Edmonds Planning Board vice chair and community volunteer Alicia Crank will officially launch her campaign for Edmonds City Council Position 1 during an online event Monday, Feb. 8.
In announcing the event, Crank said she brings more than 20 years experience as a business and nonprofit leader, most currently as chief development officer for AtWork!.
Crank stressed that cross-community support is the foundation of her campaign, with a focus on fostering consensus across various groups across Edmonds.
“I am not seeking endorsements from any of the current Edmonds City Councilmembers,” she said. I believe in integrity, transparency, and conversations. We’ve seen too much ‘Us vs Them’ during council meetings, inadvertently or otherwise. I’m not running to choose a side. I am running to represent the community as a whole. We can have solid and thoughtful discussions which lead to transparent and honest decisions.
“I want to bring people along in the decision-making process and to foster dialogues with integrity and respect,” she continued. “It’s possible because I’ve seen it happen here over the past year.”
In declaring for position 1, Crank could potentially run against incumbent Councilmember Kristiana Johnson, a retired transportation planner who has been on the council since 2012. Johnson has not yet said whether she is running for re-election.
In addition to Position 1, two other council seats — Positions 2 and 3 — are up for election this year. 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.
Two others who have already launched their council campaigns — but have not yet declared which position they are running for — are former City Councilmember Neil Tibbott and community volunteer and local business owner Will Chen.
Crank said that both COVID-19 pandemic and “a summer of protests” last year resulted in neighbors coming together “through transparency, civil discourse and exchanges of information,” something she facilitated through posts and videos on her Alicia In Edmonds public Facebook page.
“So many of us rallied together to support one another and used social media to connect in new, meaningful ways,” she said. “We connected businesses and residents to resources, then created civil community conversations around really difficult issues in our city. It was a phenomenally positive response and helped break down some of the barriers of misunderstanding. We need more of this. More seeking of common ground. We’re not that different.”
Since moving to Edmonds in 2014, Crank has served on several boards and commissions including the Edmonds Sister City Commission, Edmonds Noon Rotary, Edmonds Senior Center and the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. She is currently vice chair of the Edmonds Planning Board, chair of the Snohomish County Airport Commission, a member of the Snohomish County Tomorrow Steering Committee and the Highway 99 Task Force and a new board member of the Hazel Miller Foundation.
Crank said she was first inspired to run for office after meeting now-U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow graduate of the Emerge bootcamp — a program that trains women to run for political office. In 2016, Harris became California’s first African American senator, and this year was elected as the nation’s first female vice president. She also noted how critical it is to have legislators who look like the people they represent.
“Out of this pandemic we have learned what it means to be neighbors again,” she said. “Let’s carry that forward together.”
You can learn more on the Alicia Crank for City Council Facebook page.
In running for Position 1, instead of Position 2 or 3 (Luke Distelhorst and Adrienne Fraley-Monillas) , Alicia has implicitly endorsed their recent decisions. I guess it comes down to whom the 32nd District Democrats endorse in this “nonpartisan” contest.
Hi Allen. Would you elaborate on which decisions you are speaking of? If you’re talking about the police chief decisions, I have very publicly spoken in opposition of Luke and Adrienne’s “yes” vote (and that I would have voted ‘no’), both on actual video and on social media/Twitter. If you’re referring to something else, I’d be curious to know. Thanks.
Beyond policing, the council consistently has 4 to 3 decisions among the same siding members. It’s no coincidence that Susan Paine, Laura Johnson, Mike Nelson, Adrienne Fraley-Monillas and yourself have been endorsed at one time by the 32nd Democrats. It’s the way the machine works here. There are elected officials out there who say their independent thinkers but end up voting 99% for their party. I guess we’ll see. Good luck in your race.
According to the WA Secretary of State 2020 election results information, in the 16 voting precincts that made up the City of Edmonds, 5622 people voted for Jay Inslee, and 2648 voted for Loren Culp. It’s not a matter of a “machine” simply that the residents of Edmonds overwhelmingly (by a 2 to 1 margin) reject the politics of the Right. People tend to only have a problem with politicians voting the party line when it is the party they DON’T support.
https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20201103/snohomish/precincts-60170.html
FYI, This is why endorsements from any political party for city offices are lousy business.
RCW 29A.52.231
Nonpartisan offices specified.
The offices of superintendent of public instruction, justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, judge of the superior court, and judge of the district court shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
All city, town, and special purpose district elective offices shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
[ 2004 c 271 § 174.]
I think running against a council member who has publicly demonstrated her indifference to the problems faced by minority-owned businesses in our community is an excellent idea.
Alicia’s letter to the editor last week making accusations without proof, just innuendo and hearsay and crazy social media posts. Very definitely gave me a look at what kind of agenda she has. No thank you.
