Election 2025: Newman kicks off his city council campaign, pledging transparency, community engagement and bipartisan collaboration - My Edmonds News
By Larry Vogel
Alex Newman kicked off his campaign for Edmonds City Council Position 3 Thursday in front of an estimated 50 supporters gathered at Brigid’s Bottleshop in Edmonds’ Salish Crossing. Newman emphasized his background in disaster response and community resilience, his academic background which includes a master’s degree in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s in policy analysis and management from Cornell University. He also pointed to his endorsements from local leaders and organizations including the Snohomish County Democrats, the 21st District Democrats, Edmonds City Councilmembers Susan Paine and Chris Eck, State Rep. and Snohomish County Councilmember Strom Peterson, State Rep. Cindy Ryu, and former Snohomish County Prosecutor and Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis.
Council Position 3 is currently held by Neil Tibbott, who is not running for reelection. Newman is in a three-way contest for the job. His opponents are Erika Barnett and Joseph Ademofe. A primary election will be Aug. 5, and the two top vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.
Emcee Janice Ellis began the event by welcoming participants and highlighting Newman’s qualifications and experience as regional executive director of the American Red Cross serving northwest Washington and his skills in disaster response and community rebuilding.
“When I retired, I decided that what I really wanted to do was more community service, and so I started volunteering for the Red Cross,” Ellis began. “It is through that volunteer work that I met Alex. As our regional director, he has responded to disasters large and small, local and national, helped people through the tragedies that they couldn’t possibly imagine, and helped them rebuild their lives. Has developed unbelievable skills that give him the ability to meet people, to recognize them, to hear them, to see them, to walk with them through the trauma that they’ve experienced and help them see what’s needed to rebuild their community. This combined with his education make him well suited to the role he is seeking on the Edmonds City Council.”
Ellis then introduced Edmonds City Councilmember Susan Paine who, despite meeting Newman only recently, praised his ability to assimilate information, his background in policy and operational implementation, and his academic credentials.
“I have been totally knocked out by Alex and his ability to take in and understand information,” she began. “He asks great questions, he’s always pulling new things in and his ability to bring in information, assimilate it and put it out into the community is excellent. His professional experience, education and academic background are impressive.
“Other things that I really appreciate about Alex are his solid background in policy and planning, and that rare ability to put these plans into operation,” Paine said. “This doesn’t always happen in council — adopting policies that can’t be implemented has happened — so we really need someone with Alex’s skills. In addition, he is a very progressive, thoughtful person who will bring ideas from the community. We’ve had a tough two years on council and we need to have people who can integrate all that we have done and move forward to make sure that we protect the environment, protect people, ensure that we have housing for all and at all levels, have sensible policies regarding public safety and roads, and ensure solid emergency management. I’m really excited to hear what he’s going to be doing to offer this for the entire community.”
Paine then introduced Newman, who emphasized his commitment to public safety, affordability and environmental protection. He criticized current budget cuts and proposed creative revenue solutions like red-light cameras and parking fees. In addition, Newman stressed the importance of civic participation, community engagement and partnerships to address housing affordability and environmental issues, and suggested districting as an alternative to at-large representation on the council to enhance accountability.
He began by talking about his background.
“I moved to the U.S. as a child from Leicester, England with my parents, who knew that my little brother and I needed a better life than what a small working-class town could afford us,” he said. “Like a lot of families with economic insecurity, while I was growing up we moved around quite a lot to wherever there was a job that could support our family But what determined exactly where we chose to live was always the same three things: great public schools, safe neighborhoods and a community that takes care of its environment. And it was exactly those priorities that led me here, and what makes me so proud to call Edmonds home. I am so grateful to live in the most beautiful town on Earth.”
“So why the heck am I running?” he asked. “I hate what is happening in our country right now. You just need to turn on the news for 30 seconds to see an example of how our government is stripping people of rights, is seeking to distract us further, and is gutting programs that millions of people rely on every day, like Medicaid and food assistance.
“And the way that our country is being run is filtering down and affecting the way people are viewing the problems here in Edmonds,” he continued. “I’m shocked that it has been seriously proposed that in order to get out of the budget crisis, that we should sell off our parks. There’s a group of people — I think of them as Edmonds DOGE — who want to cut services, who want to gut public lands, and who do not want to invest in the future of our community. Let me be clear: Our parks are not for sale.
“Edmunds is more than $12 million in the hole at the moment. I have the experience as a nonprofit leader to know how to get a big impact on a small budget and be able to prioritize public services that work for everyone,” he explained. “Young people right now don’t believe they have a political voice. We have multiple generations who have grown up in a political climate dominated by people who are so negative, and now is a time when we need young voices to start charting a new path forward to bring our country together from the local level up, not the other way around. It’s this place where we can talk to one another, where we can make our voices heard, and just as importantly, we can hear the voices of other people who disagree, without all this slander, all the mudslinging, without all the negativity that is happening at the national level. Our local city council affects our daily lives often more than what happens in the other Washington, and we need it to work.”
He went on outline his three key campaign themes:
1. Public Safety
• Addressing gang graffiti, vandalism and safety concerns near schools.
• Bringing youth perspective to council.
Having experienced school safety challenges directly through his younger brother who survived a school shooting, Newman said he is proud of his endorsements from the Alliance for Gun Responsibility and Moms Demand Action.
2. Affordability
• Addressing what he sees as the housing affordability crisis in Edmonds, where the median home cost is $900,000, making homeownership challenging for younger generations.
• Advocating for smart housing growth that preserves natural beauty.
• Supporting housing options for both young people and seniors.
3. Environmental Protection
• Protecting public lands, parks and local habitats.
• Reducing carbon footprint.
• Preventing urban sprawl.
Additionally his broader campaign themes include combating national political negativity and resisting its spread to Edmonds; encouraging local civic engagement; building partnerships across different levels of government; and bringing fresh, progressive perspectives to city governance. His overall message emphasized creating a compassionate, inclusive and forward-thinking Edmonds through collaborative, community-centered leadership.
“Our community deserves a councilmember committed not just to navigating change but to harnessing it for the good of everybody who calls Edmonds home,” Newman said. “Thank you so much for standing with me tonight. We cannot let Edmonds lose what makes it so special, nor can we miss the future. And we’re going to build it together. Thank you so so much.”
The last speaker was State Rep. and County Councilmember Peterson. who shared his experience working with Newman and highlighted his ability to create partnerships and serve the community. His most pointed comments, however, were addressed to those who would raise the issue of partisanship regarding Newman, who identifies as a Democrat.
“This is a non-partisan race, but that doesn’t mean that the candidates should or need to be nonpartisan. Being partisan provides a clear marker for where we stand,” Peterson said. “In my experience running for and holding office, I learned that this is a way for people to understand your values and the things you stand for. In addition, we have a strong bipartisanship culture in Washington state — in Olympia, 85% of the bills that we pass are strongly bipartisan — I guess it’s the Washington way. You can be in a partisan position, you can be a strong Democrat, be a strong Republican, and you can find a way to work together.”
Peterson went on to emphasize the critical nature of odd-year local elections, noting that city council decisions have a greater impact on residents’ daily lives than state or federal decisions. He ended with a strong endorsement of Newman’s candidacy and encouraged citizens to support his campaign by making donations, volunteering, hosting meet-and-greets, and generally spreading awareness about local elections.
Learn more about Alex Newman at his campaign website.