LYNNWOOD—Isabel Mata, a freelance writer and mindfulness meditation counselor who identifies as an openly queer member of the LGBTQ+ community, officially kicked off her campaign for Lynnwood City Council Position 2, on Friday, August 15, at Peace of Mind Brewing in Lynnwood. The Position 2 seat is currently held by Councilman Patrick Decker who is not seeking re-election.
“Right now, our city and our country, we are at a crossroads,” Mata told supporters on Friday, “We can either double down on fear and division, or we can choose connection, care, and courage. Local leadership matters, and we have a chance to set the tone right here in Lynnwood.”
As the first openly LGBTQ+ candidate for the council, Mata seeks to create a more inclusive local government that addresses safety, affordable housing, and community care, ensuring “no one is left behind.”
Mata, who moved to Lynnwood in 2022 with her husband Richard after living in Los Angeles, originally hails from Rochester, New York. Her family relocated to Kirkland nearly a decade ago, and she returned to Puget Sound post-pandemic to be closer to family.
“I was shocked how beautiful the city [Lynnwood] was, from its parks, the schools, the community resources,” Mata told the Lynnwood Times in a June interview. “I saw the Rec Center and I was like we have to be here.”
Professionally, Mata runs her own business focused on writing about mental health and therapy, drawing from her experiences with anxiety and depression. She is extremely active with the Washington State Jewish Historical Society and serves on the board of Limmud Seattle, a Jewish learning center, as well as We Move Seattle. Until recently, her volunteer efforts were primarily in Seattle’s Jewish community, but she has ramped up involvement in Lynnwood over the past six months by attending city events and bi-weekly council meetings.
Mata shared a personal story to illustrate the power of one voice, aligning to the theme of the night’s event. She shared how her lived experience from being a victim of online bullying in middle school led her to start a petition and found Heroes Against Hate, a club to combat isolation.
“When people are telling you how horrible you are, it really gets to you. And in that moment when I saw that the same thing happened to somebody else [who ended her life because of it] and it could have been me, I knew that I had to do something about it,” said Mata adding that she rallied hundreds to support her cause.
“That was the first time that I saw the power that one voice can have,” she added.
That moment precipitated into her activism, that included marches for women’s rights in 2016 and Black Lives Matter in 2020. She is driven by a desire to represent the underrepresented such as immigrants, refugees, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community amid growing concerns over civil liberties.
“Today when I see our federal government attacking the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants, I just can’t stay silent,” Mata said. “I can’t just stay on social media or show up at a protest and call it done.”
Mata highlighted her Lynnwood neighborhood’s inclusive and welcoming nature and contrasted these with local crime, such as the shootings of two young boys, vowing to foster belonging and safety when elected. She also discussed her work on Confronting Pain Together, a program addressing redlining and prejudice among Black, Asian, and Jewish communities.
“Care isn’t charity, it’s how we lift each other up,” she said. “Care and safety go hand in hand. Safety isn’t about fear; it’s about prevention, preparation, and compassion. It means investing in first responders, a strong infrastructure, but also in mental health crisis response. It’s knowing our city can handle the unexpected, whether that’s a storm, a fire, a tragedy, and that we will take care of each other through it.”
In addressing her lack of political experience, she told the Lynnwood Times, “Everybody had to have their first time at some point. So I’m young, I don’t have any political experience whatsoever, but neither did anyone who was else on the council. They all had to start somewhere and I’m ready to start.”
She plans to knock on 10,000 doors, targeting 75 to 80 daily to win over voters.
Mata described her greatest strength as “my ability to make people feel seen and connected and heard,” adding, “I’m really trying to connect with people over the things we have in common so that we can talk respectfully about the things we disagree on.”
Her top priority when elected, she said, is “building a good relationship with the other council members” to end arguing and enable dialogue; particularly amid the $10 million budget deficit, which she called “a mess” that requires creative revenue solutions.
