MILL CREEK—Scott Harder, Mill Creek City Council Position 3 candidate, knows the City of Mill Creek has its hands full in preparing, and managing, growth over the next decade or so. He is seeking the City Council seat to be a part of that process, bringing his knowledge of city operations and fresh ideas to the table.
Harder’s top three priorities are housing, city finances, and preserving the heart and soul of the Mill Creek he has called home for the last two decades.
Prior to Harder’s City Council bid he served as Mill Creek’s Communications Specialist for three years, where he learned the inner workings of city operations. As a 19-year Mill Creek resident who cares deeply for his city, he continued to monitor Mill Creek’s city operations under this lens even after he left that position to serve as South County Fire’s Public Information Officer.
When a council Position 3 seat opened, Harder jumped at the opportunity for a couple of reasons. For one, he knew Connie Allison (his current opponent) tended to lean more right in her decision-making, according to him, and wanted to ensure Mill Creek City Council had a more balanced voice; Secondly, he knew that there is a tremendous amount of work needing to be done to lead Mill Creek towards the future, which he wanted to be a part of.
“We’re at a crossroads with a lot of stuff happening, especially over the next four to eight years, and I just wanted to be a part of that,” said Harder. “A lot has to be decided in our city, and with our Growth Management Act a lot of work has to be done in the next 10-15 years.”
Harder pointed towards the South Town Center Subarea Plan and the DRC property as two examples of this work, which he said are both huge opportunities for the city that he requires the right decisions.
Closely related to these opportunities is his top priority, housing, which he views as a balancing act teetering between preserving the single-family charm that, he knows, many Mill Creek residents cherish, while welcoming new developments, infrastructure improvements, and housing density to support both the state mandated Growth Management Act and Mill Creek’s projected growth in general.
In 2025 Census data shows that Snohomish County is one of Washington’s State’s fastest growing counties. To absorb this growth, Harder understands that building apartment complexes is “inevitable.”
“I absolutely support apartments because we have to have that dense housing to support the Growth Management Act, it’s just how it’s done and of course having the right infrastructure to support that,” said Harder.
Harder, again, looked to the South Town Center Subarea Plan which would utilize multipurpose housing – with commercial real estate on the ground floor and housing units above. While working for the city, he reviewed its current Comprehensive Plan and knows, based on zoning codes, that developers cannot build these complexes in single-family, residential, neighborhoods – a concern he’s heard from residents when door knocking. He also understands the concerns of traffic congestion which brings him back to the point of installing proper infrastructure.
Lastly, Harder believes in affordable housing, stating “if you work in the area, you should be able to live in the area as well, and not have to travel an hour to work a job that pays close to minimum wage.”
With growth also comes properly managing the budget and capitalizing on growth opportunities to grow the City’s revenue stream. Harder would like to work more on attracting new businesses to open in Mill Creek by, perhaps, restoring staff levels to its Economic Development.
Harder is also not opposed to raising taxes, within reason, believing “there’s a price to live in Mill Creek.”
“When I’m out running in Lynnwood and Bothell and make that transition between their city limits and our city limits it’s so noticeable how well our city is kept and that’s worth a price,” said Harder.
Regarding public safety, Harder envisions a Mill Creek where residents can leave their doors unlocked and not have to worry about it. He shared there used to be a running saying in the city where people would say crime “detours” around Mill Creek because criminals knew there would be a firm police presence who would be waiting. That presence dropped a bit during COVID, he said, but the City has done a great job at bolstering its Police Officer staffing.
When Harder worked for the city Mill Creek was at an all-time low for commissioned police officers. He applauded the city for its work in bringing new officers onboard as well as having more presence on the streets.
“It’s much safer in our city. There’s that perception. People want to feel safe and that’s what I believe public safety is,” said Harder.
But public safety, to Harder, runs deeper than just cracking down on crime. For Harder it means accessible, and safe streets. So while Mill Creek’s police force has done an excellent job filling its ranks and getting back on patrols, he said, one of the things he plans to push for, if elected, is more accessible, bikeable, streets.
“Mill Creek is a horrible city to bike in. It was never really thought out and I know a lot of other organizations have been proactive to make it a bikeable city but we still lack bike lanes on some of the City’s most major areas,” said Harder. “Even on Village Green Drive and Mill Creek Boulevard there are no bike lanes, and that’s where we have a lot of people doing a lot of speeding and it’s around a lot of schools.”
Adding bike lanes to city streets does a few different things, Harder added; it makes the lane narrower for people driving which slows down traffic, it gets e-bikes off the sidewalks for more pedestrian access, and it increases safety for bicyclists while promoting a greener mode of travel.
Harder is also committed to maintaining transparency with Mill Creek residents – bringing with him this commitment he fostered while working as a Communication Specialist for the City of Mill Creek, South County Fire, and Puget Sound Energy. While progressing leaning, he believes in working closely across the aisle to find the best resolution that best represents Mill Creek residents.
“In the end it’s a collective and the council represents the people,” said Harder.
Harder is endorsed by the Snohomish County Democrats, Sen. John Lovick, Representatives April Berg and Brandy Donaghy, and current Mill Creek City Councilman Sean Paddock.
When Harder isn’t running for City Council he enjoys skiing, attending concerts, volunteering at the Make a Wish foundation, Housing Hope, and the Mill Creek food bank, hiking/mountaineering/camping, playing music, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
“What I bring to the table is the insight from someone who, not only has worked for the government, but from someone who has lived in the city,” said Harder. “I understand it [the city], I know what can be done with the staff we have and what makes sense. For the city in itself, financially and operations, and for everything that needs to be done over the next 20 years I think having that insight is valuable.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
