Kerry Bosworth
“Sammamish is not a country club, and it needs to stop acting like one” asserted Bosworth. She supports increased housing options and transportation improvements. Currently working as a senior program manager at Microsoft, she’s ready to take on the challenges that city-council members face.
Bosworth’s work on the Sammamish planning commission pertaining to storm water, land use, and critical-area requirements has provided the necessary experience to make her immediately effective on this council.
Andy Carter
Carter grew up in this region and continues to engage with his city through the Rotary Club, coaching, and school PTSAs. He believes in providing for the needs of every student, and he has experience advocating for his own children within the Kent School District. He recognizes how necessary teachers and staff are to a thriving school environment and supported the teachers during the recent strike.
With his educational and employment background, Carter recognizes that students have many educational opportunities. Carter is a well-rounded candidate for the position of school board director.
Sam Cho
Cho was previously endorsed by the 5th LD Democrats in 2019. His four years of service as Port Commissioner has been exemplary and, based on his performance, he has earned our renewed endorsement.
Cho seeks to ensure that the port’s explosive growth results in evenly distributed gains for the people of greater Seattle. His priorities include strong environmental focus, accountability, and ending human and labor trafficking in our ports.
Cara Christensen
Christensen is an appointed council member who represents many constituencies with her thoughtful voice. She is an attorney and a former planning commissioner, as well as being the only woman on the council and among the few in the community who have small children.
Christensen brings her focus on equity to everything from swim-lesson availability to parking access. Public safety is of particular interest, and she commits to fully funding all related services to the community.
Uma Coimbature
Coimbature has lived in Sammamish for more than 20 years, earned two MBAs, and worked at Microsoft. She hasn’t held an elected position before but is an active volunteer in her communities, both the U.S. and India, and has many community partnerships. Her passion and care for her community shines. She shared that, “A city is not a forest. A city is people.” She believes Sammamish can increase housing while minimizing environmental impacts and will strive to improve housing options so that future generations will be able to afford to live there.
Matt Coyne
Coyne comes from a family of teachers, has two children in the Issaquah schools, and has a history of local leadership as a member of the Issaquah Schools Foundation Board and a volunteer with the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank and “The Garage” Teen Center.
The committee was impressed with his warm demeanor; his commitment to inclusive, collaborative leadership; and his support for teachers, for diverse and LGBTQIA+ students, and for students who need mental-health or special-education support.
His list of endorsements is lengthy and impressive.
Leonard Feldman
Judge Feldman was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to a position on the Washington State Court of Appeals; Feldman began to serve on May 1 and is running unopposed to retain his seat.
Feldman has over 30 years of experience as an appellate lawyer (including two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court asserting excessive use of force by law enforcement) and recently taught as a law professor at Seattle University.
The committee was impressed with his knowledge, experience, and commitment to issues of equity and access to justice.
Sid Gupta
As a self-described “professional volunteer,” Gupta has gained a deep understanding of his community and will bring that to bear on the Sammamish City Council. He has received numerous accolades for his volunteerism, including the SAMMI Award for Environmental Stewardship, and he serves on the board of the Sammamish Friends nonprofit group. After eight years on the parks and recreation commission, Gupta decided to take the next political step with encouragement from his peers. Gupta will serve with a strong eye toward equity and the needs of his city.
Zach Hall
Hall has served on the Issaquah City Council since 2019, supporting key initiatives to keep Issaquah a safe and welcoming community. After serving on Lisa Callan’s campaign to flip the 5th, Hall worked as a legislative staffer before deciding to pursue an elected office of his own.
A lifelong resident of Issaquah, Hall is passionate about providing residents with access to human services and public safety while addressing issues that the city faces, such as traffic congestion and affordable housing.
Malia Hollowell
Hollowell is running for a second term on the Tahoma school board. In addition to her four years of experience, she is the immediate past president.
Early literacy skills are her passion, and she is advocating for use of brain-friendly teaching methods, which are advanced from today’s common practice. Hollowell has been a champion for developing the district’s first equity policy and is proud they have hired the district’s first equity director. The committee made special note of Hollowell’s focus on hiring and retaining a diverse workforce so that students see happy and thriving educators. She has developed strong partnerships with legislators, unions, and communities and is savvy to fiscal responsibility while spending resources on educating our children.
Victoria Hunt
Hunt, with a PhD. in Ecology, brings her intellect, common sense, and pragmatic style to the Issaquah City Council. She continues to advocate for balancing development with long-term community benefit, as demonstrated through her leadership on the overhaul of the municipal land-use code.
Hunt prioritizes a sustainable, greener future for Issaquah and is also dedicated to addressing public safety and human services. The residents of Issaquah will greatly benefit from Hunt’s continued service on the Issaquah City Council.
Fred Felleman
The Port of Seattle, with $40 billion in total economic activity annually and growing, requires commissioners with depth and breadth of the port’s aviation, marine and land operations, challenges, and opportunities.
Felleman, a marine biologist, has delivered on his goals for the Port and centered increasing public awareness of the contributions and opportunities created by the Port while reducing the impacts. He is well qualified to continue this work and remains open to addressing new ideas, opportunities, and challenges.
