Eyes were on the Seattle and King County elections. However, WR has been monitoring several key races and initiatives across the state.
Elected Officials:
The larger body of elections will occur in 2024, but several local elected races stood out as critical to retailers.
Seat: Spokane Mayor
Candidates: Incumbent Mayor Nadine Woodward vs. Lisa Brown.
Outcome: Lisa Brown won with 51.8% of the vote.
WR Position: Although WR supported and endorsed Mayor Woodward, we look forward to being able to begin working with Mayor-elect Brown to advocate for retailers in Spokane.
Seat: Burien City Council, Position #4
Candidates: Councilman Kevin Schilling vs. Patricia Hudson.
Outcome: Kevin Schilling will maintain his position on the city council.
WR Position: WR endorsed Councilman Schilling because of his strong support of businesses and retailers, along with his history on the city council.
Seat: Port of Olympia, District 4
Candidates: Rose Chiu Gundersen vs. Maggie Sanders.
Outcome: Votes are still being processed. Outcome is to be determined.
WR Position: WR’s Rose Chiu Gundersen ran for one of the newly expanded commissioner seats – District #4. Rose has long been a strong advocate for retailers in Washington State. In addition, her experience of working with lawmakers to create bi-partisan solutions makes her the standout candidate for this position.
Ballot Measures & Initiatives:
Renton and Bellingham both had ballot measures regarding minimum wage increases.
Renton’s “Raise the Minimum Wage” ballot measure sought to increase the minimum wage to match next-door neighbor Tukwila’s $19.06 per hour.
Outcome: Votes are still being processed. Outcome is to be determined.
Bellingham’s initiative 2023-01 called for Bellingham’s minimum wage to be $1 above the state minimum wage of $15.74 an hour on May 1, 2024, and would increase to $2 above the state minimum wage on May 1, 2025.
Outcome: The initiative passed with 54.9% of the vote.
Thurston County’s Proposition 1 is a public safety tax. Proposition 1 would impose a nominal increase in sales tax to 2/10ths of 1%. For reference, tax would increase by 2 cents for every $10.00 spent within Thurston County. The tax revenue would fund public safety efforts in Thurston County.
Outcome: Proposition 1 passed with strong support from voters. WR believes this initiative is one of many solutions to address public safety concerns in Thurston County.
