cmd112321 spec mtgEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL VIRTUAL ONLINE MEETING
APPROVED MINUTES
November 23, 2021
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT
Mike Nelson, Mayor
Susan Paine, Council President
Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, Councilmember
Will Chen, Councilmember
Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember
Vivian Olson, Councilmember
Laura Johnson, Councilmember
ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT
Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember
1. CALL TO ORDER
STAFF PRESENT
Patrick Doherty, Econ. Dev & Comm. Serv. Dir.
Scott Passey, City Clerk
Dave Rohde, GIS Analyst
The Edmonds City Council virtual online meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Nelson.
2. INTERVIEW FOR APPOINTMENT TO A CITY BOARD OR COMMITTEE
INTERVIEWS OF DIVERSITY COMMISSION APPOINTEES HELM, SHIBAYAMA
AND WHITE
Economic Development & Community Services Director Patrick Doherty introduced the Diversity
Commission appointees, Elaine Helm, Gracelynn Shibayama, and Robert White. He explained the
Diversity Commission interviewed six candidates and chose to appoint these three; the commission's
appointments are subject to Council confirmation. Their appointments will be effective January 1, 2022
through December 31, 2024. Following each interview, Mr. Doherty explained confirmation of the
appointments will be approved on the Consent Agenda. Councilmembers interviewed the following
candidates (responses in italics).
Elaine Helm
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said she served on the Diversity Commission for the first five years. She
noticed Ms. Helm had a lot of organization affiliations that would be of interest to the commission. She
asked if she had time to serve on the commission, noting although there is only one meeting a week, there
are other activities. Yes, absolutely. I appreciate the question as it is important to understand the
commitment. Outside of my children's activities and a couple of my own, I do not have a lot of other
evening activities. I am confident I can make time and I'm proud to serve the City in this way.
Councilmember L. Johnson asked what are you most excited about when joining the Diversity
Commission? I look forward to hearing from the other commissioners and learning about their
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experiences and opportunities to help the City whether that is in the community or within City
government, helping to make that more equitable. Just digging in and getting to know the other
commissioners is a big draw for me, being part of a very strong community of people who are committed
to making things better for everyone around them.
Councilmember Buckshnis commented her resume fits perfectly with the Diversity Commission, noting
her background in journalism and marketing and communication skills will fit in well. She relayed that
citizens are interested in distributing information outside the Bowl area. Do you have any marketing tools
to introduce to the commission? I'm excited to bring my professional marketing experience to the
commission. It's clear a lot of the work the commission does is related to education, information and
awareness which requires getting information out, especially beyond just the usual folks who are civically
engaged, finding ways to reach people who do not have time to call in or attend meetings in person,
finding ways to reach those folks where they are. I don't know what all the commission has considered in
the past regarding outreach tactics. I'm excited to learn what they have tried and offer suggestions for
reaching different parts of the population that they want to engage.
Councilmember Olson echoed Councilmember Buckshnis' comment about being impressed with that part
of her resume and feeling that it would bring a lot of value to the commission. She thanked Ms. Helm for
offering her time and talents, noting said she has all the same organizational affiliations with the
exception of being a member of her church. It has been a great path and she felt she knew a lot about Ms.
Helm knowing about her affiliations.
Councilmember Chen looked forward to having her on the commission and working with her. He asked
what was her number one idea to make the community more welcoming, inclusive and equitable? The
commission asked a similar question in the interview process and my answer was it is tough to come in as
the new person with big ideas and try to get them to the forefront right away. My approach in general is
to listen first and understand where the needs are. I certainly have ideas about where some of the needs
in the community might be. We've seen a lot throughout the pandemic and the events of last summer, an
awakening of awareness about racial inequity and racism in the country and some of those conversations
have occurred in Edmonds. It's important to not necessarily leap to solutions but spend time in the
community understanding what the needs are, who the interested parties are, and who is already doing
the work that might just need additional support or additional awareness brought to what they're doing.
Council President Paine said active listening will be an important ingredient in building community and
building trust. She had heard of Ms. Helm and knew of her from other parts of Edmonds and was pleased
she had put her name forward for the Diversity Commission and will be a welcome addition.
Gracelynn Shibayama
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said she one of founders of the Diversity Commission and was on the
commission for five years. The commission is very challenging because a lot of work is involved; in
addition to one meeting a month, there are subcommittees and other activities that require support. She
asked if Ms. Shibayama had the time to do that. I definitely do. I am excited to be a part of the
commission, Edmonds is my backyard. I moved here in 2009 when it was still called Deadmonds. In the
last five years, I've committed to being more Edmonds focused and figuring out how I can serve the
community and make it a more courageous space for everyone.