Tanya Lavoy
Lavoy combines her degree in international relations with her master’s degree in public administration and her work with the legislature in Olympia to present a solid foundation for her work on the council.
Her questioning by the endorsements committee displayed a ready grasp of the issues that the council currently faces, including housing, tenant protections, and childcare. She can boast of endorsements by State Rep. Bill Ramos, King County Councilmember Sarah Perry, and the King County Young Democrats.
Kristiana de Leon
Having served one term on the Black Diamond City Council, de Leon is running for reelection as one of the longest standing members on a council that has seen high turnover and represents a conservative city in our district. With a passion for progressive and Democratic ideals, de Leon is an active and engaged member of the community, and she has earned the unanimous recommendation for endorsement by the 5th LD endorsement committee. This is a single-jurisdiction position.
Rob McFarland
McFarland is running for a second term as mayor of North Bend. He shares that one of his most important accomplishments during his first term was resolving a 16-year negotiation on a permanent source of water. In the coming years, he plans to focus on ensuring housing for all income levels. McFarland’s commitment to creating a community that’s safe, welcoming, and respectful of diverse heritages earns him our recommendation for endorsement.
Pete Miller
Miller is running for a second term on the Tahoma school board. He brings his work experience in forensic accounting, as well as his family’s own experiences with special education in the district, to the school board. Pete became politically active in the district when a school levy failed in 2018, and he won his first term on the school board in 2019. Miller believes in the value of public education for every single child, with an eye toward equity and restorative justice. He understands the issues that the district currently faces, including enrollment growth and demographic changes, and he respects student voices in board decisions.
Tim Noonan
Noonan’s long love of the region has inspired his leadership. Since the ‘90s, he has worked to make and keep Meadowbrook Farm the publicly owned jewel that we enjoy today. Noonan remains focused on preserving the organic status of the park and improving wildlife corridors. He also seeks to meet the needs of the community, especially around creating a recreation site with a pool. As Tim states, “the health of our children, our pets, and the abundant wildlife that share our parks demands sound environmental practices,” which he will bring to the position.
Roisin O’Farrell
After moving here from Ireland and serving as a Democrat PCO and on the board of the YMCA, O’Farrell became deeply involved in Sammamish politics and was appointed to the city council last year. She focuses on bringing more housing to Sammamish, implementing a climate action plan, and doing the work needed to change the city from a “bedroom community” to a community that serves the long-term needs of its residents. O’Farrell is a deep listener and seeks to bring the desires of the citizens to the council.
Debbie Page
Page hit the ground running when she moved to Black Diamond in 2020, deciding to take her let’s-get-things-done approach to help her fellow citizens in that growing city. Since her appointment to the city council in 2021 and election later that year, Page has listened carefully to all in Black Diamond. Often the voice of compromise and pragmatism, Page plans to continue tackling issues such as economic development and public safety. Black Diamond residents will be well served by re-electing Page to their city council. This is a single-jurisdiction position.
Pam Stuart
Stuart has served on the Sammamish City Council as both an elected and (currently) appointed member for more than five years. Stuart was motivated to join the council in 2017 after she realized that being an informed voter and involved parent and community member was not enough. Since then, she has been a voice for affordable housing, equity, and social justice, as well as combatting climate change, fighting for sensible gun legislation, and championing transparency in government. If elected, Stuart will continue to advance an agenda to ensure everyone feels welcome and safe in Sammamish, as she works to diversify the city’s housing and transportation policies and develop housing that’s more affordable and environmentally sustainable.
A. J. Taylor
Taylor will bring his business acumen, coupled with his depth of community engagement, to the Issaquah School Board. He volunteered for Issaquah schools at many levels: as chair of the PTSA, as delegate to PTA Legislative Assembly, and on the District Levy Development Committee. Taylor currently serves as the community representative on the district’s financial analysis core team. Taylor sits on the board of directors for both Volunteers for Issaquah Schools and the Issaquah Garage: A Teen Café, as well as serving on Issaquah’s economic-vitality commission.
Mandeep Kaur Walia
Born and raised in Washington state, Walia is an internal-medicine physician who obtained her Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a concentration on neuroscience from the University of Washington. She is a Democrat who advocates for high-quality healthcare, resources for seniors, indoor recreation for youth, public safety, transportation, affordability, and the preservation of the city’s natural beauty.
Lindsey Walsh
Walsh’s deep passion for public service began early and led to a degree in public policy. After she started a family and a small business, Walsh sought to serve her community by volunteering for Issaquah’s planning commission. Her talents being recognized, she was appointed and subsequently elected to the Issaquah City Council in 2019.
Walsh’s mastery of the issues that Issaquah faces and her commitment to solving issues pragmatically earns her our endorsement.
Louis Washington
Washington is running to retain his position on the Snoqualmie City Council. Appointed last March to fill a vacancy, Washington previously served on the city’s economic-development commission and the Snoqualmie Valley task force for affordable housing. With degrees in political science and economics from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in finance and economics from Seattle University, Washington will prioritize supporting local businesses, preserving the sense of community, and ensuring a sustainable environment for all Snoqualmie residents.