About 30 people gathered at Edmonds Civic Playfield Friday evening, Aug. 25,  to learn more about Mackey Guenther’s campaign for Edmonds City Council Position 4.

The 22-year-old Guenther is running against Dr. Michelle Dotsch for the Position 4 seat. The position is currently occupied by Diane Buckshnis, who didn’t seek reelection so she could run for mayor. Among Guenther’s grassroots supporters Friday were his friends, family, neighbors and former teachers.

“I see a lot of different pieces of my Edmonds in front of me,” Guenther said. “I see my teachers. I see people that have paid me to do landscaping. Back there, I see classmates. I see people that I’ve been lucky to know in a whole rainbow of different capacities. It’s really special for me to be in front of you right now.”

Guenther said that he moved to Edmonds when he was 4, graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School and went to the University of Southern California to study urban planning. However, his experiences in Los Angeles, compelled him to bring what he learned back home, so he transferred to Seattle Central College.

Guenther said he is running for city council because he wants to build a safer, more affordable, and more vibrant Edmonds. He said to do that, the city needs to focus on housing, transportation and public safety.

“I want to serve my city in the same way that I got to see so many people serve it. Growing up, I think that Edmonds is really beautiful and notable in the way that people give themselves and then receive in return,” Guenther said. “It’s this very reciprocal, virtuous cycle. I think it’s why many of us choose to live here. I think it’s why many of the young people that I see here want to keep living here, even as they begin to start lives of their own.”

Guenther explained that a home may be the most important thing one can have, and that Edmonds needed more options in the types of housing offered.

“The bottom line is that we need to build more homes here, and we need to build homes that are accessible at every income level, and that just starts with building more homes,” he said. “It needs to be easy to build homes that match the character of our community. On council, I hope to be a voice for people to have the homes that they want to live in.”

Guenther continued, “With how our city grows, we need to be mindful of maintaining the amazing connection that we have with the natural systems around us. People need habitat. Part of that is homes, and part of that is being connected to the natural systems around them.”

Transportation is equally important, and more options should be available, he added.

“Whether you’re driving, whether you’re taking the bus, whether you’re riding your bike, whether you’re walking, Edmonds should have infrastructure that supports each of those modalities and supports them for people of all abilities,” he said. “Edmonds has a challenge when it comes to the physical accessibility of a lot of our infrastructure, particularly for pedestrians.”

Guenther said that infrastructure was something that the city needed to build and have the will to invest in to set a regional example. He pointed out that currently, Edmonds has a transportation challenge because local transit buses only run once an hour. He suggested importing good ideas from other communities similar to Edmonds.

Regarding safety, Guenther said that it doesn’t only mean physical but also economic and environmental safety.

“We are kind of on a path as a world, not just as a city, but we’re on a path that puts a lot more people at risk from extreme weather events every year,” Guenther said. “Edmonds cannot solve these problems on its own. But if it can’t make the changes that we need to see in our own city, how can we expect anyone else to make them? And that starts with decarbonizing our economy, decarbonizing our mobility and the ways we get around.”

Guenther also stressed the importance of providing economic stability and peace of mind for residents willing to build a life for themselves.

“I know people who have been forced out of Edmonds who are on that brink because of how much housing costs, in particular, have risen over the last 10 years,” he said.

“That’s part of being a city; if you do things well, people want to be here, and it shouldn’t be something that prevents you from remaining here as things get more exciting. There was a ‘Deadmonds,’ I think that’s done.” Guenther said, referring to the city’s longtime nickname. “But it puts pressure on people when it costs more every year to stay in the same place.”

Guenther also noted that “a lot of the public safety issues that arise in our community are the result of economic instability and people pursuing means and being in places mentally and physically that are a result of, to be honest, life being harder than it should be.

“This is a city, so much of it that it’s being shaped by the people that live near you, that work here,” he continued. “Maybe they don’t live here, but they want to. You see the brushstrokes, I guess, is what I’m trying to say.”

A young girl came up to Guenther with an infrastructure question that was important to her. She wanted a bike lane, so her dad could ride his bike with her in a trailer to the beach.

“I’m going to say yes, I think we should do that,” Guenther replied.

Learn more about Mackey Guenther at his campaign website here

— Story and photos by Rick Sinnett