Pledging “to help return trust and transparency to City Hall and lead our city through recovery,” former Edmonds City Councilmember Neil Tibbott on Monday formally announced his campaign to regain a seat on the city council in 2021.

“We live in Edmonds because it is an extraordinary and exceptional community,” Tibbott said. “I am running to protect the character and vitality of this great city and to address the many challenges we face. By working together, we can build a future that is inclusive and accessible for all our residents.”

Tibbott served on the Edmonds City Council from 2016 – 2020, where he served on the Parks, Planning and Public Works Committee and as a council liaison to the Citizens Economic Development Commission. He is also a former chair of the Edmonds Planning Board. He gave up his council seat to run for mayor, losing to current Mayor Mike Nelson in 2019.

Three of the council’s seven seats — Positions 1, 2 and 3 — are up for election this year but Tibbott has not yet decided which one he will run for. Kristiana Johnson, who holds Position 1, is a retired transportation planner who has been on the council since 2012. Position 2 is occupied by Luke Distelhorst, facing election after he was appointed to fill out the remainder of Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson’s council term. Position 3 is held by three-term Councilmember Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, a retired state government manager who was first elected to the council in 2009.

An executive and leadership coach, Tibbott said he would bring to the council over 15 years of experience helping organizations increase their efficiency and effectiveness, plus his work on training tools related to group facilitation and conflict management.

“I’ve been greatly disappointed by the discord between elected officials and the lack of transparency and accountability in decision making,” Tibbott said. “I pledge to be a collaborative member of the council and work to ensure community involvement and transparency, and to represent all of our citizens,” Tibbott said.

Tibbott’s candidacy was endorsed by Councilmember Kristiana Johnson. “Neil Tibbott cares about people and our city,” Johnson said. “We need him back on our council.”

In his anouncement, Tibbott described himself as “an avid outdoors person and defender of the environment” who supported improvements for Edmonds Marsh while he was on the council.

“These have been difficult times for families and businesses,” he said. “I am troubled by the hardships faced by families with school-age children and for young adults trying to build their careers and their families.”

He said he is inspired by the stories he hears from his wife Margaret, who teaches at Edmonds’ Chase Lake School and sees “on a daily basis” the school’s increasing diversity and the challenges that families face.

“Her stories inspire me to assure that we have a city that serves as an example to the rest of the nation,” Tibbott said. “A city that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion and provides opportunities for each of us to be safe, healthy and build prosperity.”

For more information, visit www.ReElectTibbott.org.