An estimated 75 people — including a current and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives — gathered Saturday evening at Edmonds’ Café Louvre to support first-term Edmonds City Councilmember Will Chen in his reelection bid.

Carrie Huang, a 17-year-old student, brought the event to order, welcoming attendees and sharing her personal story about coming to know Will and his family, and highlighting the advice that Will’s wife Lisa Chen gave her on how to thrive as a high school student.

“Today, I’m going to talk and share a story about someone who has helped Edmonds feel like home to me, and someone who reminds me of the kind of community that I want to live in,” she began. “When I think about leadership, I don’t just think about someone who passes laws, someone who makes important speeches. I think about someone who is there, who listens and who cares for their community, for their neighbors, and for kids like me, who are still learning how to give back to the local community. I think we need leaders who don’t just talk about helping the Edmonds community, but who show up every day, who are present, who live in our community every single day. Will has that ability to represent different voices and perspectives and make everybody feel heard and respected.”

Huang was followed by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, who spoke of first meeting Will Chen at a 2021 anti-hate rally during Chen’s first campaign for city council.

“During that time there was a lot of anti-Chinese and anti-Asian American hate, and I really appreciated Will inviting me to speak and be part of that event,” he explained.

Larsen went on to describe the continuing efforts by him and his colleagues in the other Washington to push back against several initiatives of the Trump administration by pushing forward on a positive agenda for people.

“I just want to underscore that the future of Edmonds is in good hands if you reelect Will Chen to the city council,” he continued. “He’s great to work with. He knows the community, he knows the people in the community, and, importantly, knows how to push the rock up the hill to get things done. It’s great to work with him.”

Larsen was followed by former Edmonds City Councilmember Dave Teitzel, who described getting to know Chen when they served together on council.

“Will has a particularly strong background in finance, and as you know, we have some more-than-minor challenges with our budget here in Edmonds. We need people like Will to help us navigate through that, work us out of it, and get on the other side in a healthy way,” Teitzel said. “Several years back, we had healthy reserves, and things looked pretty good. But then COVID hit, tax revenue took a dive, inflation soared, and it put us in a really bad place. Right now we really need people like Will to work us out of that. He’s a great man, principled and it was an honor to serve with him on council. We need Will back on council this time to help us navigate these uncharted waters.”

Teitzel was followed by current City Council President Niel Tibbott, who underscored Teitzel’s remarks about the value Chen’s financial expertise brings to navigating Edmonds’ current financial crisis.

“There was a time when Will and I were working on some of our financial packages and he could just drill into those numbers like nobody I’ve ever worked with,” Tibbott said. “He has a master’s degree in business administration from Western Washington University, two degrees from the University of Iowa, both a master’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and he is a member of the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Will is the founder and owner of his own CPA firm here in Edmonds. So I ask you, what city government wouldn’t like to have a certified public accountant on their council, especially at a time like this?

“One of the things that I will say about Will is he is very fair minded,” Tibbott continued. “He’s the kind of person who will dig into the details, and work to come up with an answer that all can be comfortable with. That’s the kind of fair-minded person we want on the city council.”

Chen then took the podium, beginning with expressing his gratitude for the support he’s received. He shared his personal journey of immigrating to the U.S. when he was 24 years old and barely able to speak English, working 12 hours a day while going to college and overcoming challenges. He also emphasized the importance of family, particularly acknowledging his mother’s sacrifices and the role she played in his success.

He went on to outline his priorities as a councilmember.

“Number one is public safety,” he said. In Edmonds, the paramount public safety issue is “deciding what we’re going to do with our fire services. Our fire and EMS is so important that we cannot make a mistake in this.

“My second priority is to help our city get out of its current financial difficulties, and achieve long-range financial stability going forward,” he said. “Long-range stability will ensure that our children and our grandchildren can enjoy the life that we enjoy.

“My number three priority is housing,” Chen continued. He stressed the importance of people having a roof over their head as a prerequisite to addressing other issues such as getting an education, learning skills, finding jobs and becoming a contributing member of society.

“But housing is the most important, so I will work with our regional and city leaders and our current council on policies that make housing available for everybody,” he added, acknowledging the role of STEP (shelter, transitional, emergency, permanent) housing in this effort.

Chen concluded his remarks by thanking all who support his candidacy, saying that he is “just humbled, overwhelmed by your support and the opportunity to be a member of this beloved community.”

He then opened the event to questions and answers.

Asked to give more details regarding his personal take on the regional fire authority decision before voters in an April 22 special election, Chen explained the potential benefits and costs of joining the South County Fire RFA. Chen stated that he cannot persuade people to vote one way or the other, but he provided an analysis of the situation to help inform the decision. He stressed that no matter which way the vote goes, fire and emergency services will cost approximately $7.5 million more in 2026 than under the expiring contract.

“As of now we are paying $12.5 million for these services — but in 2026 that price tag is going to jump to $19 million whether we become an RFA member or continue to contract with them [South County Fire],” he said. “So the way I look at it, if we vote to become a member the price tag is the same, $19 million. But if we become a member, we will have the right to participate in commissioner elections…which has very important implications in terms of how we impact the South County Fire decisions. Currently we’re just a contractor. They make all the decisions, and current commissioners decide which way to go. If we become a member, we’ll have a vote and also have access to about $20 million in the [SCF] reserve.

He added that as a member, Edmonds would have a say in the potential purchase of the Value Village property on Highway 99 as a future fire station, which could bring major benefits to Edmonds.

If Edmonds rejects RFA annexation, the city “will still have to have fire services,” Chen said, and the city would continue to contract with South County Fire. “So we’ll pay the $19 million…[but] …where…[will we]…get that money?” he asked. To pay for the cost of that contract, the city may have to close parks, lay off more people or — in the worst case — declare bankruptcy, Chen said.

“Those are very tough, difficult choices,” he said. “But go back to the question, whether we want to join or we don’t want to join the RFA, I have made it clear that the price stays the same to us [whether we’re directly taxed by the RFA or pay the city to write a check to the RFA for a contract]. Whether we join RFA or continue to contract, the price stays the same. That’s my position.”

Other questions included the impact of the light rail on Edmonds, and the city’s current financial challenges.

In closing, former U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, who lives in Edmonds, made an appeal for donations to fund Chen’s reelection campaign.

“One of the ways we show our friendship is by supporting his election, and Will is too humble and too modest and too nice to ask for money. So I’m going to ask on his behalf,” Baird said. “You hear how thoughtful he is, you know how principled he is, you know how courageous he is to tell you the truth about things. So here’s my check, Will. And I’ll see you on the corners, doorbelling and honking and waving. So I ask everyone here and in our community to please join me and contribute to help this truly principled public servant get elected.”

You can learn more about Will Chen’s campaign at his website.