Editor:

I decided to endorse Alicia Crank when she spoke in opposition to crumb rubber infill prior to the installation of the turf fields at Woodway Fields. It took courage, especially as a first-time candidate, to take that stand when the school district, and the city, were ignoring concerns of citizens, and surging forward.

I met with Alicia shortly after, and was impressed with her experience and understanding of the democratic process, as it is meant to be. She explained that she would like to see citizens have the opportunity, not just to comment for three minutes at the beginning of Council meeting, but to comment on each actionable item. She also stated that she would support that citizens be allowed to pull items from the consent agenda, and ask questions about them.

These ideas demonstrate that Alicia wants to hear from citizens, and wants to integrate citizen input into the development of policy. This is how Alicia approaches every issue, such as diversity, affordable housing, and height limits. When asked about height limits downtown and at the waterfront, Alicia stated: “The citizens have already spoken on this issue.”

The collaboration that Alicia speaks of is with the citizens of Edmonds. A healthy democratic process does not, as so many believe, translate to kumbaya sessions at Council meetings, but requires that there will be active debate. We elect Council Members, not for them to collaborate with each other, but to collaborate with the citizens to enable them to come to the best decisions.

I believe that Alicia Crank is the best candidate to occupy Position 5. She has my vote.

Joan Bloom