Here’s a transcript of the three-minute statements from Edmonds mayoral candidates Mike Nelson and Neil Tibbott, made during a candidate Meet and Greet event last month at Edmonds Center for the Arts. And a reminder that we will be interviewing both candidates live via Facebook Wednesday night, Oct. 16.
You can also see video of the candidates speaking here.
My Edmonds News Publisher Teresa Wippel will be hosting both candidates for a Facebook Live interview starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. You can watch the interview live at Facebook.com/MyEdmondsNews or watch the archived video later, either via Facebook or on My Edmonds News.
Have questions for the candidates? Submit them to myedmondsnews@gmail.com or ask them via Facebook during the interview.
Mike Nelson
www.votenelson.org
Thank you and hello!
By my count when it’s all said and done today you will have endured 21 speeches, so I think you all need to have at least a ribbon or a medal, and a stiff drink after this.
I’m Mike Nelson, I’m running for mayor, and I would love your support and your vote. I am running because we need to lead Edmonds forward and we need new leadership. As your mayor I want to embrace the values and work every day to keep our city safe, healthy and livable.
I really want to thank not only ENAC, but the others who co-host this event, Indivisible Edmonds and the Sierra Club. You know the thing that binds these three groups is that they all take action. I’ve taken action on our City Council, and I will take action as your mayor.
When students were marching in our city streets in fear of rising gun violence, I took an action by passing legislation requiring gun owners to safely store their firearms and protect our kids. When the federal government pulled out of the treaty to save humanity from climate change, I took action and passed legislation with tangible steps to reduce carbon emissions and be the first city in Washington to be 100 percent renewable energy. When people of color and our LGBT community were experiencing acts of hate in our town, I took action by organizing rallies to send a clear message that we are a loving community. When our seniors and our families were getting hit with rising taxes and costs, I took action with legislation to cut property taxes and reduce city spending. When children could not play in our city’s playgrounds because their wheelchairs and walkers could not access them, I took action with legislation to fund our city’s first truly accessible playground. When our citizens contacted us about the rising drug activity and traffic safety concerns, I took action by introducing legislation to hire more police officers. When our teenagers wanted to get involved in our city and have a voice in government, I took action to create our city’s Youth Commission. When the mayor and some council members pushed for less protections on our marsh so they could develop it, I took action and worked with our citizens to successfully save our marsh.
As your mayor I will not just make hollow statements to support an issue. I will act on it.
As your mayor I will create a new permanent outdoor market and new small business incentives, robust citizen and neighborhood engagement and new open space protections; expand and restore our watershed; foster a thriving and safe Highway 99; reduce utility taxes and offer home repair assistance to our seniors and our disabled residents; expand walkability and increase pedestrian safety.
My friends you have a choice in this election. Ask yourself if the person you elect will stand up for you when it matters.
As your mayor I will act to ensure that Edmonds is a place where we look out for one another, where our seniors are cared for, where our children are protected, where our neighbors are our friends not strangers, where the voiceless have a voice, and where you are heard by a city government who will listen and act to lift us all up.
Thank you
Neil Tibbot
neiltibbott.com
Good evening everybody and thank you for being here this evening. My name is Neil Tibbott, and I’m running to serve as mayor. I am really excited about being here this evening. My wife is here and helping with the table, and I have many, many friends in this room.
We moved to Edmonds 20 years ago because we were looking for a place to raise our family. We loved Edmonds because it was a place where we could recreate in the outdoors in our very own city. It became a place where we made many, many friends, and it has proven to be just a great place for us. I’m so thankful that we made the choice to be here.
My wife is now a schoolteacher in the Edmonds School District, and I have some really good news about that. When she finished her first day of school earlier this week, two of her students came up to her and said, “Mrs. Tibbott, we want you to know something: we voted for your husband” — which is great except that they were in fourth grade, so I appreciate their enthusiasm and I hope that their tribe increases across the city.