I believe all Council Members have supported two rounds of grants totaling over $1 million to support small companies in Edmonds and these grants give particular consideration (extra points in the selection criteria) to businesses owned by people of color, women, veterans and other minorities.
Rade, you have thrown out a statement with no truth nor proof. Kristiana Johnson has been a great council person. We have had about enough of accusations without proof here lately in Edmonds. You need to backup your empty rhetoric when you make a thinly veiled attempt to call someone a racist.
https://www.edmondsbeacon.com/story/2020/06/22/news/2-councilmembers-say-councilmember-kristiana-johnson-made-racist-comment/23384.html
To my knowledge Mrs. Johnson has not denied asking why money should be given to “Asian-owned” businesses. If she is incapable of understanding why a minority owned business might be struggling under different circumstances than a white-owned business, I would say it is time for someone on the city council that is a little more progressive in their thinking.
Edmonds isn’t just an enclave for upper-middle class white retirees anymore.
“Edmonds isn’t just an enclave for upper-middle class white retirees anymore.”
You wouldn’t know it by looking at the racial composition of the City Council and Mayor. Luke took a city council appointment from Chen, Alicia, and Nand (all minorities). Why would he take station over people of color who actually ran a campaign, then poison the well with Chief Lawless under the auspice of affirmative action and lived experience? The whole episode set Edmonds Race relations back by years. Are Mayor Nelson and Councilman Distelhorst sexist and racist too, considering the bar is so low?
It’s painfully obvious in the link that you’re sharing Mike and Luke are both ganging up on Councilwoman Johnson, attacking her practical disposition, age and gender.
Alicia has claimed to have been a member of the Board of the Rotary Club of Edmonds. I have been a member for 19 years. To the best of my recollection she was never installed as a member of the board or paid dues nor attended meetings consistantlyfor one year. Yet she claims this. I wonder what the title of her supposed board position was?
Makes me wonder what other claims she makes that are questionable or unverifiable.
In all the honesty and openness she speaks of perhaps she should address this.
Alicia sort of blamed the Immigrant-Owned nail salon here in town for calling the cops after some people got rowdy. They even received threats of gun violence against them and had to shut down for a while. I like Alicia, I’ve voted for her, but she definitely needs to adjust in a way to that would represent everyone. It’s also very clear that our mayor used her and her color to ratify his failed police chief appointment. Alicia hasn’t called them to the carpet on that. It’s like an adversarial diode, where she is quick to publicly criticize one demographic in one direction, patently based on partisanship.
I’m adding to my comment. I’ve very inclined to vote for Alicia. She is kind, she listens, and is probably the best communicator in the town. She’s big tent in regards to accessibility , but a small tent in terms of ideology. I’d like to see her put the white liberals who dote on [yet placate] her in their place . Somehow I feel like she feels like she’s able to use that to her advantage. Love or hate Edmonds, Alicia is the Councilwoman this town pretends they want, so I’d say deserve. I love Johnson, wish Alicia was running for Luke’s seat, but I endorse Alicia Crank. Where’s my popcorn?
Matt,
You referred to “white liberals” and I’m wondering how they differ from “non-white liberals?”
Dorian, Lol. Non-White Liberals don’t tend to need tokens.
Ok, Matt, so tell me if I understand correctly. Say a black woman is voted into a position on the city council. Are you saying she has yet another degrading and dehumanizing objectification to endure in terms of being labeled a “token?”
Why can’t a woman be judged solely upon her qualifications, intellect and life experiences? Anything about her body, including the color of her skin, should be off limits.
Unless we know for sure, how can we assume that the mayor chose Luke and rejected Lawless because they are white? Where is the evidence of that? How insulting to Luke that people who don’t agree with him are claiming he was only chosen for his skin color. Isn’t all this the very definition of racism? Why can’t we have discussions about issues without objectifying people?
Dorian, I am specifically saying that white liberals in this area inadvertently tokenize women of color while maligning those who strive to be color-agnostic as racist. And yes, I allege that if Chief Lawless were black, or if Chief Pruitt were white, Chief Lawless would have been appointed in either scenario. ***I even trust Alicia, in that she’s all but said she would have appointed Lawless all things known.*** If only Luke didn’t take Alicia’s appointment she would have had that opportunity. Equity against thee but not against me. Mayor Nelson is the first Black Mayor of Edmonds (in the same way Bill Clinton was the first black president). Luke is the first black Councilperson, regardless if Alicia wins. This is the fantasy, not fully articulated by anybody until now.
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/clinton-honored-first-black-president-black-caucus-dinner
When I read what Kristiana said, I take it as she wanted to leave race completely out of the equation when determining Cares Act funding. If I am correct, what is wrong with that? Businesses that are struggling should get 1st priority no matter who owns them. Too many people think that just because someone does not want to use race to come up with an outcome is a racist when in fact they are judging people not by the color of their skin but by their needs.
