EDMONDS—To a standing room of approximately 100 community members, Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell administered the oath to office to Edmonds Mayor-elect Mike Rosen at the Asian Service Center on December 30, 2023. Mayor Rosen will be assuming office precisely at midnight on the morning of January 1, 2024.

The swearing-in of @cityofedmonds Mayor-Elect Mike Rosen at the Asian Service Center. Mayor Rosen will assume office at midnight on January 1. @lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell administered Mayor Rosen's oath to office. Article: https://t.co/saTabl5cGX@snocounty @EdmondsPolice… pic.twitter.com/XtUqhucjdn

— Lynnwood Times (@LynnwoodTimes) December 31, 2023

“Here in Edmonds, we have a very long tradition of coming together, rolling up our sleeves and putting our heads, hearts, and hands to work to fix problems; and I am a firm believer it is never too late to change the future and we will,” Mayor Rosen said.

“[Edmonds] is a pretty special place,” he added. “Together we can make it more special, more safe, more inclusive, more sustainable.”

Mayor Frizzell shared the heartfelt moment when reading the email from Rosen asking her to administer his oath to office.

“It was emotional for me,” Frizzell shared with attendees. “Here is a man who has done so much with his life and now he is willing to set that aside and enter the craziness of the political arena… With Mike’s calm demeanor, Edmonds has a whole lot of good things in store for it.”

Mayor Rosen thanked his wife, attendees, and the Asian Service Center for all their support. Notable attendees for the event were American travel writer, author, and television personality Rick Steves; Edmonds Councilmembers Will Chen, Jenna Nand, and Neil Tibbott; and City Councilwoman-elect Chris Eck.

“I absolutely want to thank Mayor Frizzell,” Rosen said. “You inspire me, and I just can’t wait until the day after tomorrow when we can start working together with others in the region to solve some regional problems; she is an amazing mayor.”

Mayor Rosen acknowledged outgoing-Mayor Mike Nelson for his contributions to Edmonds and thanked him for serving his community.

For those unable to make Saturday’s swearing-in, a ceremonial oath will also be performed on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at Edmonds City Council’s first meeting of the year. Edmonds Municipal Court Judge Whitney Rivera will administer the oath on January 2.

Rosen, a first-time candidate, defeated incumbent Mike Nelson for the City’s Chief Executive in the 2023 General Election with a vote of 54.80%. He ran on a four pillars platform: “protecting our families, protecting this place, protecting our money, and building trust in our local government.”

Rosen is a retired public relations and marketing executive. He was Deputy Executive Director for the American Heart Association in Seattle, Past Chair of the Edmonds Planning Board, Vice President Edmonds Center for the Arts, member of the Save the Edmonds Chamber Task Force, founding Board member of Edmonds Civic Roundtable, past Board member Operation Military Family, and former Washington Department of Corrections advisor.