Mayoral Election Coverage 2017: an Interview with Judy Tuohy

There are worse things in life than sitting in Cafe Wylde on a sunny day, drinking a smoothie and talking Everett politics.

Everett politics has become my obsession lately because it is so much.

Outgoing Mayor Stephenson has been the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. He signed on in 2003. City council seats are up for grabs.

I see the effects of a changing urban landscape everywhere I go.

Rows of old houses now have fresh paint and fences. Home prices are climbing. There is a noticeable uptick in foot traffic downtown. I see young families with strollers and hipsters I don’t know.

Everett is projected to grow by 25% over the next ten years.

That’s an extra 28,000 people in our city who will need transportation, recreation, and education.

They’ll need a place to live.

Judy Tuohy is sitting across from me at Cafe Wylde. She wears a dark outfit with a light scarf. She’s good at making eye contact. She asks what I think about certain issues, and when I reply she seems to digest my responses.

Tuohy is one of two women candidates in the race (the other is Cassie Franklin). Either could be the first female mayor since Joyce Ebert held office in 1977.

Judy has been endorsed by State Representative June Robinson, local artist Chuck Close, and the National Women’s Political Caucus.

She’s fond of talking about projected growth and gathering data from studies.

“We just need to plan for [growth] now.” She mentions how important it is to work the budget. “[We need] a big strategic plan—ten years…these are the housing needs, these are the identified areas that make sense for growth, this is the least impact on our infrastructure so that we don’t clog the streets getting from A to B. And then we layer in the services.”

She explains that Everett’s anticipated population boom will, “affect the [city’s] budget in every line.”

Tuohy (pronounced “too-ee”) graduated from Everett High School in 1972. In third grade she used to take the bus from the Claremont neighborhood to downtown Everett to shop at dime stores. She’s worked in the downtown core for 22 years.

During our interview she refers to Everett at least once as “a great little town.”

As executive director of the Arts Council of Snohomish County, Judy Tuohy brought the Schack Art Center to Downtown Everett. The new building on Hoyt is easily identifiable— high windows filled with colored glass.

The Schack sold $300,000 worth of art last year. It brings in 35,000 visitors annually and 92% percent of them are from out of town.

Making a building from scratch took time. The project began in 1999 and was completed in 2011.

The Schack hosts Fresh Paint, the Artists’ Garage Sale, and other cultural events that attract tens of thousands of visitors to the city annually. Visitors leave these events with a positive impression of Everett.

Judy was elected to the city council in 2014. Her experience in the nonprofit sector is applicable to her role in the public sector. In both positions, her attitude is the same.

“It’s not our money we’re spending,” she noted. Both nonprofits and city governments are allotted funds that they must steward and allocate with discretion and transparency.

“You have to be very careful with the money…you need to be as efficient as possible while fulfilling the needs of the community.”

Another big one on her resume: as liaison to the Everett Public Library she’s worked to expand the Evergreen Branch located off of Highway 99 in the Holly District.

“[The Evergreen Branch] plays a vital role in that community,” Tuohy said. The expansion will, “increase data, increase computers” and internet access for this traditionally underserved community.

“I initiated the expansion of the library. It had been on the shelf for a while. [The city] hasn’t done many upgrades in that neighborhood. That library’s so overused.”

Tuohy, the city council’s public safety liaison, wants to change the popular perception of Everett.

“The [drug epidemic]…we won’t let that define us.”

She says this issue comes up regularly as she’s gone door to door in her campaign. She sits and listens to families affected by opioid abuse. She wants to hire more police and continue hiring them on pace as population increases, in part to crack down on people selling drugs.

She says that social services like housing, mental health, and drug rehab centers can work in harmony to help a person transition out of homelessness and ultimately have successful employment.

Perhaps the strongest point in Tuohy’s vision is revitalization of the downtown core. In 2009 there was only one crane in downtown area and it was building the Schack.

Tuohy says the key to a vibrant downtown is to bring in several unique shops in close proximity. She mentions the allure of J. Matheson, Wicked Cellars, and other similar boutiques and small businesses.

Fill each empty storefront on Colby with a distinct retail space or restaurant. This will bring in out of town foot traffic and local dollars on the evenings and weekends.

She has two children, aged 30 and 33. She mentions that millennials are changing how a city acts. There’s a higher demand for rental properties, lower car ownership. Walkable neighborhoods are very desirable.

Everett needs to anticipate this and adapt. “Taking care of [the needs] of that generation is important—they’re going to be leading us very soon.”

We start to wind down our interview. Tuohy comments that all the issues we’ve talked about are interrelated.

“It’s all very complicated, but you just gotta tackle it. That’s how I do things.”

I end with a softball question. I want to know: where is her favorite place to eat in Everett?

“Tacobook,” she said. Her kids took her there on Mother’s Day. She says the seasoned meat is delicious and the service is very good.

The election primaries are coming next month. Ballots will be sent out in July and must be submitted or postmarked by August 1, 2017.

Between now and then, the candidates and their volunteer bases will be knocking on doors, making parade floats, and phone calls.

Stay tuned to the Live in Everett blog in the coming weeks for more election coverage including interviews with other mayoral candidates. You can read Richard's piece on mayoral candidate Brian Sullivan here.