Three incumbents, one newcomer take Sultan council seats in 2018

Three incumbents will stay on the Sultan City Council following results of the general election.

Newcomer Christina Sivewright is taking the Position 6 seat from Marianne Naslund, who dropped out of the race in the weeks leading up to the election.

The incumbent, who has lived in Sultan since 1993, announced her decision at the Sultan City Council candidate forum held in October. She explained that her husband’s parents are aging and experiencing medical issues. The couple has been tending to them over the past year. She said she is choosing to dedicate herself to the care full-time in their home.

Naslund will finish up her first term on the council this winter. She has been a planner of the annual Sultan Shindig for nearly two decades, and she was the parade grand marshal this year.

Naslund is a long-time employee of the Sultan School District, and was recently recognized for her efforts. She was named the 2017 Citizen of The Year at the annual Community Civic Awards Celebration Potluck hosted in March by the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce.

A WorkSource Monroe site operator, this will be Sivewright’s first time elected position, although her involvement in the community is extensive; she is a long-time member for the board of directors for the Sultan Harvest and co-chair for the local Veterans Day ceremony. She said she feels she will bring a strong set of skills in workforce development to the city.

Sivewright said Naslund gave her a vote of confidence, and she appreciates everything the councilmember has done for Sultan. In the six months leading up to the election, Sivewright said she has been attending council meetings and reading up on her new job.

“I am excited and looking forward to getting to work and helping this community be healthier and safer and provide services to the community,” she said.

Incumbent Bob McCarty will keep the Position 1 seat, with 57.94 percent of the votes as of Friday. Opponent Shaun Carr took nearly 35.56 percent, but dropped out of the race months earlier.

McCarty is finishing his first term this year. The retiree is a proponent of volunteerism and public service. He’s active with the Volunteers of America Western Washington’s Sky Valley Integrated Service Center, the Sultan Shindig and Gold Dust Days in Gold Bar.

John Seehuus has been the acting mayor since Carolyn Eslick resigned last week to take on her new role of serving the 39th District in the Washington House of Representatives. He took 56.57 percent of the votes for Position 2. Opponent Dustin Burdette, who is the general manager at Avery Automotive, nabbed nearly 43 percent.

Seehuus said he appreciated that he and his opponent ran a clean race. He spent time door belling for what will be his third term if the numbers hold.

“I do it because I love it — I love serving the people,” he said. “I try to be fair and objective and listen. I just love my town, I love little Sultan...it’s really one of best kept secrets on the planet; it’s really a special little place.”

Seehuus moved to the city in 1989. He has been a regular judge at the Sultan Shindig parade, is the vice president of the Sultan Education Foundation, and has been vice chairman of the U.S. 2 Traffic Safety Coalition for nearly 20 years.

Rocky Walker, who currently holds the Position 3 seat, received nearly 56 percent of the votes, while challenger Jason Lee took 43.55 percent.

Walker was born in Sultan and graduated from the school district before becoming a volunteer firefighter. He then took a few years away from the city, returning in 2005. He has helped get a graffiti abatement program up and running, and has supervised various Main Street cleanup efforts.