Updated Jan. 7 with additional details.

Stating her decision “is what is best for the voters,” Councilmember Julieta Altamirano-Crosby resigned from her position on the Lynnwood City Council at a work session on Monday.

Altamirano-Crosby — who also served as the council’s vice president — was not present at the meeting, and her resignation was announced via a letter read by Councilmember Patrick Decker.

“It has been an honor to serve you as your City Council Position 5 representative,” the letter read. “It is with a very heavy heart, that I inform you that I hereby resign from that position effective Jan. 6, 2025.”

Her resignation follows a Dec. 9 Lynnwood City Council decision directing Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell to consult an independent attorney and file an official case with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to determine whether holding both a Lynnwood City Council seat and a Snohomish County Public Utilities District (PUD) commissioner position is compatible.

While serving her second term as a Lynnwood City Councilmember, Altamirano-Crosby was elected to the PUD Commission District 2 position in November. During an earlier council discussion about the matter Nov. 12, City Attorney Lisa Marshall said that Washington state law prohibits people from holding two offices only when the positions are incompatible. She believed that the “doctrine of incompatible offices” does not apply to Altamirano-Crosby holding both a council seat and a position on the PUD board.

The Dec. 9 motion to investigate the compatibility issue was made by Councilmember Josh Binda. 

“As part of previous legal consultation, I was advised that I could serve in both capacities,” Altamirano-Crosby continued in her letter. “My decision to resign from my position on the Lynnwood City Council comes from a place of deep conviction rooted in professionalism, service, duty, and a commitment to responsibility. I have always said, I will leave on my terms and that day has now come. Resigning from my council position is what is best for the voters who elected me to this City Council position, and to the position on the PUD.”

“Serving as your councilmember over the past five years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” she wrote. 

This is the second councilmember to announce resignation in under a year, following former Councilmember Shirley Sutton’s departure from her position in May 2024. 

Although there is not currently a date set for the council to discuss the matter, state law says the council has 90 days to fill the vacancy. Any person interested can apply for the position, per city law. 

Applicants will be interviewed for the position and council members will vote for candidates in a series of rounds until one person is chosen, according to city law.

“It’s a very sad day that a candidate that was elected by the county, that was elected overwhelmingly multiple times by this city – because of the circumstances of the council – has chosen to remove herself from the leadership of this council and of the city,” Councilmember Patrick Decker said after reading the letter. “She has fought for the residents of this city for years… We will miss councilmember Crosby on this council, her wisdom, her experience, her connections to the community, and really the energy she has brought.” 

Altamirano-Crosby was elected to the city council in 2009. In addition to holding two elected positions, she is a member of the Snohomish County League of Women Voters and serves as a board member for several organizations, including the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants and the Lynnwood Food Bank. 

In her time on the city council, Altamirano-Crosby said she helped secure $2.5 million for citywide street improvements and $400,000 for the Lynnwood Food Bank. In the past, she has voted to use ARPA funds for the Scriber Lake Boardwalk project, the Lynnwood Neighborhood Center and repairs for Silver Creek Church. 

Altamirano-Crosby also led an effort to officially recognize Cinco De Mayo in the City of Lynnwood and Snohomish County. Former Gov. Jay Inslee appointed her as a commissioner to the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs in 2019 and to the Humanities Washington Board of Trustees in 2019. 

She’s received several awards, including the Snohomish County Human Rights Award in 2017, the Defense of Human Rights Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Everett Community College in 2019.  

Additionally, Altamirano-Crosby spearheaded the city’s “Let’s Talk About Safety” panel, where residents had the chance to speak directly to police and local leaders about public safety. 

— By Ashley Nash