Councilmember Buckshnis said Ms. Shibayama will be perfect for position; she has had an opportunity to
meet a lot of different people working at the ECA and she was pleased she applied for this position. She
asked if Ms. Shibayama planned to do something unique or did she have ideas about what she wanted to
do utilizing the ECA's work in diversity, equity and inclusion? I have a lot of ideas and I'm excited to
learn what is happening. As the ECA's Rental and Events Coordinator, I have a broader connection
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within and outside the community including Indian dance recitals, Hawaiian shows, etc. I was adopted by
a White family and grew up in a mixed race family. I want to find ways to have educational, exciting and
fun ways to teach families and people in the community how to talk to families and within families and
bring that to the forefront and also have fun with it.
Councilmember Olson recalled Ms. Shibayama introduced last Thursday's show at the ECA, Big Bad
Voodoo Daddy, and had as much energy as the performers which will be a delight for the Diversity
Commission and everyone.
Councilmember Chen said he has an Asian, Chinese American background and lives and has a business
on Highway 99. He was excited by her organization affiliations with the arts and Leadership Snohomish
County. One of his ideas is a cultural center on Highway 99 in the near future. He asked if she had an
interest in that or any ideas how to make that a reality. That would be an amazing thing, because
Edmonds is more than just the Bowl. You can drive 15 minutes and still be in Edmonds. I remember
something at an ECA staff meeting about having at satellite on Highway 99. With my connection to the
ECA and my passion about moving forward, I think I can help and I'm excited to figure out how.
Councilmember L. Johnson said she seemed like an excellent candidate and her passion clearly comes
through. She was pleased to meet her virtually and in person in the future.
Council President Paine said she was excited about her application. She loved the idea of bringing in her
experience as part of a mixed race family, a topic that isn't always brought forward but affects a lot of
families in the Edmonds area. Her passion for the arts and the community will add a lot to the
commission. She looked forward to working with Ms. Shibayama in the future.
Robert White
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas observed Mr. White currently serves as the chair of the Racial Equity
Committee for SVP, is an IDI qualified administrator and worked with DEI. She asked what SVP and IDI
were. SVP is Social Venture Partners and IDI is Interdependent Cultural Inventory Assessment.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said it looked like he had done a lot of work in this field and would be
good addition to the commission. The commission meets once a monthly as well as in subcommittees and
participates in special events. She asked if he had time for that commitment, noting he was retired but still
worked. After 20 years in the military, I understand how important time management is. I'm a high
performer, my mind doesn't shut off until late evening so I always have time to do things.
Councilmember L. Johnson asked what he was most excited about when joining the Diversity
Commission. I'm most excited by the opportunity to work with residents, City staff and Councilmembers;
few commissions/boards have the ability to interact and impact those areas of the community. I'm also
excited about how do we take Edmonds to the next level related to its commitment to racial equity and
social justice initiatives.
Councilmember Buckshnis commented on his fabulous resume, saying he was perfect for the Diversity
Commission. She noted here is a lot of PTSD and suicide which can impact diversity and inclusion. She
asked if he anticipated utilizing his skills to reach out to veterans to get that group more involved. I
already help the Heroes Cafe with their strategic planning and work with other organizations. Bringing
them into the fold is important as is being proximate to power, understanding what they've gone through
and their lived experiences. Having that proximity will help bring them to the fold; not just veterans
because actually more civilians have PTSD than veterans and need assistance.
Councilmember Chen said he was excited about the wealth of experience and knowledge he would bring
to the Diversity Commission especially his connection to veterans. People often think of diversity only as
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minorities, but it is related to everybody including veterans. He was glad Mr. White could bring his
connections and expertise to the Diversity Commission.
Councilmember Olson said she has had the pleasure of meeting Mr. White before and got to know his
story. She was excited he was a citizens of Edmonds and thanked him for joining the commission.
Council President Paine commented his background was impressive. She asked how he would address
intersectionality; with all the work he has done, what would be an effective approach? I've given a
workshop at Student Veterans ofAmerica about including veterans at universities and colleges. There are
so many different intersections, mixed race, veterans, etc., how you connect to those different
intersectionalities and understand each other's lived experiences; just because it didn't happen to you,
doesn't mean it isn't real. We need to work toward that intersectionality and understand that. Just
because I'm a veteran and someone else is a veteran doesn't mean we have the same lived experiences.
We need to look at everything holistically and work together. It is important not to create a table for
others to sit at, but to be invited to sit at other people's tables.
ADJOURN
With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 6:59 p.m.
MICHAEL NELSON, MAYOR SCOTT PASSEY, CITY CLERK
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November 23, 2021
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