Stunning that Council would change eligibility only after seeing who applied. Isn't at least one of the rejected applicants running against an incumbent?? The argument about incumbency seems contrived.
Let’s be clear: reporters have a responsibility to inform the public without bias. Yet your recent article introduced personal relationships (“Joshua Rosenau is a friend”) and then singled out one councilmember—Paula Goode—because she had criticized your reporting, as though that alone casts doubt on her judgment. Are journalists above critique?
You also omitted two key facts. First, the motion was brought up by Council Member Saunders, not by Council Member Goode. Second four councilmembers—Ellyn Saunders, Jon Lebo, Tracy Furutani, and Paula Goode—voted for the decision. Why not name them all, instead of focusing on one?
The piece also misrepresents a basic truth about electoral dynamics: the power of incumbency. In Lake Forest Park over the last 15 years, only one sitting councilmember has lost their seat to a challenger. You can confirm that with the City Clerk’s office.
This power of incumbency is exemplified by Councilmember Semra Riddle, who was appointed in 2016 to replace Hilda Thompson. Since then, she has run twice—both times unopposed. In 2021, she didn’t even submit a statement to the King County Voters Guide. According to the State’s Public Disclosure Commission, Council Riddle reported no dollars raised or spent on either of her other two campaigns.
Your claim that other 2025 candidates to fill the empty seat “didn’t bother to apply?” Did you reach out to ask them why? One candidate in particular said they intend to only fill the vacancy until the election to, in effect, let the voters decide. Speculation in place of inquiry is not journalism.
My name was also mentioned several times during the council meeting, which you either attended or watched the recording of the meeting, as the author of the recommendation to not appoint any 2025 candidate to the vacant seat. Yet I was never contacted. Below is the full statement I submitted to the Council, which your reporting ignored:
Dear Councilmembers,
While I know that temporarily filling Lori’s Bodi’s council seat is, in many ways, an impossible task, she was truly one of a kind, and her presence will be deeply missed—you are now entrusted with the responsibility of appointing someone to temporarily serve until this fall’s election.
I respectfully urge you not to appoint any individual who has officially filed with King County Elections to run for one of Lake Forest Park’s open Council seats.
Appointing a declared candidate creates an unfair advantage in the upcoming election. Even a brief incumbency confers both the appearance of legitimacy and privileged access to inside information—an edge the other candidates do not and cannot possess. This is not merely a theoretical concern. In races where no incumbent is running, the playing field should be level. Providing one candidate with a platform from the dais, even temporarily, introduces a perception of bias—and risks undermining public trust in the integrity of the election.
There is a clear and ethical distinction between running against a duly elected incumbent and competing for an open seat. In this case, where the voters have the opportunity to choose fresh leadership, it is especially important that no candidate appears to have been granted an advantage by Council action.
Please honor the spirit of fair elections. Select a temporary appointee who is not currently running for office, and who understands that their role is to serve the public until the voters make their decision this fall.
Thank you for your service and thoughtful consideration of this matter.
This debate is not about personalities; it’s about election integrity. A temporary appointment should not tilt the electoral field. And reporters, above all, should strive to present the full unbiased picture.
Stunning that Council would change eligibility only after seeing who applied. Isn't at least one of the rejected applicants running against an incumbent?? The argument about incumbency seems contrived.
Josh Rosenau is running for Jon Lebo’s current position 3. Fred Grant is running for the vacant position 2
Let’s be clear: reporters have a responsibility to inform the public without bias. Yet your recent article introduced personal relationships (“Joshua Rosenau is a friend”) and then singled out one councilmember—Paula Goode—because she had criticized your reporting, as though that alone casts doubt on her judgment. Are journalists above critique?
You also omitted two key facts. First, the motion was brought up by Council Member Saunders, not by Council Member Goode. Second four councilmembers—Ellyn Saunders, Jon Lebo, Tracy Furutani, and Paula Goode—voted for the decision. Why not name them all, instead of focusing on one?
The piece also misrepresents a basic truth about electoral dynamics: the power of incumbency. In Lake Forest Park over the last 15 years, only one sitting councilmember has lost their seat to a challenger. You can confirm that with the City Clerk’s office.
This power of incumbency is exemplified by Councilmember Semra Riddle, who was appointed in 2016 to replace Hilda Thompson. Since then, she has run twice—both times unopposed. In 2021, she didn’t even submit a statement to the King County Voters Guide. According to the State’s Public Disclosure Commission, Council Riddle reported no dollars raised or spent on either of her other two campaigns.
Your claim that other 2025 candidates to fill the empty seat “didn’t bother to apply?” Did you reach out to ask them why? One candidate in particular said they intend to only fill the vacancy until the election to, in effect, let the voters decide. Speculation in place of inquiry is not journalism.
My name was also mentioned several times during the council meeting, which you either attended or watched the recording of the meeting, as the author of the recommendation to not appoint any 2025 candidate to the vacant seat. Yet I was never contacted. Below is the full statement I submitted to the Council, which your reporting ignored:
Dear Councilmembers,
While I know that temporarily filling Lori’s Bodi’s council seat is, in many ways, an impossible task, she was truly one of a kind, and her presence will be deeply missed—you are now entrusted with the responsibility of appointing someone to temporarily serve until this fall’s election.
I respectfully urge you not to appoint any individual who has officially filed with King County Elections to run for one of Lake Forest Park’s open Council seats.
Appointing a declared candidate creates an unfair advantage in the upcoming election. Even a brief incumbency confers both the appearance of legitimacy and privileged access to inside information—an edge the other candidates do not and cannot possess. This is not merely a theoretical concern. In races where no incumbent is running, the playing field should be level. Providing one candidate with a platform from the dais, even temporarily, introduces a perception of bias—and risks undermining public trust in the integrity of the election.
There is a clear and ethical distinction between running against a duly elected incumbent and competing for an open seat. In this case, where the voters have the opportunity to choose fresh leadership, it is especially important that no candidate appears to have been granted an advantage by Council action.
Please honor the spirit of fair elections. Select a temporary appointee who is not currently running for office, and who understands that their role is to serve the public until the voters make their decision this fall.
Thank you for your service and thoughtful consideration of this matter.
This debate is not about personalities; it’s about election integrity. A temporary appointment should not tilt the electoral field. And reporters, above all, should strive to present the full unbiased picture.
Jeff Snedden.
Minor correction - Aston Alvarez stepped down as Chair a few months ago. Sam Castic is current Chair.
Ah. Thanks for the correction.