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Screenshot from King County Elections website
Official filing begins today for five Renton elected offices. The City Council Seats held by Kim-Khanh Van, Ed Prince, Ryan McIrvin, and Valerie O’Halloran are up for election, as well as the Mayor’s Seat held by Armondo Pavone. (Full disclosure: I’ve given early endorsements to Mayor Armondo Pavone and Council Member Valerie O’Halloran.)
Anyone interested in running has until the end of the workday on Friday May 19 to file (4:00PM online, 4:30 PM in-person), although it’s best not to wait until the last minute.
You can find the information you need to file here at the King County Elections Website.
It can be a fair amount of work to kick off a campaign, so if you choose to run, you should be prepared to hit some key deadlines shortly after filing. In addition to filing with King County Elections, you need to file with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, and assign a treasurer (it could be you) to disclose your campaign financing. You also will need to hit an important key date with a primary election voter pamphlet write-up and photograph on May 26 if there are more than two people in you contest.
A complete calendar can be found in the King County Candidate Manual here
There’s a really good chance that a slate of good candidates could bump Kim-Kahn Van out of the race from the start. If Kim does make it to the general, her opponent will have a lot of support simply for not being Kim.
Kim Khan Van often votes against the best interest of our community. In 2019 I voted for her to represent Renton and sadly 9 months later she ran for King County Council. She doesn’t care about Renton, just her own political ambition.
If you like Kim Kahn Van or don’t, we all can agree:
Let’s free her up to run for higher office!
Regrettably, it seems only three out of seven council members consistently demonstrate this dedication to our city and its residents, not just when the campaign season rolls around.
Councilmembers Kim, Ed, and Ryan have unfortunately shown lapses in judgment, some more frequently than others. This has resulted in negative repercussions for Renton, primarily due to their seeming forgetfulness of whom they were elected to represent.
Councilmember Kim seems to have lost sight of our Renton community, behaving more in line with Seattle’s constituents who advocate for police defunding. Councilmember Ed appears more focused on serving the interests of King County at large, utilizing Renton as a revenue source for wealthier areas. Meanwhile, Councilmember Ryan seems more intent on serving Dow Constantine than our local community, often aligning his actions with Constantine’s desires.
As conscientious citizens and the heart of this vibrant city, we must ensure that our representatives truly reflect our values and work for the betterment of Renton. Let us reaffirm our commitment to Renton and call for more accountability and representation from our elected officials.
Greg
Agreed. We need Renton representatives to represent us *ALL THE TIME*. Not just when election season comes around.
When it comes to Councilmembers Kim, Ed, and Ryan, it’s important to remember that the issues they’re tackling are complex.
They’re trying to address systemic problems that affect not just Renton, but also our broader BIPOC community. Sometimes, solutions might seem out of sync with immediate local interests, but these measures are often designed with a broader perspective and longer-term benefits in mind.
It’s easy to throw stones from the sidelines, but let’s remember that they are working under challenging circumstances.
Ok.. they think they’re better than Renton. Got it.