Shoker plans to focus on people over politics on Kent City Council

Sharn Shoker plans to emphasize people over politics as she strives to work with residents, business owners and others following her Kent City Council election victory over Andy Song.

“Running for office has shown me that it’s not just about politics, it’s about people,” Shoker said in a Nov. 11 Facebook post after it became clear she had won the close race. “It’s about the neighbors, parents, business owners, and community advocates who believe, like I do, that Kent’s best days are ahead. I will carry your voices with me into every decision, every vote, and every policy conversation.”

Shoker won with 50.38% of the vote (10,338 votes) in the Nov. 4 general election, according to King County Election results posted Nov. 11. Song had 48.99% of the vote (10,054 votes).

“He (Song) ran a great race, and I look forward to meeting with him and working together to continue improving our city,” Shoker said.

Despite the loss, Song remained upbeat and quoted singer Nicki Minaj in a Nov. 10 Facebook post.

“I’m still here, I’m still strong,” Song said in quoting Minaj. “This was a lot of fun and now I’ve overcome my fear of talking to strangers and have a new found skill of knocking on doors and striking up random conversations.”

Song remains on the Kent School Board. Voters elected him in November 2023 when he ran unopposed. His term expires in November 2027.

Shoker thanked the voters for their support.

“I am truly honored and humbled by your trust,” Shoker said. “I promise to work tirelessly to support our city, our neighborhoods, and our future. I’m so excited to join the Kent City Council and to get to work on the issues that matter most to our community.”

Shoker will take office in January for a four-year term to replace Brenda Fincher, who didn’t seek reelection after 12 years on the council and whose term expires Dec. 31.

Shoker’s endorsements included current City Council members Fincher, Satwinder Kaur, John Boyd and Bill Boyce. Former Mayor Suzette Cooke and former City Councilmember Dennis Higgins also endorsed her. Councilmember Marli Larimer supported Song.

In the August primary, Shoker and Song advanced as the two candidates with the most votes. Seven people ran for the seat. Shoker received 34.27% and Song 18.99% of the primary vote.

“When Team Shoker started this campaign six months ago, we came out of a seven-person primary without name recognition or political connections, just heart, hard work, and belief in what’s possible when you show up for people,” Shoker said. “As a first time candidate, a new mom, and a proud Sikh woman, I knew we’d have to work twice as hard to be seen and heard. And we did. We built this from the ground up, knocking on thousands of doors, earning trust one conversation at a time, proving that a community united by hope can overcome any amount of bias or doubt.”

Shoker received large campaign donations of $95,124, which included $15,000 of her own money in a self loan, according to state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) reports. About 30 individual donations of $1,200 made up a large portion of her contributions.

Shoker spent $84,850 on the campaign, with more than $54,000 to Capitol City Press, of Tumwater, for mailers, printing, copywriting and vendor management, according to PDC reports.

The total campaign contributions and expenditures are the highest for a Kent City Council race since Hira Bhullar raised $74,448 when he ran unsuccessfully in 2019 against incumbent Les Thomas, who raised less than $5,000, according to PDC reports.

Song raised $6,517 and spent $8,849, with $5,000 of the expenditures to Lamar digital billboards.

Shoker wants to make residents the focus of her city council work.

“As I step into this new role, l’ve received advice and encouragement from political leaders across the spectrum on how to stay grounded and focused on what truly matters, the issues that affect the daily lives of Kent residents,” she said. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”