The advice of experts
- Jan 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 3
Edmonds is struggling to solve big problems. They have a fiscal emergency (2023) and no plan on how to stop it. They have a complex technology problem at the waste water treatment plant (yes - it stinks downtown) and have spend $25,000,000 so far with no solution in sight. Legal settlements have caused liability insurance costs to skyrocket.
These are just the highlights of the city's problems list. There's more. Is there a systemic issue? We think there is.
The National Civic League recommends the city manager form of government - not mayoral - because trained professionals are better at governance. Certain chapters of the League of Women Voters also recommend the city manager form. (But the local Snohomish County chapter has not studied this topic.)
Popularly elected mayors are politicians. A key issue with politicians is they're inclined to clean house and put their own Directors in place. For example, in the '03 - '14 period Edmonds had 6 Finance Directors and 2 interim Directors. Key roles are left vacant, such as the Economic Development Director. The average tenure of the current set of Directors is 1.5 years in their role. (The actual tenures range from 5 years to 2 months, not including the imminent hiring of a city administrator. )
Understanding the National Civic League
The league is a non-partisan political organization founded in 1894 as the National Municipal League. Founding members include Theodore Roosevelt and Fredrick Law Olmstead. They aimed to fix incompetence and corruption in local government.
Their mission today is to advance inclusive engagement and promote innovations in democracy. They are active in our region -
Plan an assembly in Snohomish County in 2026 on the role of artificial intelligence in government
Led training sessions on effective civic engagement in 2025 in both Snohomish and King Counties
Learn more about their civic skill workshops such as the Everett event in 2025: https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/sockeye-salmon-civic-skill-building-in-washington/
Learn more about their governance model for cities at https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/resources/model-city-charter-9th-edition/