I’m disgusted that Mayor Nelson and Luke Distelhort (who are both white) used this to shame her and in turn tried to make themselves look like the saviors to POC. It’s rhetoric like this that takes away from the real racism. It’s privileged white dudes telling the POC community…”look at me, see how much I care for you” It’s just like what they did to Mr. Pruitt. They use people for their own edification.
I’m interested to learn what Alicia thinks of this situation. Maybe I am completely wrong, but I do not see Kristiana’s comments as racist.
Nelson said. “In reference to criteria that would help local disadvantaged businesses receive City grants to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, the Councilmember stated, ‘Is it fair to support an Asian-owned business instead of a white-owned business with the same number of employees? I don’t think so. We don’t have an affirmative action program.’ ”
Nelson continued with Johnson’s comments in the email: “I think a sliding scale for sales tax and a sliding scale for employees is fairer. Try running your hypothetical spreadsheet with sales tax and without credits for location and racial biases to see what happens.”
Rod,
What is a “privileged white dude?”
So if the mayor was black would he be a “privileged black dude?” Or is that term only reserved for people in leadership who are white? Do you believe the mayor was only voted in office because he is white? I’m confused…..
I have problems determining where Ms. Crank stands on local issues. I would like her to issue clear positions on what she wants to accomplish for Edmonds citizens. I am tired of the “ virtue signaling” by our current Mayor. Clearly extreme left wing agenda by the Mayor. Does she repudiate that agenda? What does she stand for? If it is merely, Iwant to get elected, if so, that is not enough.
I am confident Alicia will be a great addition to the Council.
The big assumption here is that Kristiana is going to run again. I don’t recall her announcement. Alicia could be running against Mr. Chen or Mr. Tibbot or whomever may announce intent for that position. The other big assumption is that Alicia is running as a Democratic Party partisan. She will need to address that issue in the campaign I suspect, regardless of how things are supposed to be in city elections.
Thanks Clint. Great points. I remember looking at Luke’s endorsements and feeling like only George Soros was missing. He’s a super nice guy but I had no clue he was that partisan. Without saying who, some of the other candidates in the past confided in me that they were completely surprised how nationally-focused Edmonds politics is.
We are too focused on all politics;(national, racial, environmental, economic); and not focused enough on things just Edmonds City government operations related.
Good city code, fair and sensible permitting and zoning, actually doing city related studies and plans effectively and on time (ask Ken Reid and Darrol Haug about those issues) are the things I want to hear about from Alicia and all other candidates for the 3 positions. If I don’t start seeing more adults in the room soon, I just won’t vote anymore and start screaming even louder about total reform of this mess. You can’t fix stupid and unresponsive. All you can do is move on from that paradigm.
I un-registered to vote, to your point.
I meant Ken Reidy above. Apologies. I know I sound quite negative in all this but some of it seems so obviously easy to fix with a little common sense and more focus on what we really need as a city. National search for a police chief, a tree commission with more unwanted red tape for home owners, and a human services department in a city with a part-time City Council and basically one man rule administratively. Is this really the city government we want? What do you think, Alicia? What do you think other Council candidates? A discussion about getting back to a basic good city government and how to get there needs to be had; sooner than later I think.
I did the same after we chatted about Luke on an earlier post. I was shocked at some of the purely partisan connections. He might as well have a blinking sign on his shirt that screams “I Am Non Partisan For Council But Extremely Partisan And Seek Support of SUPER PROGRESSIVES EVERYWHERE” – again, aligning with a party is his business, and we agree and disagree on some items, but this is not National politics, it is local, and last time I checked sidewalks and sewer systems were not red or blue…
A few questions:
What has she actually accomplished in these positions which would warrant my consideration?
“Summer of protests”???
What is her actual stance on the black domestic terrorist marxists, and white facists clad in all black destroying our cities?
https://nypost.com/2020/07/11/the-fallacy-of-white-privilege-and-how-its-corroding-society/
Dorian,
Thanks for posting this article. I encourage everyone to read it. A well written piece by someone who happens to be 19 years old. Wow!
Sharalyn Ramm,
You can look here: https://www.edmondsrotary.com/newsletter/view/5/download
Or you can also ask any of the other Board members listed to verify.
Sharalyn,
Contrary to what you posted, I can verify that Alicia was very much part of Edmonds Rotary and was on the board when I joined Rotary in 2015. She chaired the PR Committee and that’s how she and I actually first met here in Edmonds. Publicly accusing her of lying does not meet the Rotary Four-Way test.
Alicia deserves a public apology for this slander.
