Letter to the editor: Shannon Sessions deserves another term on city council

Dear Editor, Shannon Sessions belongs on the Lynnwood City Council again. Her integrity, her leadership and her character qualities are exceptional. I served for a season on the Lynnwood City Council and understand the complexity of the job.  Shannon has the temperament, the emotional bandwidth and real life experience to handle the difficult decisions that…

Letter to the editor: Anna Alexander the right candidate for Superior Court judge

Editor: As a judge and former colleague, I strongly recommend Anna Alexander for Superior Court Judge. I believe Anna is the right candidate because of her integrity and her diverse experience. I first met Anna Alexander while we were both law students at the University of Washington School of Law, where, at age 19, Anna…

Letter to the editor: What Judge Okoloko brings to the Superior Court

Dear Editor:  After a 23-year career as a Snohomish County judge, having served over 18 years on our Superior Court, I retired from that service last year. While I have now left the court, I have a strong interest in maintaining and improving the quality of our judiciary. It is for this reason that I…

Letter to the editor: Rob Toyer best choice for county treasurer

Editor: For the past 85-plus years, the Sievers family served Snohomish County in a few roles, but none more public and distinguished than that of Snohomish County Treasurer. The recognition given to the family by the county in the naming of the Sievers Plaza is but a small step in recognizing the family’s dedicated and…

Letter to the editor: Why I’m supporting Okoloko for Superior Court Judge

Editor: In my 39 years as a judge, I had the pleasure of serving with many good judges. A year ago, the governor selected Edirin Okoloko from a large field of candidates to fill a vacancy on the Snohomish County Superior Court, and since he took office, Judge Okoloko has distinguished himself as one of…

Letter to the editor: Sessions best-qualified candidate for City Council Pos. 7

Dear Editor: I could not agree more with Mr. Richard Clark’s letter on Aug. 26, 2019. Mr. Clark’s assessment of Shannon Session’s talents, intellect, vision and knowledge of the past, present and future of Lynnwood is spot on. Shannon’s love for and understanding of the vibrant growth challenges Lynnwood is facing during the next four…

Letter to the editor: As a candidate, City Councilmember Sessions stands out

Editor: With the number of candidates running for council positions, there is one who has been there and stands out as the one who can get the job done. Shannon Sessions is seeking re-election for Council Position 7. As a retired Army veteran and resident of Lynnwood for 37 years, I appreciate what she has…

Letter to the editor: As a candidate, City Councilmember Sessions stands out

Editor: With the number of candidates running for council positions, there is one who has been there and stands out as the one who can get the job done. Shannon Sessions is seeking re-election for Council Position 7. As a retired Army veteran and resident of Lynnwood for 37 years, I appreciate what she has…

Letter to the editor: Thank you to Zero Waste volunteers at Taste Edmonds

Editor: We want to thank all the volunteers who came to Taste Edmonds to help staff the Zero Waste Stations. Students from Edmonds Community College, community members, graduates from the wonderful WSU Extension Sustainable Community Stewards program, plus all the appreciative patrons together managed to divert much material from going to the landfill. Food scraps,…

Commentary: Why I support moving 6th graders to middle school

Edmonds School District is considering moving 6th grade to middle school. I am in favor of this change. This would not happen for several years. Currently, we don’t have the facilities for it and it’s a huge change for all of us that requires proper planning. However, we must decide on it well in advance,…

Letter to the editor: Thanks to our Girls on the Run community

Editor: What has 1,400 feet and a smile that can light up the whole county? Answer: 700 girls and their running buddies crossing the finish line at Saturday’s Girls on the Run of Snohomish County’s Spring 5k at Everett Memorial Stadium in Everett! All our girls — from 51 teams throughout Snohomish County — came…

Commentary: The numbers behind the Edmonds School District layoff notifications

On Tuesday May 14, a vote was taken by the Edmonds School Board to approve a reduction in force and notify (as required by law and to honor our collective bargaining agreement) 25.2 certificated staff of the possibility their positions may be eliminated in the 19-20 school year. It was an excruciating decision because every…

