By Carrie Wood and Matt Phelps
All four Kirkland City Council positions have challengers, thanks to some last-minute moves Friday. But one of the biggest moves came as Mayor James Lauinger announced Thursday that he has withdrawn his candidacy for the Kirkland City Council (see story page 1) ending eight years as a council member and four as Mayor. The shakeups in the council races will result in two primary races August 18. The two candidates receiving the most votes on August 18 will move on to the general election in November.
Position 5
Position 5 on the council will have to be settled during the primary as three candidates including Ford of Kirkland CFO Amy Walen, positi on 7 Kirkland Planning Commission member Karen Tennyson and former Planning Commission member Matt Gregory will run for the position. The Mayor currently holds the position.
Gregory is the newest to the campaign and said that he wants to help the City of Kirkland get “back on the train.”
A Planning Commission member for 10 years until last March, Gregory says he is running because “I had a lot of people ask me to run. I feel I’m ready.”
The 30-year Kirkland resident recently served on the Lake Washington School Board and this week was elected as a trustee to the Lake Washington School Foundation.
“I would bring my leadership, both in the region and city, and my experience of living in the city,” Gregory said. “I’ve been involved in all 13 neighborhoods in Kirkland at some time.”
As a council member, Gregory said he hopes to get Kirkland back on the “TRAIN,” which stands for transportation, revitalization, affordability, invention and neighborhoods.
Walen originally was going to challenge for position 7 against incumbent Tom Hodgson but switched to position 5 on Thursday.
Position 3
Longtime Kirkland resident Brad Larssen filed to run for position No. 3 Friday, triggering the second race to be decided in the primary. Larssen will run against Parks Board Member John Smiley and former Kirkland City Council member Penny Sweet.
Smiley switched from challenging for position 7 to position 3 on Friday, while Sweet was one of the first to enter the race. Position 3 is currently held by Mary-Alyce Burleigh, who is not running for re-election.
Larssen, who is a long-time Kirkland resident, identifies himself as a blue-collar laborer and active in the labor movement. But Larssen also has a law degree from the University of Illinois and worked for Boeing as an aerospace engineer in the 1980s. He is also the vice-chair of Kirkland’s 45th District Democrats. Larssen lost as a write-in candidate for King County Council despite garnering 30 percent of the vote against incumbent Jane Hague and party-switcher Richard Pope in 2007.
Sweet co-owns the Grape Choice Wine Shop in downtown Kirkland with her husband Larry Springer, who is a former Kirkland Mayor and current state representative. She lost in 2007 to Jessica Greenway for position 4 and lost by just 104 votes out of 12,000 votes cast. Sweet is a 25-year resident of Kirkland.
Position 7
Kirkland resident and former Redmond Mayor, Doreen Marchione, filed to run for Kirkland City Council position No. 7, currently held by incumbent Tom Hodgson, who is running for re-election.
The 70-year-old Marchione is a board member of the Kirkland Performance Center, has lived in Kirkland for 17 years and was mayor of Redmond from 1984-1991. Marchione was mayor when Microsoft moved to Redmond. Her son John Marchione is currently the mayor of Redmond. She was also the President and CEO of Hopelink from 1992-2006. Hodgson ran unopposed for the seat in 2005.
Position 1
Kirkland resident Martin Morgan also filed close to the 5 p.m. deadline to run for position No. 1 against incumbent Joan McBride.
“I have only met him one time,” said McBride, about her challenger. “I don’t know much about his community involvement.”
Morgan did not respond to phone messages or emails prior to Reporter deadline.
McBride has served on the council for 12 years.
“I am expecting a good civil debate and involvement from citizens,” said McBride.
