SNOHOMISH — Three candidates are vying for the seat held by Councilwoman Karen Guzak, a former mayor and active business owner who is ready to pass the torch after 12 years on council.
Guzak has her desired successor picked out: Judith Kuleta.
It’s not a done deal. Elizabeth Larsen and Don Baldwin are on the primary ballot. Neither said they hold any endorsements at this time.
The primary Aug. 6 will winnow the field to two. Ballots began arriving in mailboxes late last week.
Kuleta and Guzak stood side-by-side at a recent Snohomish City Council meeting. “She’s a former fire chief, and she has a master’s degree,” Guzak said. “I like her.”
“She’s got my endorsement. I feel she is the best one to fill” the seat, Guzak said.
Ballots were mailed out last week and there are two weeks left to return them.
Judith Kuleta
Judith Kuleta served as a fire chief in Alaska before earning a master’s degree in cultural studies. She has spent much of her life in service, also holding positions as a licensed practicing nurse and college professor. In one of her committees, where she served for 14 years, she was responsible in the creation of model curriculum fire science degrees.
She also spearheaded an annual event called “The Tweed Ride” in Snohomish that ties the town’s historical identity with an all-ages community ride.
Why a Tweed Ride? “It’s fun,” Kuleta said.
Kuleta said she’s experienced in the tasks required of a council member: she has run budgets and worked with committees, and dealt with an array of communication styles.
Kuleta names five issues as her focus, if elected: preserving small-town character; continuing to provide incentives for developers, for affordable housing; preserving the present level of public safety; supporting youth council; and maintaining overall quality of life in Snohomish with support of walkability, and trails — for both pedestrians and bicyclists.
Elizabeth Larsen
Elizabeth Larsen is running on a universal issue: public safety.
Walkability falls under that umbrella — an issue close to her heart. One of the things she loves about living in the city of Snohomish is its walkability: a term with its backdrop firmly rooted in municipal achievements such as well-maintained trails, well-timed stop lights, and ample sidewalks.
Larsen’s walks have helped her form a list of key issues to address if elected to City Council: homelessness, the opioid crisis, disaster preparedness, and walkability itself. If elected to City Council, she will also focus on economic stimulus.
Her interest in public safety started with a training program for Fire District 4. Today she promotes the community emergency response training (CERT) program to empower the public to respond to disasters at the ground level.
Larsen has worked for the county for 14 years, and is now lead project manager for the Snohomish County public works department. She is authoring a report for the public safety commission, which is in draft form now.
That work has required not only the ability to communicate well with people, but also help them navigate the sometimes complicated processes of government. Her frontline understanding of how government works has allowed her to provide either answers to people who need them, or the direction to the source that can answer their questions — skills that can open up access to the public, and smooth the process itself.
“I’m used to working with not only individuals but groups,” Larsen said. She said those groups have included tribes, and other cities.
Don Baldwin
Don Baldwin has lived in four states, but after 15 years in Snohomish, he knew he’d found home. If elected to City Council, he’d like to address traffic safety, particularly regarding pedestrian dangers; fight drug abuse and theft by encouraging neighborhood watch programs); and promote disaster preparedness, through CERT training.
He describes himself as a “book geek,” and he and his wife and son (now grown) frequently visit Uppercase Bookshop.
“As King County got more crowded and expensive, we valued the relative quiet and ready access to outdoor activities, more and more,” he said. ”We moved here in 2004 and do not plan to ever leave.”
When asked what special skills he brings to the table, Baldwin describes a sense of civility and sharp communication skills. He said he can interact well both with people he agrees with, and those he does not.
“In a town split 50-50 politically, fionding alliances and common ground is more important than ever,” Baldwin wrote in an email.
“I look for new ways of looking at things and approaching disagreement or differences in views,” he said.
As an example he gave, “I was a pistol safety instructor for years, and those skills are mostly applied now when I shoot with the Pink Pistols, an LGBT and LGBT-friendly organization. ... I want to break down barriers between people.”
His previous professional role was for Mammography Reporting Systems in Lynnwood, and involved managing data-migrations where he was tasked with protecting privacy, as a developer. Baldwin has also volunteered as a belayer at the Northshore YMCA’s climbing structure.
Baldwin said what he lacks in council-related experience he makes up in his ability to connect people.
A City Council seat is a four-year term in office.
