Five 32nd District candidates, six Superior-Court candidates at Tuesday Richmond Beach forum

By Evan Smith

Five candidates for two 32nd District legislative positions and six candidates for three King-County-Superior-Court positions will appear at a primary candidates' forum Tuesday.

The forum is scheduled for the Richmond Beach Congregational Church at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24.

One set of legislative candidates is incumbent Democratic 32nd District State Rep. Ruth Kagi of Shoreline and her two Republican opponents, Eric Alvey of Seattle and Robert Reedy of Mountlake Terrace. The other is incumbent 32nd District State Rep. Cindy Ryu of Shoreline and her one Republican opponent, Randy Hayden of Edmonds. In each case, the top two vote getters in the Aug. 7 primary advance to the Nov. 6 general election.

Kagi is seeking her seventh two-year term in the Legislature, Ryu her second term.

With redistricting, the District still includes Shoreline, Woodway, south Edmonds and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County but no longer includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore or the north outskirts of Kirkland, but instead includes Lynnwood, part of Mountlake Terrace and part of northwest Seattle.

One of the Superior Court contests matches attorney Hong Tran and Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sean O'Donnell.

Another race matches three-term incumbent Judge Doug North and Redmond City Councilwoman Kimberly Allen.

A third matches attorney Judy Ramseyer and Senior Deputy Prosecutor Gary Ernsdorff.

Candidates in a three-way Superior-Court contest and those in a four-way contest will not be part of the forum. In those races, a candidate who gets a majority in the primary wins without appearing on the November ballot. If no one gets a majority, the top two primary vote getters run off in November.

The other 48 King-County Superior-Court positions have only one candidate each. In those cases, the one candidate wins without running in either August or November.

The Tuesday forum is in Pilgrim Hall in the basement of the Congregational Church at the corner of Northwest Richmond Beach Road and 15th Avenue Northwest.