South County Politics: Lynnwood councilmember won’t seek re-election

Lynnwood City Councilmember M. Christopher Boyer says he won’t run for re-election.

Two candidates have indicated that they plan to run for the position in the November election.

One is Ben Corey, a Democratic precinct committee officer from Lynnwood Precinct 11. He is an elementary-school teacher in the Lake Washington School District.

The other is Christine Frizzell, who lost a 2015 council race to incumbent Benjamin Goodwin 49.95 percent to 49.95 percent after a recount.

Çorey has registered with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, a step that allows a candidate to register and spend money for the Aug. 1 primary and Nov. 7 general election.

Candidates file for ballot positions next week, May 15-19.

City council positions and any non-partisan positions with three or more candidates appear on both the primary ballot and the general election ballot. Positions with only one or two candidates appear only on the November ballot.

Boyer said Monday that he had decided not to run because of increased responsibility as pastor of a Lynnwood church.

The position is one of three Lynwood Council positions on this year’s ballot.

The others are those held by Councilmembers Ian Cottton and Ruth Ross. Both Cotton and Ross have registered with the PDC as candidates.

Cotton has no announced opponents. Ross faces a challenge from political newcomer Rosamaria Graziani, president of an organization that promotes education for first- and second-generation immigrants.

Former Councilmember Van Aubuchon says he plans to run but hasn’t decided which position he will seek.

Councilmember George Hurst, who is in the middle of his first four-year term, has announced that he will challenge Mayor Nicola Smith.

Smith is the only Lynnwood candidate who has raised money for this year’s election. She reports raising $5,102 and spending $811.

Candidate seeks to replace retiring school director

A candidate says she will seek the position on the Edmonds School Board that School Board President Susan Phillips now holds, representing Director District 4, a district that straddles Highway 99 in the central part of the Edmonds School District.

The candidate is Cathy Baylor, a music teacher who operates her own piano studio.
Baylor has registered with the PDC.

Candidates must live in the director district, but residents of the entire Edmonds School District vote elect board members representing all five director districts. The Edmonds School District includes Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, part of Brier and unincorporated areas near those municipalities.

Phillips served on the school board from 2011 to 2014. She was elected again in 2015.

Lynnwood considering candidates for new commission on diversity, equity, inclusion

The Lynnwood City Council soon will interview seven nominees for the city’s new commission on diversity, equity and inclusion.

The council will interview four of the finalists May 15 and the other three May 30.

The council plans to vote on approving the candidates at its June 12 meeting so that the new commission can start its work in late June or early July.

City administrative staff members chose the seven finalists from 20 citizens who applied in February.

— By Evan Smith

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.

  1. Does anyone else think it’s shady that the Snohomish County Democrats already made up their mind who they are going to endorse weeks ago even though filling starts next week? https://snocodems.org/ How can they know who to endorse if they don’t know who is running yet? My opinion is that it is a disgrace to the Democrat name, they should have waited to see who is running and put it up to a vote. But that’s not their endorsed candidate’s style, they deny to the voters decision because they already made up their minds.

    1. Elizabeth, the SnoCo Dems do not have a limit on how many people they endorse for any one position. They can endorse as many people as they want according to the by-laws. The endorsement committee for the county is being steered by a couple of long standing party members with what I consider questionable tactics. You should come to the meetings and help change the organization from within. We need people to join the organization and vote. We can change the party if we refuse to be ignored.

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