Council Meeting

Snohomish County Council Council Meeting Meeting Minutes Jared Mead, Council Chair Nate Nehring, Council Vice-Chair Councilmembers: Sam Low, Megan Dunn, Strom Peterson Wednesday, June 14, 2023 2:30 PM Jackson Board Room Interviews/District Court Judge Vacancy (Cascade Division) PRESENT: Council Chair Mead Vice-Chair Nehring Councilmember Low Councilmember Dunn Councilmember Peterson Heidi Beazizo, Chief of Staff Candidate Jennifer DeJong Candidate Rachelle Francis Debbie Eco, Clerk of the Council *See names below for names of people providing public comment 1. Call to Order Chair Mead called the Council to order at 2:30 p.m. and provided instructions for those wishing to provide public comment for both in-person and remote via Zoom. 2. Roll Call The clerk called the roll and stated that all five members were present. Page 1 of 3 Council Meeting Meeting Minutes June 14, 2023 3. Public Comment The following people provided supportive comments for Candidate Rachelle Francis: • Judge Jennifer Rancourt, Cascade District Court and resident of the city of Stanwood • Jason Schwarz, Director of Office of Public Defense • Judge Anthony Howard, Everett District Court and resident of city of Marysville • Retired Judge Steven Clough and resident of the city of Monroe Jason Cummings, Snohomish County Prosecutor, spoke in support of Candidate Jennifer DeJong. There were no further persons wishing to provide public comment. Chair Mead and councilmembers introduced themselves. Heidi Beazizo, Chief of Staff, provided background information and explained how this position became vacant. She stated the effective date of this appointment is July 24, 2023. Ms. Beazizo then explained the process for today’s interviews. 4. Council Interviews Candidates for District Court Judge Vacancy (Cascade Division) click on 2023-0618 link below for candidate information Councilmembers interviewed each of the following candidates separately for the Cascade District Court Judge vacancy. Jennifer DeJong Rachelle Francis EXECUTIVE SESSION Evaluate Qualifications of Candidate for Appointment of Elective Office Pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) At 3:46 p.m., Heidi Beazizo, Chief of Staff, stated there is a need for an Executive Session to evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for an appointment to elective office, pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) for an estimated duration of 15 minutes, with anticipated action to follow. PRESENT: Council Chair Mead Council Vice-Chair Nehring Councilmember Low Councilmember Dunn Councilmember Peterson Heidi Beazizo, Chief of Staff Bridget Casey, Prosecutor's Office Page 2 of 3 Council Meeting Meeting Minutes June 14, 2023 Executive Session began at 3:48 p.m. for an initial 15 minutes to 4:03 p.m. The Executive Session ended at 4:03 p.m. At 4:03 p.m., Chair Mead called the Council back to order. 5. Motion 23-231, making an appointment to the Snohomish County 2023-0618 District Court to fill a vacancy in the Cascade Electoral District The clerk read the motion title into the record. ACTION: Vice-Chair Nehring made a motion to approve Motion 23-231. Councilmember Peterson seconded the motion. Councilmembers provided supportive comments for both candidates and thanked them for participating in the process. They all noted both candidates are very well qualified, making this a difficult decision. ACTION: Councilmember Dunn made motion to amend the motion to add Rachelle Francis to Motion 23-231. Councilmember Peterson seconded the motion. Councilmember Dunn spoke to the amendment and shared her appreciation for both candidates. The question was called for and the amendment carried unanimously. The question was called for on the main motion and Motion 23-231 as amended carried unanimously. 6. Adjourn There being no further business, Chair Mead adjourned the Council for the day at 4:09 p.m. Page 3 of 3