Ok, how could I have missed that? My sincerest apologies. We must not have crossed paths often. Kinda like some others. Is she still a member? I guess I only looked at the Roster. How careless of me. Again, my apologies.
Dorian:
I was being sarcastic so I do apologize. My point is that I am tried of people using the color of someone’s skin to make their political point. Especially white people calling other white people racist. Now I’m using skin color…LOL, but I am trying to make a point here.
If a POC felt they were wronged by Kristiana’s or anyone else’s comments then they should say something and would and should have every right to do so. It is not the place of the Mayor, Luke or anyone else to speak for other people, especially POC. Do they think they are POC spokespersons? They do this so they look good. They do it out of selfishness and it’s about time someone called them out on it.
They are taking what Kristiana said and using it against her and using the term racism to make her look bad. What she said was not meant to be racist. She was saying we should not use the color of someone’s skin to determine Cares Act funding. That it should be based on need. Did the Mayor or Luke reach out to Kristiana to see what she meant before publicly calling her out.
We should all be tired of people trying to twist other’s words. It does nothing to solve any of this and only divides us further. We need to stop focusing on the color of people’s skin and focus on the content of their character and who they are as a person. God created us all equal!!! We don’t need the Mayor or Luke acting as the racism police for us. They have already done enough harm to people like Mr. Pruitt and Mr. Lawless and their families.
To lighten this heavy comment board, there is a typo at the beginning of the 9th paragraph. Alicia’s last name is spelled “Crank” not “Crnak”.
Thank you — proofreading is always appreciated!
Given that I’m fairly new to this site, I can only comment on what I’ve seen in the past few months. What I’m noticing is that when a council member, Diane, comments on here, it appears that she doesn’t engage in conversation, unless, someone is stroking her ego. To me, it feels like she has set herself above the lowly citizens and is gracing us with her occasional comments? Now, we have Alicia who wants to be voted into office and she is reading the comments and responding. Is that because she wants something from us, or does she really want to engage in “conversation and be transparent,” as she claims? Are we being manipulated?
In another city, I was very active in terms of advocating for the most vulnerable of the community and I noticed that when someone was running for council, they were knocking on my door and wanting to engage. As soon as they got what they wanted from voters, they stopped “engaging.” They didn’t even bother to respond to emails, let alone go on local community websites and answer questions from the people who gave them what they wanted. They stopped wanting to represent voters, and it became about their own agenda.
I’m getting sick and tired of candidates manipulating voters with empty promises of “transparency,” and then setting themselves above the very people who gave them their votes. Is Alicia someone who will continue reading these comments and responding to them? Will she actually engage in conversations with the people who voted for her so she can accurately represent them? How does she resolve conflict?
Arrogance divides and humility unifies. Is Alicia arrogant or humble?
Where do we find council members who refuse to hide in their ivory towers?
Personally, I believe the single biggest issue our community and City Council will be addressing is the character our city. Do we want a dense urban environment, or retain our neighborhood suburban character? Single-family zoning is coming under attack. The candidates that support retaining our current single-family zoning policy of one housing unit per lot will get my vote.
Alicia has a lot of dedication to this community, and has driven some very beneficial and eye opening discussions throughout our city. I would love to hear more about her positions, and especially her ideas on helping to support small businesses recover from the pandemic, and ideas to support the growth of new businesses as well.
I have been extremely impressed with the work of Vivian Olsen, and it was definitely a hard decision to choose between her and Alicia. We now have an opportunity to hear the vision and campaign from Alicia and her opponent (likely Kristina Johnson), and I have high hopes for it. I think there are going to be very fruitful debates this election.
This is also a chance for Edmonds to redeem ourselves. The way that Alicia Crank was treated by some members of our community during the last election was frankly shameful.
https://myedmondsnews.com/2019/11/not-as-progressive-as-we-think-we-are-crank-reflects-on-race-and-politics-in-edmonds/
“The way that Alicia Crank was treated by some members of our community during the last election was frankly shameful.”
It was a fair election. The shameful part was the City Council giving the open seat to Luke instead of her
I look forward to supporting Alicia Crank’s run for Edmonds City Council and appreciate her transparent commitment to running a positive campaign.
I am disappointed in the progressive voters guide you attacked your appointment right out of the gate. Insinuating Kristiana has been racist because of a sentence the Mayor chose to publicize taking out of context what Kristiana said or meant. Choose Kindness and integrity and check your sources for your self.
Mrs. Cooper. I’d also advise that you check your sources. I did not speak with anyone at Fuse WA at all. My understanding is that they do their own research and compile information. I haven’t put out anything negative about any of my opponents, and can’t be made responsible for what other publications/individuals say (about me or others). You are always welcome to ask me directly about these things, as you have messaged me several times in the past.