On your marks, get set … RUN!
No, no, no … sit down. That is not what I meant.
The filing period to run for city or county council is June 6-10 and we are all looking for a few good men and women.
Kingsgate, Juanita and Finn Hill residents will have only been official Kirklanders for five days at the start of that period, but they are currently eligible to run. Former state Rep. Toby Nixon, who lives in the Kingsgate neighborhood, threw his hat into the ring this week to run against two-term incumbent Jessica Greenway. He is the first, of hopefully many, annexation area residents to get involved in Kirkland City government. Our democracy does not work without everyday people stepping up to help lead.
The Kirkland City Council has had a relatively quiet two-year stretch after a period of ethical scandals, but all leaders have to prove to their constituents they are worthy of another term. This time around it is Council members Jessica Greenway, Bob Sternoff and Dave Asher’s turn to see if the public still approves of the job they are doing or if they want a change.
Only Greenway has declared that she will run again for position No. 4. Asher is likely to announce his candidacy for a fourth term to keep position No. 6 as he already leads the charge to raise campaign funds with $10,000 raised. It is unclear whether Sternoff will run again for position No. 2 as he has not declared his candidacy publicly. Sternoff and Doreen Marchione are the only council members in the past 20 years from the Moss Bay neighborhood.
Kirkland is a unique city with very defined neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a unique sense of history and culture, including those that will be new to the city. This got me wondering about representation on the city council from each neighborhood.
The last time Kirkland took on an annexation was in 1988 when it incorporated North and South Rose Hill, along with Lower Juanita. That annexation brought the number of neighborhoods in Kirkland to 13. According to city records, since that time there have been 28 city council members.
Only two of the 13 neighborhoods – North Juanita and the Highlands – have not had representation on the council. A third, Everest, has not had a resident run for the first time and win. Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride won her seat on the council in the late 1990s from Houghton and later moved to Everest.
All of the records that the city has on former and current council members’ addresses are based on the neighborhood they were first elected from. McBride is one of many council members to run and win a seat on the council after serving on the Houghton Community Council.
Houghton has been the best represented on the city council since 1988, with seven members elected. North Rose Hill is the next in line with five members and Bridle Trails has had four council members elected. But of all the neighborhoods, Houghton has contributed the most mayors: McBride, David Russell, Doris Cooper, Randy Barton and Bob Neir.
Some Kirkland council members have even moved on to a larger governmental body. Former mayors Larry Springer, from the Market neighborhood, and Deb Eddy, Bridle Trails, now serve a portion of the Eastside in Olympia as state representatives.
Undoubtably, in the next 20 years the three new neighborhoods to Kirkland will give the city a few council members and maybe even a mayor or two. Odds are North Juanita and the Highlands cannot go another decade or two without representation. Will that person be you? Could you be the next city council member or mayor of Kirkland? It’s like your mother always said, “You never know until you try.”
To learn about eligibility requirements and campaign contributions for the Kirkland City Council, please visit www.kirklandwa.gov/council.
Persons interested in filing for an open position may file with King County Election Divisions in person, by mail, by fax, or online. In-person filing opens at 8:30 a.m. June 6 and closes at 4:30 p.m. June 10 at the King County Elections Building, 919 S.W. Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057. For more information about candidate filing and other ways to file, please visit the King County Web site at www.kingcounty.gov/elections/referenceresources/candidatefiling or call King County Election Operations at 206-296-1565.
Candidate Workshops
King County is hosting a complimentary candidate workshop to help interested candidates understand the filing process, public disclosure information, and other candidacy related topics. The workshop will be held from 9-11 a.m. May 14 at the King County Elections Office, 9010 East Marginal Way S., Tukwila. RSVP at election.operations@kingcounty.gov.
