boards of the local United Way, the Snohomish County Labor Council and the city of Lynnwood’s Citizen’s Salary Advisory Committee.
“The reason I’m running is I want to become involved, make sure the fire district is running as smoothly as possible,” Glenn said. “I want to make sure they have all the up-to-date facilities and equipment they need.”
Glenn said his strengths are being “a team player” and being interested in many topics. He said that with the United Way, part of his job was to make sure donor money was “well-spent” and to do that, agencies supported by United Way would have to report back to the board on how they spent their funds.
“I don’t see any glaring deficiencies in the department,” Glenn said. “I’ve never known anyone who’s had a problem with the department.”
Glenn, 58, is married and has grown children.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
