Seating was scarce in Bothell’s City Council chamber Tuesday night as three new councilmembers were sworn in, and Andy Rheaume was elected mayor, with Davina Duerr serving as deputy mayor.
“I think the city is going in the right direction, but I do also feel that we have definitely changed the council with this election,” Rheaume said. “I want to make sure that everybody’s aware that I have a personal desire to make sure this is a more inclusive, and involved community-based council.”
Tuesday night’s mayoral election follows a political shakeup stemming from the November City Council election, when the previous majority voting bloc, headed by then-mayor Joshua Freed and councilman Mark Lamb was broken by newly-elected councilmembers James McNeal and Davina Duerr.
New voting lines appeared in Jan. 5 council meeting as Tom Agnew, Joshua Freed and Del Spivey cast votes in support of Spivey for mayor, but were defeated in a 4-3 vote by Duerr, McNeal, Tris Samberg and Rheaume.
Duerr won the deputy mayoral position against Agnew with the same voting ratio.
“I do wanna thank everyone for their support, and let you know how grateful I am, and I hope to serve you well,” Duerr said, addressing the crowd.
The new City Council also marks the most ethnically diverse council in the city’s history, which Mayor Rheaume noted, as Duerr is half Chinese and Mcneal is African-American, a city press release said.
McNeal, Duerr and Rheaume were sworn in by Judge Michelle Gehlsen.
Rheaume has been on the council since 2012, and beat out contender Roz Gorc for the Position 2 seat with nearly 60 percent of the vote last November.
Long-time councilmembers Bill Evans and Mark Lamb chose not to seek reelection, and were replaced by McNeal and Duerr who won 58 percent and 68 percent of the vote, respectively, in the November election.
McNeal was a founder of the grassroots organization OneBothell, dedicated to preserving the back-nine holes of Wayne Golf Course, a property which many Bothell citizens hope to see preserved as open space.
The back-nine were purchased by a development company associated with former Mayor Freed, leading to public outcry and an ethics investigation, which ultimately cleared Freed of any misconduct, but left lingering questions of a conflict of interest in the community.
Duerr has experience serving on the Northshore Schools Foundation and the Bothell Landmark Preservation Board, a city press release said. She is also a licensed architect, and shares McNeal’s concerns about preserving open spaces in the city.
The mayoral vote was well-received by the council’s audience, as applause broke out after the mayoral and deputy mayoral results were read.
“I’d say we’re very happy,” said April Smith, a sentiment which was echoed by her husband Roger Smith.
“Looking forward to the change for the City of Bothell,” he said.
Patrick Ewing was also looking forward to a change in the council.
“I’m very excited to see Andy Rheaume elected, and I think he’ll do a great job,” he said.
Reshaping the tone of council meetings will be key to his agenda, Rheaume said.
“I want everybody to be comfortable here, and I’ll do my best to make sure that is my first and foremost duty as mayor,” he said.
Bothell operates under a council-manager form of government, where the council selects a city manager who manages city employees and implements legislative actions decided by the council. The role of mayor is largely symbolic, though the mayor chairs meetings and serves as the public face for the city.
The mayoral salary is $1,200 per month, followed by $1,050 per month for the deputy mayor and councilmembers receiving $1,000 per month, according to a city press release.
