On Wednesday night, Sept. 25, 2019, the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce held its 31st annual Candidates Night, a forum for regional candidates running for office in our area.

Over 100 people – including 32 candidates running for local offices in Normandy Park, Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac, Tukwila and the Port of Seattle – were in attendance at the event, held at the DoubleTree Suites in Tukwila.

Moderated by Chamber CEO Andrea Reay, the forum was lively and fast-paced, and in addition to fun “ice breaker” questions, allowed all candidates to speak and vote thumbs-up or down on relevant topics during lighting rounds.

Candidates participating included:

Burien:

  • Joel Manning (Position 2)
  • Cydney Moore (Position 2)
  • Kevin Schilling (Position 4)
  • Sofia Aragon (Position 6)
  • Debi Wagner (Position 6)

Des Moines:

  • Luisa Bangs (Position 2)
  • JC Harris (Position 2)
  • Jeremy Nutting (Position 4)
  • Susan White (Position 4)
  • Rob Back (Position 6)

Normandy Park:

  • Earnest Thompson (Position 1)
  • Jonathan Chicquette (Position 3)
  • Shawn McEvoy (Position 3)
  • Kathleen Sherry (Position 5)
  • Michelle Sipes-Marvin (Position 5)
  • Sue-Ann Hohimer (Position 7)
  • Kathleen Waters (Position 7)

SeaTac:

  • Peter Kwon (Position 3)
  • Damiana Merryweather (Position 3)
  • Takele Gobena (Position 5)
  • Stan Tombs (Position 5)
  • Mohamed Ali Egal (Position 7)
  • Erin Sitterley (Position 7)

Tukwila:

  • Kathy Hougardy (Position 2)
  • Nancy J. Manos (Position 2)
  • Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson (Position 4)
  • Denis Martinez (Position 4)
  • Kate Kruller (Position 6)
  • Tosh Sharp (Position 6)

Port of Seattle Commission:

  • Sam Cho (Position 2)
  • Grant Degginger (Position 2)
  • Fred Felleman (Position 5)

One highlight of the night comes around 15:28 into the video, when Des Moines Council candidate Rob Back sings The Beatles’ “Long and Winding Road” as the answer to the “What is your theme song?” ice breaker question.

Watch the full video below (running time 57:46):