Today we are at a place in our city where it’s very, very important about the choice that we make for mayor. I’m currently on the city council, and I’ve learned a lot about our city over the last four years. I’ve served in a variety of positions over the last 15 years, and one of the things that I’ve learned is that people are passionate about our city. We love it, we love the charm of our city, we love the experience of coming to our city, we love the peace and the holiness that we experience in our city.
I would describe that love for our city in three ways. I call this our authentic core, the genuine things about our city that we love and care about.
First, we absolutely love our nature and environment. We love being here and experiencing our natural environment together. Next, I love the fact that our city is passionate about our creative arts and what we experience together here as an expression of community with one another. The third thing that I’ve noticed about our city is that we love being involved with our community. It’s in our sense of community that we have volunteered, we commit to one another, we learn from one another and we get involved.
I am absolutely committed to keeping our community authentically Edmonds. These are the things that define our community.
There are people from outside our city who want to impose regulations and ideas and commitments that do not reflect the authenticity that I believe is a part of our city. I want to keep our community authentically Edmonds, and as a result I am absolutely committed to building our city from the inside out.
I am supported by five mayors from Edmonds, I’m supported other mayors from around our area, and I’m absolutely committed to making a difference in our city that brings us together in the community and keeps us working together.
I would appreciate your vote in November. Let’s work together. Thank you.
Gee, two Gentlemen who know how to state their ideas, accomplishments, and views on what they bring to and want to provide for our town, without personal attack and casting aspersions on each other’s character and respect for the law and/or lack there of. Pretty refreshing, if you ask me. Our national candidates could take some valuable lessons from both these “good guys”, because they are both good guys in my opinion. Edmonds is a better place when we all take the high road. (I’m lecturing myself here too, btw. I probably need it worse than anyone else).
Mike’s starting point is that Edmonds is pretty awful and he’ll make it better. Neil’s starting point is that Edmonds is pretty good and he’ll keep it the same.
Edmonds is pretty good. Were not a bunch of polluting racists.
Thanks for the transcripts of messages. Please leave a little more space between the messages so that it’s not confusing which is which.
I like when candidates or letters state what they are for, and are not negative about what they perceive the other person as saying. I didn’t get the impression from Mike that Edmonds is pretty awful, but that we may need to move forward and maybe in different ways. Change is inevitable, and when the need for change is recognized and planned for, I see it as a good thing. When we pat ourselves on the back and say, “Let’s stay exactly as we are” we may not be seeing all there is out there.
This is not a fight, it’s a competition, and playing fair says a lot about you.. If someone NEEDS to say or do negative things to win, I don’t see that as winning.
Vote for the candidate that best speaks to you. For me, it’s Mike Nelson. I’m tired of unnecessary gun violence and am glad that he listens and addresses that need.
From what I have observed, Mike did his homework on campaign strategy. Much of what he practices I did to win my office and have advised other candidates to do. It is kind of like, whomever has the best lawyer wins, or whomever spends the most money (in some format) for a campaign wins. I have read and heard statements where Mike restates current popular opinions, and he makes sure to touch upon the target demographics’ priority concerns (as stated above in his own words). He makes sure to connect with each majority group (or tribe, in marketing) of voters. All of us have our own groups / tribes. And when we hear how he connects with us and what he will do for us, he becomes our no-brainer candidate. It’s a great strategy. There is more to it, but those are the basics. Dress professionally, smile, show up at the right events, be in the right photos with the right people, oh and timing is important. The timeliness of his postcard in the general election was dead on. The strategy makes checking the box a no-brainer.
Every word out of Nelson’s mouth just reinforces our decision to vote for Neil.
The comment above is altered from the notice of a comment on my email list of recent comments. The alteration removes a negative character reference toward Mr. Nelson and his Union involvement. Mr. Tibott would do himself a favor by dissavowing such comments. They are not helping him.
My Edmonds News has done a good job providing information about the candidates over the past several months. Accurate information about local candidates that goes beyond the bland, generalizations candidates present in their official statements both here and in the county voters guide is hard to find. A candidate’s actions, and his association with various organizations, speak louder than his words. For example, I could never vote for a candidate who leads a group that discriminates against gay and trans people. Having that information helped me select the candidates I thought would best represent me and all the city’s other residents.