LYNNWOOD—Mpiima Mugambe, a candidate for Lynnwood City Council, aims to better represent the citizens of Lynnwood through improved communication and engagement with residents. His platform focuses on supporting the city’s first responders by enhancing their social work resources, zoning for more diverse housing, and strengthening the city’s small business core while prioritizing a community-driven budget.
Mugambe has lived in Lynnwood for seven years, in both unincorporated and incorporated areas. He initially moved to Lynnwood because of its “uniqueness” compared to other cities, he told the Lynnwood Times.
“It’s clean, welcoming, and has a community that is distinct from other communities,” said Mugambe. “You can wake up and say hi to your neighbors.”
Originally from Uganda, Mugambe moved to the United States as an asylum seeker via California. He relocated to Washington to attend the University of Washington, where he studied social work, and fell in love with the area, choosing to stay.
Before running for City Council, Mugambe was involved in various volunteer efforts in Lynnwood, from participating in the Lynnwood Police Department’s Citizen Patrol to volunteering with the Parks and Recreation Department to keep the city’s green spaces clean. However, he felt his service was not enough.
“I believe being part of the decisions made for the city is very important. Right now, we only have one person who looks like me on the City Council, so it doesn’t fully reflect the citizens of Lynnwood,” said Mugambe. “I felt compelled to serve my community, which has not only taken care of me but also provided a safer environment than the one I left. It has supported my four boys, and the only thing I can give back is leadership.”
Mugambe is a mental health professional by trade, currently working as a Clinical Supervisor for the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). He serves in the Mobile Rapid Response Unit, which deploys alongside first responders throughout King County to address mental health crises.
In 2020, he founded his own nonprofit, Immigrant Guide, which assists new immigrants arriving in the United States. Additionally, he teaches at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work.
“I’m running to be part of my city and contribute to the change we need together,” said Mugambe. “The decisions made by the City Council and County Council affect the most vulnerable members of our community. As a father of four Black boys—minority young men who will call this city home for years to come—I need to be part of those decisions to ensure they reflect their future and interests, as well as those of others who identify like me.”
Mugambe’s policy priorities include housing (zoning for diverse housing options to attract first-time buyers, renters, longtime homeowners, and low-income community members), supporting and attracting small businesses, and bolstering the police department with enhanced social and health professional services.
He noted that most businesses along Highway 99 are car dealerships and storage units, meaning profits are often “extracted” to other cities or states, reducing local dollar circulation. Mugambe’s solution is to encourage more local businesses, which would increase dollar circulation, create local jobs, and allow business owners to grow. He cited zoning and developing parts of the city, such as Highway 99, to resemble the Lynnwood Crossroads as an example.
Another economic challenge, in Mugambe’s view, is the city’s permitting process. A few years ago, he and his wife, Allen, sought to start a nonprofit to support children with developmental disabilities through the Department of Social and Health Services. When they applied for a permit, they were told the city lacked a zoning code for their business model, forcing them to apply for a costly conditional use permit that took 12 months to issue.
“Small businesses shouldn’t face these barriers. We need to update our codes to reflect the world we’re living in—a world of innovation where cities and counties thrive on progress,” said Mugambe. “If we had opened our business in Shoreline, it would have taken just one month, but in Lynnwood, it took a year. By that time, we had lost interest and moved on to something else.”
Regarding the city’s budget, Mugambe supports a “community budgeting” model, where Lynnwood citizens have a say in how dollars are invested and allocated. He also advocates for “progressive taxing,” which would raise property taxes only on middle- and upper-class households to protect lower-income residents while growing the city’s tax revenue stream.
Volunteering as a citizen officer with the Lynnwood Police Department has given Mugambe a unique perspective on public safety. While he praises the department’s community focus, he believes officers need training in “community law enforcement,” “de-escalation,” and support from mental health professionals to better handle mental health emergencies.
Having just one mental health professional, provided through Volunteers of America, for a city of nearly 44,000 is unsustainable, Mugambe added.
Mugambe believes he is well-suited for City Council due to his extensive experience in conflict resolution, having worked with countries like Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan—nations with long histories of conflict—to find common ground. He believes he can apply this expertise to represent the diverse beliefs of his community effectively.
He also has experience collaborating with congressional leaders to raise awareness and secure funding for those affected by HIV and AIDS, traveling to Washington, D.C., on several occasions to advocate for this cause. Additionally, he has worked with legislators to halt American funding to Uganda, which he says continues to support its “dictatorship.”
When not volunteering, running for City Council, teaching, working in crisis response, or meeting with congressional leaders, Mugambe enjoys reading, spending time with his family, and traveling.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
One Response
I think a better way forward is what Lynnwood needs, without forgetting the important history of Snoco by picking developers over normal people. Mr. Mugambe has my support for city council