SNOHOMISH — City Council President Linda Redmon has officially announced she will be running for Mayor of Snohomish in 2021, while current Mayor John Kartak has yet to make his announcement on whether he plans to run for re-election.
“I am very excited to make my announcement after the holidays,” Kartak said. He added that he enjoys being mayor.
Kartak said an announcement would first require a lot of regulatory steps with the state to set up the campaign. With COVID restrictions, he plans to focus on his current duties as mayor and spend time with his family.
Redmon announced in November.
Redmon said she had never had any intentions of running for mayor but after being asked to run by community members for over a year, Redmon agreed.
“I was asked to do it because people just felt like I was connected to the community, that I was involved and I understood the issues,” Redmon said. “I think that I have a fairly good understanding of what our community is looking for. I mean, I try to maintain open communication with as many people in our community as possible, I try to listen to all different people.”
Redmon said she was once reluctant to run for City Council, too. Much like joining the race for Mayor, she said she ran for City Council in 2017, the same year Kartak ran and was elected mayor, after she was asked to run by many community members. Redmon says because she was an active community volunteer she felt that
she was hearing the entire community, not just those who would speak at council meetings or directly to council members.
Redmon’s council seat is up for election in 2021, and so by running for mayor, if Redmon doesn’t win the mayor’s race then she would no longer be an elected official in 2022.
Four other council seats up for election in 2021 are held by Steve Dana, Larry Countryman, Tom Merrill and Felix Neals.
Although running for mayor, Redmon said she really enjoys her council position and working with her fellow council members, collaborating on city policy.
Kartak feels the position of mayor is essentially the “top employer” in City Hall and felt his long-time experience as a general contractor and employer helped when filling the mayor’s position. Kartak said when he became mayor he tried to make sure everyone working for the city felt appreciated and he wanted to be a mayor for the people.
Redmon said she plans to begin campaigning once COVID restrictions loosen.
