An estimated 60 people gathered on Wednesday afternoon at Brigid’s Bottleshop to support Edmonds City Councilmember Chris Eck as she kicked off her campaign for re-election.

“Getting to know Chris over the years has been a pleasure,” said Maria Montalvo as she called the event to order.  “She’s quite an amazing woman, a lot of integrity and just somebody I think we’re lucky to have in Edmonds. She’s a solid citizen and we’re lucky to have her on our council. Being on council is a hard job; it’s a job someone takes not for glory but because they truly care about our community.

“We may think about things at the national level a lot, but it’s really the local level that impacts us every single day,” Montalvo concluded.  “We need people with Chris’s leadership, kindness, goodness and commitment to lead us.”

Eck’s colleague on city council, Susan Paine, spoke next.

“I’ve been so pleased to be working with Chris during her first term on council,” Paine began.  “When Chris first joined council she needed no transition period – she came in and hit the ground running.”

Next up was Edmonds environmentalist Marjie Fields who described Eck as someone who draws people to her with her warmth and kindness. She particularly noted Eck’s commitment to citizen input and advocacy for environmental protection, which earned her endorsements from organizations including the Sierra Club.

“Chris has the background and experience that our city needs,” Fields said. “It enables her to guide population and revenue growth while protecting the family character of Edmonds and preserving our parks, open spaces and tree canopy that are so important to our health and well-being.”

Eck then took the podium, beginning with reflecting on how her decision to run for council was driven by her desire to serve her community and make a genuine contribution. She stressed the challenges of balancing growth and environmental protection, and the importance of hearing from all community members. Her plans for the coming year focus on addressing the city’s budget crisis, rebuilding human services staff and maintaining community support.

“Where I come from is service,” said Eck, who works as vice president of programs for Volunteers of America Western Washington.  “On council, I’m always thinking about what people across our city think about the issues and decisions we grapple with, especially those voices that are not getting amplified. I think about how we will achieve that delicate balance of managing growth in our community – not just that it’s a requirement by the state but because it’s the right thing — and at the same time ensuring that we protect our environment.

“I think it’s a false choice to say that you can’t do both [growth and the environment], and I am working really hard and will continue to push and fight to find that balance,” she continued. “This work is very important to me from a values standpoint – I’m very values-based – and I will fight against those who push back against growth and environmental protection or deny that we have a lot more work to do on the Climate Action Plan.”

She went on to identify the budget crisis as among her biggest priorities in the coming year.

“We absolutely must find ways to raise revenue, and it’s not going to just be strictly through taxes,” she said, noting that the city council is considering a list of creative choices for increasing revenue.

She also pledged to work to restore certain budget cuts made to critical areas of the city.

“I want to build back some of the human services staff that we’ve had to cut,” she said. “I want to bring back some of the police that we’ve had to lay off, and some of the planning work that we really need. I want to have money to make sure that, once again, we can hire people for our parks to keep them maintained at the level we all want. I can’t make false promises that those things can be done by just me or be done overnight, but this work is behind right now and we need to get started on it.

“I’m going to keep fighting for these values,” she said. “But even in my most intense moments, I treat everyone with respect, no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love and what you choose to do with your time. And I’m going to continue to bring that to council. That’s who I am and how I’m going to show up.”

The event concluded with remarks and a call for campaign donations from Nikki Glaros.

“I really appreciate Chris’s, multi-faceted talents,” she said.  “She has an amazing business mind, and a wonderful background, but she’s also empathetic and an amazing listener. She listens to everybody, she’s respectful of everybody, and really represents all of Edmonds.”

Learn more at www.electchriseck.com or follow her campaign on Facebook at @ChrisEckforCityCouncil.