Miller elected mayor of North Bend
North Bend City Councilmember Mary Miller has been elected as the town’s next mayor, narrowly defeating one-term incumbent Rob McFarland.
Miller, who has served on the city council since 2020, carries nearly 52% of the vote, as of Nov. 17. McFarland has 47%.
After holding a seven point advantage on election night, Miller saw her lead dwindle as more ballots came in over the last week. At point, McFarland pulled within less than than 50 votes.
Rustik, Elwood win seats on North Bend City Council
Christina Rustik and Brenden Elwood have won their respective races for North Bend City Council, with both carrying double digits leads as of Nov. 17.
In the race with no incumbent for council position 1, Rustik had a comfortable lead over Errol Tremolada. She carried nearly 60% of the vote as of Nov. 17.
Rustik, a member of the North Bend Economic Development Commission, has spent three decades at Boeing and holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Washington.
In the position 5 race, voters overwhelmingly chose to re-elect Elwood. As of Nov. 17, he had a nearly 75% of the vote over challenger Jason Ritchey.
Elwood has been a member of the city council since 2016, and has also spent time on the Si View Parks and North Bend Planning Commission. He works in market research.
Washington wins seat
After being appointed to fill a vacancy last March, Louis Washington has won a full-term on the Snoqualmie City Council.
As of Nov. 17, Washington carried 57% of the vote in his race against Carson Maestas for the position 1 council seat. Washington was appointed to the council following the resignation of Matt Laase.
Washington is a former member of the city economic development commission and chairs the public policy committee on the Snoqualmie Valley Housing Task Force. He is a business manager for a medical equipment company.
Cotton lead Walia in close contest
In the only Snoqualmie race without an incumbent, Catherine Cotton has a narrow lead over Mandeep Walia.
As of Nov. 17, Cotton is leading Walia by just over 1% or 41 votes. Cotton pulled out to an early lead on election night, holding a 54% to 45% edge, but her advantage dwindled over the last week.
Cotton is a retired veterinarian and long-time volunteer EMT with the Snoqualmie Fire Department. Walia is a medical physician who works with elderly patients.
Milstein wins seat on school board
Judith Milstein has won her race for the district 2 seat on the Snoqualmie Valley School Board, defeating Linda Grez.
Milstein holds nearly 52% of the vote as of Nov. 17. That is a 430-vote lead over Grez, who holds 47% of the vote.
Si View pool levy falls short
For the third time in four years, voters have shot down a Si View Parks property tax levy looking to build a new community pool.
A majority of voters – 56% as of Nov. 17 – cast ballots in support of the levy, but the measure needs to meet 60% approval to pass.
The result is similar to past property tax levies Si View put on the ballot in 2020 and 2022. Those measures won 56% and 57% approval respectively, with the latter failing by less than 200 votes.
The rejection means Si View is likely to lose out on a $4 million grant from King County Parks. The grant funds were awarded for to Si View for the pool expansion.
Fall City Fire levy passes
A ballot measure looking to raise property taxes to support the growth and stability of the Fall City Fire Department is passing as of Nov. 17. It carries over 51% approval.
The levy raises the total fire service property tax rate for Fall City residents from $1.09 to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Challengers have success in Carnation City Council races
Jessica Merizan has won her races for Carnation City Council Position 5, unseating incumbent Dustin Green.
As of Nov. 17, Merizan carried 56% of the vote, a 12-point lead over Green.
Challenger Brodie Nelson also narrowly defeated incumbent Tim Harris in the position 3 race. As of Nov. 17. Nelson had 51% of the vote, holding about a 3 point (or 20 vote) lead over Harris.
Burrell wins seat after appointment
Carnation City Councilmember Ryan Burrell, who was appointed to the council in September 2022, has overwhelmingly won election for the first time over challenger Max Voelker. Burrell carries 58% of the vote, a 17 point lead. Burrell is a business and hardware implementation analyst with Costco.
Other Races:
Si View Park District: Tim Noonan defeats Mark Leen is a close race. Noonan won with 50.45% of the vote.
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District: Incumbent Emma Herron defeats challenger Robert Angrisano, with 53% of the vote.
Turnout
As of the most recent data, turnout in North Bend is over 54% among registered voters. That’s notably high for an off-year, non-presidential election.
Over 3,100 of the city’s 5,785 registered voters cast a ballot in what was a busy election cycle. In addition to a mayoral contest and two competitive city council races, there was also a property tax measure for a new pool from the Si View Parks District, which includes North Bend city limits.
In neighboring Snoqualmie, which did not have a mayor’s race on the ballot, only 32% of registered voters turned out to vote. City voters had only two competitive city council races.
In Carnation, nearly 47% of the city’s 1,552 registered voters cast a ballot. The city had three of its five city council seats up for grabs.
Election Results will be certified on Nov. 28.
