7 candidates running for Kent City Council to replace Fincher

Seven people are running for Position No. 6 on the Kent City Council after Councilmember Brenda Fincher decided not to seek reelection as she finishes a 12th year in office.

That race highlights the candidate filings last week with King County Elections. The deadline to file was May 9. Races with more than two candidates will be on the Aug. 7 primary ballot. The two candidates with the most votes on the primary ballot and races with just two candidates will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.

Here’s an initial look at Kent-area races:

City of Kent

City Council Position No. 6

• Logan Evans

• Sharn Shoker

• Starre Quiñones

• Andy Song

• RoseLynne P McCarter

• Jamie Lee

• Tod Oyefeso

Song is a current Kent School Board member. …Lee lost in the 2023 primary for the City Council seat now held by John Boyd. …So far, Shoker is the only one with contributions listed, a total of $10,150, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. She made a personal donation of $10,000 to her account.

City Council Position No. 2

• Satwinder Kaur

• Neet Grewal

Kaur, the current council president, is seeking her third four-year term. Kaur ran unopposed in 2021. She defeated Paul Addis in 2017.

City Council Position No. 4

• Toni Troutner

Troutner will win a third four-year term as she runs unopposed. Troutner defeated Cliff Cawthon in 2021 for reelection and beat Tye Whitfield in 2017.

Mayor

• Dana Ralph

Ralph will win a third four-year term as she runs unopposed for the first time. Ralph defeated Dawn Bennett for reelection in 2021 after beating Jim Berrios in 2017.

Kent Municipal judges

Michael R. Frans and Anthony Gipe are each running unopposed for reelection.

Kent School District

Director District No. 4

• Teresa Gregory

• Carolyn Wilsie-Kendall

• Zac Fister

Gregory was appointed earlier this year to replace Awale Farah, who resigned.

Director District No. 5

• Laura Jensen

• Laura Williams

• Jane Smith

King County

County Council District No. 5

• Steffanie Fain

• Kim-Khanh Van

• Peter Kwon

• Ryan McIrvin

• Ahmad Corner

• Angela Henderson

This election is to replace Dave Upthegrove, who resigned in January after his election as state lands commissioner. … De’Sean Quinn was appointed to fill in the rest of year for Upthegrove but isn’t running for the seat. …The district includes parts of Kent, Tukwila, Renton, Burien and the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park and SeaTac. …So far, Fain, of Normandy Park, has raised more money than any other candidate, with $109,041 in contributions, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. She is a Seattle civil rights and employment attorney, and the wife of Joe Fain, a former state senator in the 47th District. …Van is next highest with $33,509 in contributions. She is a member of the Renton City Council. …Kwon is a member of the SeaTac City Council. …McIrvin is a Renton City Council member. …Corner is the founder and principal at YPGroup, a digital and experiential growth agency responsible for bridging the gap between companies and the communities they serve.

County Council District No. 7

• Pahaliyah Brown

• Maya Vengadasalam

• Pete von Reichbauer

von Reichbaur has been on the council since 1994 and has raised $207,775 so far, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. …Vengadasalam is a former Kent School Board member.

County Council District No. 9

• Jude Anthony

• Reagan Dunn

Dunn was first elected to the council in 2005. He has raised $225,949 for his campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.

King County Executive

• Claudia Balducci

• John Wilson

• Bill Hirt

• Girmay Zahilay

• Amiya Ingram

• Rebecca Williamson

• Don L Rivers

• Derek Chartrand

Balducci and Zahilay are current members of the King County Council. …Wilson is the King County tax assessor.

Legislative District 33 Senator

• Tina L. Orwall (Prefers Democratic Party)

Orwall, appointed in December 2024 to replace Karen Keiser, is running unopposed. She was the 33rd District state representative.

Legislative District 33 State Rep. Position No. 1

• Kevin Schilling (Prefers Democratic Party)

• Darryl Jones (Prefers Republican Party)

• Edwin Obras (Prefers Democratic Party)

Obras, of SeaTac, was appointed in December 2024 to replace Orwall. …Schilling is the mayor of Burien. …Jones, of Kent, lost to Zandria Michaud in a 2023 Kent City Council race.