A letter to the community From Lynnwood’s Public Works Director

Dear Friends: We have just come through one of the most challenging weather events that I’ve seen in my 28 years with the City of Lynnwood. We experienced 10 straight days of freezing temperatures and multiple snowfalls resulting in over a foot of accumulated snow. An event of this magnitude put considerable strain on our…

Letter to the editor: Make Lynnwood City Center more pedestrian-friendly

Dear Lynnwood City Council: PLEASE, if you expect more transit riders and pedestrians (as you have expressed recently) consider what Lynnwood is like for pedestrians. Lynnwood City Center is completely car-centric. Pedestrians are merely a nuisance to the majority of Lynnwood right now. I traverse Lynnwood on foot daily. You allowed City Center at Lynnwood…

Letter to the editor: The time has come for a new voice in Olympia

Editor: I am writing to ask you to vote for Jesse Salomon. In prior elections, I have endorsed very few candidates, because in our democracy each voter should make his or her own decision and cast their vote for the best candidate. In this election, I feel compelled to say it is unequivocally clear the…

Letter to the editor: What special interests are working against Sen. Chase?

Editor: The effort to defeat Senator Chase in this election has expended over $120,000. A substantial amount of that represents contributions by Monsanto, Chevron, pharmaceutical interests, charter schools, developers, and real estate agents. They use relentless attacks by The Seattle Times in their effort to to defeat Senator Chase. Why are they doing this? They…

Letter to the editor: In support of re-electing Sen. Maralyn Chase

Dear Editor: I am writing in support of Sen. Maralyn Chase’s campaign for re-election to the Washington State Senate.Sen. Chase is one of the most steadfast, clear-thinking people I know. She is an FDR democrat, who has dedicated herself to standing for workers rights, reproductive rights, fair taxes, racial justice, environmental justice, Universal Healthcare, fully…

Letter to the editor: Facts about clean air initiative 1631

Dear Editor: How to tell fake news from real news is one of the challenges of our times. It takes time and energy to maneuver through all the questions: Can I trust the source? Does it ring true? Am I just believing because it fits my world view? What fears is this playing on? Can…

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Commentary: Law protects tenants from housing discrimination

As a single mother, a veteran and a renter who uses a voucher to help pay my rent, I am no stranger to what it’s like to face discrimination in the rental market. Despite my squeaky-clean rental history and decent credit, I’ve been denied apartment after apartment, just because I pay a portion of my…

Letter to the editor: Why is PUD rushing to hire general manager?

Editor: Why is our PUD rushing to hire a new General Manager right before the election, with two PUD commission seats on the ballot? Results of the primary election indicate that the public is ready for a change in leadership, yet the current leadership seems to be pushing to keep control. Decisions by the PUD…

Commentary: With Paine Field expansion on horizon, get involved

During the 1970s and ’80s I was an active pilot, often flying in and out of Paine Field, Everett. During that time there was an effort by Snohomish County to enlarge the facilities and incorporate commercial aviation at the field. As you can imagine, there were many homeowners and local businesses who were concerned about…

Letter to the editor: Fire chief thanks community for supporting EMS Levy

Dear Editor: South County Fire wants to thank voters for supporting the community levy for emergency medical service (EMS). This levy replaced two others that were paid to the Lynnwood Fire Department and Snohomish County Fire District 1. Last year, voters approved combining the two agencies into a regional fire authority called South Snohomish County…

Letter to the editor: Thank you to Edmonds Noon Rotary, Windermere

Editor: YWCA Seattle|King|Snohomish would like to extend a big thank you to the Edmonds Noon Rotary Club and Windermere Edmonds for their efforts to replace windows, paint the exterior and beautify the grounds at YWCA Trinity Place in Lynnwood. Windermere painted much of the exterior in June and Rotary held a work party in July…