Congressional candidates Catherine Hildebrand (D) and Hunter Gordon (D) flank an empty seat reserved for Suzan DelBene (D), Marysville’s incumbent congresswoman.
Saturday, candidates from Washington’s 1st Congressional District, 38th, and 39th Legislative Districts met at the Marysville library to answer questions, debate with each other. This was the first of our hopefully annual candidate forums like this, filling the role that the Marysville Globe used to hold in this capacity in the community.
Several important topics were discussed, from national issues such as ICE, to more pointed, local issues such as building height limits, and the recent public outcry against data centers.
Of those not in attendance, one stood out: Incumbent congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-Medina). Despite repeated attempts, she was the only candidate to never respond to our invitations. She is also, as far as we are aware, the only candidate to not visit Marysville this election season, and the only incumbent to not do so as well.
The public was given a chance to speak to those that might represent them next year, something some citizens remarked as being rare in an area with entrenched incumbents. Chief among their concerns were discussions over ICE’s direct conflict with Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson, and concerns over data centers. These two topics alone took up a third of the time of the event. Other more local topics included the role of the government in protecting LGBTQ refugees in the Puget Sound, as well as the expansion of Washington’s healthcare system to have a single-payer system.
Discussion from the public was heated at several points. Despite this, civility was kept, and at no point was there any fear of violence as has been seen in similar events across the country. We are happy to see that, despite what some may think outside of our city, Marysville is a politically-active city that still can conduct itself with respect and dignity, even when discussing pressing concerns.
While we at The Voice of the Mountain do have our endorsed candidates, we thank all of those in attendance, and wish them luck in their campaigns. Primary day is August 4th, with ballots mailed out on July 17th. We particularly thank the Sno-Isle Libraries for helping facilitate the event, and keeping it free for the public. We urge all of our readers to vote a firm YES for the library levy this year.
We hope to see a larger crowd next year, and hope that our readers stay in touch with these candidates.