It’s filing week for the upcoming election season and three Redmond area men have thrown their hat into the ring for congressional and legislative offices.
The filing deadline is Friday and as of Thursday afternoon, Redmond resident Larry Ishmael, an Independent party supporter, is one of five candidates running for the newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, which includes parts of Redmond.
The new 1st District starts in King County, goes north through less populated and traditionally more conservative areas and includes Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties, up to the Canadian border.
According to his website, Ishmael is running to work toward solving the country’s “economic, environmental, energy, and educational problems.”
The website also states that his mission is to “use common sense solutions and his extensive experience in both the public and private sectors” to address these issues.Ishmael has served as a former president of the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce and former president of the Issaquah School District. He has also worked as an architect for the Sao Paulo Clean Air Project, the world’s largest, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Joel Hussey, a Republican who lives on Novelty Hill, filed to run for state representative, Pos. 1 in the 45th Legislative District, which includes parts of Redmond. He will run against Kirkland resident Jacob Bond, who is a Democrat and incumbent, State Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, who originally planned to run for the 1st District Congressional race before changing his mind last month.
In a press release, Hussey said he is running because the current legislature “has failed to act on behalf of the students, small businesses and families of this state and it’s time to make a change.”
Hussey’s priorities are to fund education first, work for meaningful tax and regulatory relief for employers and to put state government on a sustainable budget.
Hussey has worked mostly in the aviation industry. He owns and operates Tailwind Capital, an aircraft leasing and finance company in Redmond.Goodman announced last month his plans to drop out of the 1st District Congressional race and seek a fourth term in the 45th District state house.
Jim Thatcher, a political Republican newcomer who lives on Union Hill, will challenge incumbent Larry Springer for Pos. 2 in the 45th District. So far, Thatcher is Springer’s only challenger.
In a press release, Thatcher, a principal program manager at Microsoft, said he is running to help bring “a fresh team to our citizen legislature and greater accountability to state government.”
Thatcher’s priorities include education, job and business development and real spending controls and budget reforms.
In the 48th District, the other legislative district that covers Redmond, Pos. 1 incumbent Ross Hunter, D-Medina, will be challenged by Republican and Bellevue resident Bill Hirt.
In Pos. 2 in the 48th District, Bellevue resident and Democrat Cyrus Habib will be running unopposed. Incumbent Deb Eddy announced in March she will not be seeking re-election.
This story includes candidates who have filed as of noon Thursday, according to the King County elections website. For a complete list of candidates who have filed, click here.
