Elections to guarantee at least 2 new faces on City Council
June 10, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
After a flurry of announcements over the past few weeks, the deadline has passed and this year’s elections have taken shape. While the City Council race promises to be competitive, some of Sammamish’s elected officials will cruise without opponents in November.
Eight candidates filed for spots on Sammamish City Council, with two incumbents and six new faces. In at least two cases, the city is guaranteed to have new people on the City Council.
Real estate agent John James will go up against Planning Commissioner Erica Tiliacos for City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay’s seat. Huckabay, one of the original seven City Council members from 1999, announced in late May that she would not seek re-election.
Planning Commission Chair Tom Vance will face former TV show host John Curley. They are running for current City Councilman Lee Fellinge’s seat. Fellinge announced in March that he had decided not to seek re-election.
Michael Rutt will challenge current Mayor Don Gerend. When Rutt announced his candidacy, he had not decided which seat he would seek, but he told the Sammamish Review that he hoped to take on someone who had been on the council since 1999. Gerend, like Huckabay, was one of the original City Council members.
Tom Odell, like Rutt, said he wanted to challenge an incumbent finishing up his or her 10th year on the council. Odell will run against Deputy Mayor Jack Barry, another of the original seven City Council members.
Sammamish’s two school boards will also see some competitive races.
Doug Eglington, a Sammamish resident and 20-year member of the Lake Washington School District, will face off against Julie Wright. Eglington is a senior policy analyst for the King County Executive’s office. Wright is a co-founder of Where’s the Math, a grassroots effort to improve math education across the state. The seat held by Eglington encompasses the northern half of Sammamish, including Eastlake High School and all other Lake Washington School District schools in the city.
Nancy Bernard, a 12-year member of the Lake Washington school board, is also seeking re-election, but she is running uncontested. Her seat represents areas served by Redmond and Lake Washington high schools, as well as their respective junior high and elementary schools.
Three candidates are running for two open Issaquah School Board positions, according to county filings.
Marnie Maraldo, president of the Newcastle Elementary School PTSA, and Wright A. Noel, an attorney at Issaquah law firm Carson & Noel, are vying for Connie Fletcher’s seat, representing schools in the Liberty High School attendance area. Fletcher, who has served the board since 1993, opted not to run for re-election.
Incumbent Chad Magendanz will run unopposed in his school board race. Magendanz was appointed to the position last October. He represents the areas in the southeast corner of the Issaquah School District, including the Issaquah Highlands, Preston, Mirrormont and Tiger Mountain.
The local water and sewer districts also have races in the upcoming election. Incumbent Mary Shustov will run to keep her position on the Sammamish Water and Sewer District. She has no challengers.
The other seat, originally held by longtime Commissioner Steve Stevlingson, has two candidates. Robert Abbott and Stan Stone both applied for Stevlingson’s vacated position on the water and sewer district commission in February and both were finalists of the interview process. But the current commission was unable to select which of the two men it preferred in a timely manner, forcing the decision on King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert. Lambert will apoint a caretaker to hold the seat until the election.
Paul Sentena, who is a current member of the Northeast Sammamish Water and Sewer District, will seek re-election. He has no challengers.
At the county level, the hotly contested race is for King County Executive, where eight candidates filed: King County Councilman Larry Phillips, State Representative Fred Jarrett, Stan Lippmann, Alan Lobdell, former TV news anchor Susan Hutchison, King County Councilman Dow Constantine, State Representative Ross Hunter and Goodspaceguy.
Lippman has made unsuccessful bids for Seattle City Council in 1999 and 2007. Lobdell, a former interim public works director and current project manager for the city of Snoqualmie, ran and lost in the King County Executive primary in 2001. Nelson has run and lost for positions on the King County Council.
The position opened up when current King County Executive Ron Sims resigned in May to become Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for the Obama administration.
Current King County Sheriff Sue Rahr will run unchallenged for her position.
While five of the nine seats on the King County Council have races this fall, Sammamish residents can only vote for the seat held by Kathy Lambert, who is unopposed.
Candidates have the opportunity to withdraw their names until June 11.
A primary election will take place Aug. 18. The top two in each race will go on to the General Election Nov. 3.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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