“I feel most alive when I contribute to my local community and am serving others,” began Diana White as she addressed more than 100 supporters in a campaign kickoff event Tuesday evening at Edmonds’ Las Brisas restaurant.  “I like to think of myself as a professional volunteer in service to my community.”

White is running for City Council Position 6, currently occupied by Tom Mesaros who is not seeking re-election. She is opposed by former school board member and community activist Susan Paine.

White’s activities have literally spanned decades, including roles as a founding member of the Edmonds Diversity Commission, member of the Mayor’s Advisory Group, and a participant on the Civic Park Planning Committee. She has also volunteered with Catholic Community Services Chore Services and with Edmonds United Methodist Church Tutoring Dinners. More recently, she has served as past chair of the Hazel Miller Foundation and eight years on the Edmonds School Board, where she is currently president. Her term expires this November.

White was introduced by 33-year Mountlake Terrace High School teacher and basketball coach Nalin Sood.

“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Diana for more than 30 years,” Sood began.  “From the start she impressed me as a great person and a great listener, open-minded and altruistic. That initial take still holds. Fewer and fewer good people are going into politics these days. I’m here to tell you, Diana is a good person who doesn’t make vague, sweeping promises only to let them languish after election.

“Everything Diana said when she was running for school board she followed up,” he continued. “Things like best practices for curriculum, teachers and staff, and advocating for folks from all different backgrounds. The things she set up in the school district will continue to be felt long after she leaves.”

Sood was followed by former Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson, who praised White’s knack for bringing people together to find common ground.

“It’s a huge compliment to Diana that we have three sitting councilmembers in the audience tonight lending their support,” Haakenson said, referring to the presence of Councilmembers Tom Mesaros, Dave Teitzel and Neil Tibbott. “We simply need her in office. She brings bright ideas, fresh ideas, listens to everyone but comes to her own conclusions. She’s not beholden to any particular group; she has a vision for all of us, not just a few select people. Her campaign slogan says it all — Present, Prepared, Professional.”

Standing on a chair, White then took the microphone to address the audience.

“Service to others is a personal value I hold very high — when you get involved you can make a difference,” she began. “Sometimes it’s contributing ideas about what a new civic park in the middle of downtown will look like, other times it’s participating in a public process that narrows down a list of 51 different options to improve across-tracks access to our waterfront. But no matter how you cut it, hands down, Edmonds is a better place because of the inspiring work of all our volunteers.

“Democracy can be energizing and inspiring, but also messy and difficult. I’m the first to admit that being an elected official is not so glamorous at times,” she observed. “It’s more than working a room, cutting ribbons and speaking in snappy quotable sound bites. It’s building trust and transparency, building webs that all can climb instead of ladders open to only a few, building a thorough process for decision-making. It’s being part of a highly functioning team, having a clearly defined way of making decisions and having respect for the process. And it works best when we are all heard — and I firmly believe that this is where we can do a better job.

“Our neighbors to the south, north and east remind us that Edmonds is more than just the Bowl. Do we bring all voices to the table, or just listen to the loudest in the room? Do we engage people of all ages and circumstances or just those with time and access to a computer? Do city council meetings reflect our rich ethnic diversity so evident in our schools?” she said. “So I challenge you to ask who in our community feels invisible and bring them in. We make better decisions when we can engage all our citizens – and that means all.

“We need this as we confront the difficult issues of affordable housing, how we gracefully manage growth and change, keep public safety strong, provide emergency access to the waterfront with its beautiful new center, repair the damage done to our fragile ecosystem, and be responsible stewards of our environment as we inhabit the lands of the original Coast Salish people,” she added. “I’m reminded of a saying that people support what they help create. I believe the young generation like my own Millennial kids must have a say in what the community will look like as they raise families of their own.”

Concluding on a more personal note, White alluded to her own indigenous heritage. “I’m increasingly inspired to use my voice on behalf of indigenous people and Native Americans to say that we are still here, we are not invisible.  This year for the first time we have Native women serving in the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress – so why not on the Edmonds City Council?”

Learn more about Diana White at diana4council.org.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel