Oct. 16: Candidate Conversations with Edmonds City Council, Port hopefuls

Enjoy a lively evening of “Candidate Conversations” with Edmonds City Council and Edmonds Port Commission hopefuls on Thursday, Oct. 16 at the Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Ave., Edmonds.

This event is co-sponsored by My Edmonds News and the Waterfront Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the event will start at 6:30 p.m.

Participants include candidates for the two Edmonds City Council contested races: Position 1 featuring incumbent Chris Eck and challenger Glenda Krull and Position 3 featuring Erika Barnett and Alex Newman running for an open seat. Position 2 incumbent Will Chen will also participate. Chen’s opponent has indicated she is no longer campaigning for the position. However, her name will still appear on the ballot as the deadline for withdrawing from the race has passed.

Edmonds Port Commission District 1 incumbent Janelle Cass is also participating. Her challenger, Chelsea Rudd, is unable to attend but a statement will be read on her behalf. Port of Edmonds District 3 Commissioner Jay Grant and at-large Commissioner Ross Dimmick are also running unopposed but have been invited to read a statement.

Format for Candidate Conversations

The evening includes a series of conversations between candidates for each Edmonds City Council and Edmonds Port Commission contested races appearing on the November 2025 general election ballot — three conversations total throughout the evening.

The two city council candidates running against each other for each race will appear on stage with the moderator, who will pose a series of questions that are appropriate to that particular race. The goal is to have the candidates engage in a discussion with each other. An estimated five minutes will be allocated for each topic. The Port District race will include a conversation between the moderator and the incumbent.

After each conversation, we will open the floor to audience questions, which will be chosen at random. Volunteers will invite attendees who want to ask a question to place a ticket in a box as they arrive. When we get to the question session, the moderator will draw a ticket and ask the person holding that ticket number to come to a microphone.

Rules for those selected to ask a question:

– The question itself must be asked in 15 seconds, and it can be directed to one or both candidates. It will be timed.

– Candidates’ answers are limited to one minute each. The answers will be timed.

– Do not ask questions that have already been addressed during the conversations.

– The moderator reserves the right to interrupt anyone asking a question that is deemed inappropriate.

All candidates — including those running unopposed or those unable to attend — are invited to bring campaign materials for tables at the back of the room, so they can talk with voters before and after the event.

Subtitles and closed captioning will be provided for attendees who are deaf and hard of hearing. The EWC also offers Assistive Listening devices available to check out or connect with your smart phone.

Tickets are $7.50 each and can be purchased online through the Edmonds Waterfront Center EventBrite here.

Reserve your seat online. Walk-ins are welcome the night of the event based on available seating. Online ticket sales end at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16.