“So, we’re not bringing in as much money as we need in order to run the business that is the city. And it is a business after all,” said Mata, who is an entrepreneur and successful business owner.
For the LGBTQ+ community, she will advocate for city-sponsored Pride events with markets and drag queens, a Lynnwood pride parade, and safe spaces such as listening sessions or game nights.
“I want the city to showcase that all are welcome… But that’s just the bare minimum. I want them to continue to create spaces for the queer community to come out and be together,” she told the Lynnwood Times.
On housing, she asserted, “Housing should be a human right,” criticizing shortages in affordable options and shelters, and called for affordable housing quotas: “We have to meet our quota of affordable housing. Period.”
In addition to homeless shelters, Mata shared that Lynnwood needs sanctioned parking lots—zoning permitting safe areas where people experiencing homelessness can legally park and stay in their cars overnight.
“When you have a roof over your head and you feel safe at home, you’re going to be a more proactive member of society, you’re going to want to get involved in your community, you’re going to want to make sure your community is safe because you feel safe,” she said.
In her June 2025 Lynnwood Times interview, Mata expounded on her platform, stressing safety through “co-response” models for crises, childcare to prevent youth violence, and a mental health network for substance abuse.
Elected officials attending Friday’s kickoff told the Lynnwood Times they support Mata for her high energy, empathy, commitment to inclusivity, and hope to add another woman on the council. They respect her focus on mental health response teams alongside public safety and strong advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I really like her slogan, ‘No One Left Behind,’ because I think she’s concerned about all residents… she’s talking about mental health response teams, which is just awesome. And she’s just got a high energy that I think the council would really appreciate,” Lynnwood City Councilman George Hurst told the Lynnwood Times.
Edmonds City Councilwoman Chris Eck said Mata “brings qualities I seldom see in a candidate… a convergence of energy, but also really great ideas and a background that is so diverse. Mixed with empathy and a willingness to do the hard work and really listen to the broader community.”
“The distinguishing factor for me in this race ultimately came down to support for the LGBT community… Isabella is a member of the community and unabashedly supportive of the LGBT community, as am I,” said Washington State Representative Lauren Davis (Shoreline-D32), disclosing she had coffee with both candidates in the race. “She’s inquisitive. She’s smart. She’s hardworking. She dives in. She’s been attending council meetings.”
Lynnwood City Councilwoman Derica Escamilla added, “I love her passion. I think she can bring something new to the table… she’s advocating for childcare, you know, and she’s not even a mom. So, I’m really excited to see what new ideas she’s going to bring forward.”
Elizabeth Lunsford, a local activist and former Lynnwood Art Commissioner, spoke at the kickoff.
“What she’s going against is old Lynnwood with old money and old ways,” said Lunsford. “There’s going to be narratives. It’s going to be a fight.”
With Lynnwood’s projected growth to 63,000 residents by 2044, Mata aims to be an advocate for proactive governance ensuring underrepresented voices will be heard, if elected.
Mata is endorsed by Reps. Mary Fosse and Strom Peterson, Senator John Lovick, Socialist Representative Shaun Scott, Snohomish County Councilmember Jared Mead, Edmonds School Board Director Thom Garrard, and the 21st and 32nd District Democrats.
Author: Mario Lotmore
3 Responses
she needs to go somewhere else. seriously. her bio is confusing enough. she is opening queer married to a man? she obviously doesnt know what queer means in the Judith Butler sense. She can’t help our city. I would vote for Binda over her and that is saying a lot. I’d vote for m vacuum over Binda. and my vacuum sucks,.
So she’s lived in Lynnwood for a grand total of 3 years and now she wants to run the city. This is the definition of a carpetbagger.
Look now no fighting or name calling or being argumentative. We need to be nice to each other ✨💃
Another CA transplant wanting to ruin this state like they ruined theirs.
Looking at the list of endorsements we don’t need another ideologue trying out their experiments on the rest of us.