LYNNWOOD—A ranking error glitch resulted in the Lynnwood City Council Leadership Team adding three new candidates in addition to the selected eight finalists to interview to fill the Position 6 council vacancy the City’s released in a statement on January 15. The Lynnwood City Council will now be interviewing 11 candidates on Tuesday, January 20. Position 6 became vacant on January 1, 2026, after voters elected Councilman George Hurst as mayor in November 2025.
The Lynnwood Times re-tabulated the rankings with the inverse of the original rankings by the two councilmembers and concluded the same names as the eleven candidates announced by the City last Thursday.
The City Council will now interview the following 11 candidates, up from the original 8 candidates:
- Jacob Berger
- Han McDonald
- Paula Ferreira-Smith
- Quinn Van Order
- Chelsea Wright
- Noel Baca
- Richard Wright
- Cathy Baylor
- Dorina Katro*
- Abdullahi Abdullahi*
- Brandon Molina*
The asterisk next to a name denotes the new candidates the Council Leadership Team selected to interview. The probability of being appointed to Position 6 has decreased from 1 in 8 (12.5%) to 1 in 11 (9.1%) for each candidate.
Following the interviews, the City Council will reconvene on Monday, January 26th, for its scheduled Business Meeting, to appoint an individual to Position No. 6. The appointed Council Member’s first meeting will be Monday, February 2, 2026.
Below are the three additional hopefuls vying for the open Position 6 seat. The deep dive on the original eight selected candidates was published by the Lynnwood Times in an earlier article.
Dorina Katro, Accountant
Dorina Katro, an accountant with nearly 15 years of private-sector experience, has applied for appointment to the Lynnwood City Council. She currently serves on the city’s Planning Commission, where she has spent the past six months reviewing development proposals and land-use policies amid the city’s rapid growth.
Katro sees rising costs and housing pressures on families, seniors, renters, and small businesses as her motivation to seek the council seat. She advocates for smart growth that benefits residents rather than solely developers, with priorities that include expanding affordable and missing-middle housing, strengthening infrastructure requirements for new projects, maintaining fiscal discipline during a projected budget shortfall, and supporting community safety through balanced public safety and mental health investments.
Her professional background in cost accounting, construction, and development accounting equips her with expertise in financial analysis, budgeting, and project costing—skills she believes will aid the city in long-term fiscal planning and transparent decision-making. Katro describes herself as a detail-oriented finance professional skilled in SAP, advanced Excel, and fixed-asset management, with a record of improving processes and collaborating across teams.
Abdullahi Abdullahi, Language Access Coordinator with Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)
With more than 12 years in public policy and community-informed governance, Abdullahi aims to provide steady, collaborative leadership during the Lynnwood’s transitional period, prioritizing listening to residents, transparent decision-making, and building public trust.
Abdullahi has spent the past year engaging Lynnwood residents and business owners through an independent community listening project for the state of Washington.
Previously, he held appointed roles in Minnesota, including service on the Northfield Human Rights Commission and the governor-appointed Medicaid Services Advisory Committee, where he advised on policy access and incorporated community perspectives. Fluent in Somali, Arabic, and Swahili, Abdullahi has advanced culturally responsive governance, creating the state’s first Somali-language urban planning materials and co-drafting equity amendments to Minneapolis’ 2040 Comprehensive Plan. His work has influenced more than 15 agencies and helped secure over $2.5 million in funding.
Brandon Molina, Founder of Peace of Mind Brewing
Brandon Molina, founder of Peace of Mind Brewing and a technology leader with more than 25 years of experience building teams and scaling organizations, has applied for appointment to the Lynnwood City Council. He aims to guide the city’s growth toward stronger human connections by prioritizing “third places”—welcoming public spaces like plazas and community gardens that encourage interaction and a sense of belonging, while also representing small businesses.
Over the past four years, Molina has turned his brewery into a vital social hub where residents gather and share concerns on issues from transit access to public safety. This direct community engagement, paired with his work in Lynnwood Rotary—coordinating events such as soapbox races and chili cook-offs—volunteering youth basketball at the Boys and Girls Club, and supporting local fundraisers, provides a grassroots perspective on resident priorities.
Running a small business has honed his skills in fiscal responsibility, long-term planning, and navigating regulations. His broader career in technology includes leading cloud migrations, agile transformations for healthcare and media enterprises, modernizing engineering teams, and introducing metric-driven prioritization, all of which align with strategic governance needs.
Author: Mario Lotmore
