LYNNWOOD—Current Lynnwood City Council member, and Lynnwood Mayoral candidate, George Hurst, held his official campaign kickoff event at the Hilton Garden Inn on Thursday, May 22.
Hurst has served on the Lynnwood City Council since 2015, serving as its President three times. He has lived in the City of Lynnwood for 32 years with his wife Pam and four children.
Through Hurst’s time on City Council he has served on multiple boards including the Snohomish 911 Board, the Snohomish Emergency Radio Advisory Board, Association of Washington Cities Legislation Priorities Committee, Community Transit Board, I405 BRT Elected Advisory Group, Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board, Vice Chair City of Lynnwood Transportation Traffic Task Force, Vice Chair Lynnwood Planning Commission, and Chair of the Lynnwood/Fire District 1 Regional Fire Authority Planning Committee.
Hurst’s priorities, if elected Mayor, are to promote home ownership, retain city employees, and ensure the fiscal stability of Lynnwood by balancing its budget. Hurst disclosed Thursday that the City’s General Fund is $4.2 million behind what the City anticipated it should be, which not only puts the “city in the hole” but renders all its forecasts unrealistic.
“My goal is to after four years of being Mayor I want this City to be on fiscal ground that is stable,” said Hurst. “And we’re going to do it without increasing taxes.”
According to Hurst the City of Lynnwood has also made it difficult to encourage home buyers, from raising city property taxes 52%, to requiring the installation of sprinkler systems.
Hurst’s wife Pam joined him to speak about the work the two have done with the Whispering Pines apartments which left several low income families scrambling to find housing after it was announced the building would be demolished. The two also shared the work they have done for manufactured home communities, namely Royalwood Estates, which have been taken over by corporations leading to rising rents, and plummeting care.
Several Royalwood Estate and Whispering Pines residents attended Thursday’s event to give their testaments.
In the Lynnwood budget, it is projected a sale tax revenue increase of 8%, Hurst said. Roughly 40% of Lynnwood’s budget comes from sales tax but compared to a city like Tukwila—with a similar sales tax revenue stream—it is only projecting a sales tax revenue increase of 2%. Hurst shared that the mayor’s proposed sales tax revenue forecast was too optimistic and unlikely. To further emphasize his point that the city lacks good budget management, he also pointed out that the budget includes a 100% increase in revenue from red light cameras to help balance the budget, another element he said is unlikely and too optimistic.
Hurst, along with councilman Patrick Decker and former councilwoman Julieta Altamirano-Crosby voted against the latest proposed budget, but they were in the minority. Council members Josh Binda, Derica Escamilla, Nick Coelho, and David Parshall voted for some of the largest tax increases in Lynnwood history by approving the latest budget.
At Thursday’s event Hurst noted that there are seven departments within the City of Lynnwood. During the current administration six department heads have left the city in addition to a Deputy Department head and the Assistant City Administrator – Art Ceneza, who attended Hurst’s kickoff.
The departure of the City Strategic Planner, specifically, really bothers Hurst, he said, because one of the thing he believes is lacking in Lynnwood’s current administration is “a vision.”
“We do not have a Strategic Planner to guide our current Mayor, who really doesn’t have a vision and basically listens to City Staff who don’t live in the City,” said Hurst.
Hurst noted that over a year ago she asked current Mayor Christine Frizzell if she could present her vision for the City but all she did is present a list of capital projects that began before she took office.
“We need to have a change in our administration, so we are able to retain long term employees,” said Hurst.
Endorsing Hurst, and speaker at Thursday’s gathering, was Snohomish County Councilman Jared Mead.
Mead has worked with Hurst for the last 10-years in multiple capacities, first as a Washington State Representative and now as a County Councilman.
“When I think of people who I want to support, for local office specifically, it’s people that care about the city that they’re running for office in – I know that sounds crazy but there are so many people that run for office, to run for office, to run for office. Then there’s people that run for office because they love the city they live in and they want to see it thrive, and they want to see it grow, and that’s George,” said Councilman Mead.
Snohomish County is one of the fastest growing counties in the entire country, ranking top 10 in population growth in the U.S. The fastest growing portion of Snohomish County is South County where Lynnwood is its biggest city. Being the biggest city in the fastest growing portion of the fastest growing county in the fastest growing state comes with some “significant growing pains,” Mead continued using the example of rising housing costs, an increasing mental health crises and youth violence.
Mead equates these growing pains to a “mismanagement of growth.” As more people flee King County seeking opportunity, Lynnwood is the gateway to that opportunity, the “frontier” to a new life.
According to Mead, Hurst’s priorities – housing affordability, public safety, fighting for existing homeowners being pushed out of the city, and after school youth activities to keep kids off the street – indicates that he’s “really paying attention to it all.”
“We want someone who’s spent 10 years on Lynnwood City Council, not trying to run for U.S. Senate, or Congress, it’s ‘I care about this city, I want to serve this city’,” said Mead. “That’s why I support George Hurst, that’s why I think he’s the right person for Mayor.”
Also in attendance were former Lynnwood City Councilman Jim Smith, and Lynnwood City Council candidates Bryce Owings and Isabel Mata.
Prior to the speakers, guests mingled in the conference hall of the Hilton Garden Inn, feasting on a taco bar and listening to the musical talents of Po Leapai. Guests could also purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win a gift basket or play a “human slot machine.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
