EDMONDS — Longtime business owner Mike Rosen formally launched a campaign Tuesday to become the next mayor of Edmonds — and he has already lined up some substantial backers.
Rosen, 68, serves on the city’s Planning Board, and he’s a member of the Edmonds Center for the Arts’ Board of Directors.
Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson, who is in his first term, could not be reached for comment. He has not said publicly if he will seek a second term. Nelson has served as mayor since Jan. 1, 2020. Before that, he served on the Edmonds City Council.
Previously, Rosen owned PRR, an integrated communications firm that grew to employ over 100 people in seven cities across the United States, according to his campaign announcement.
“I’m running for mayor for a very simple reason: community members don’t feel they are being truly heard and have lost confidence that city leadership is addressing their concerns,” Rosen said. “I believe I can help lead us to a better path.”
In an interview, Rosen listed safety, health, housing and transportation as top issues.
“I will steward every dollar and city asset with a commitment to prudent and ethical decision-making. I will work to attract, retain, and lead the best possible staff available,” Rosen said. “Moreover, I also will tap the amazing skills, talent and energy presented by countless members of our community I have met and heard from over the years.”
Rosen’s lengthy list of endorsements includes five former Edmonds mayors, Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell and Snohomish County Prosecutor Adam Cornell.
Dave Earling, one of those former mayors, said Tuesday that there is a “great feeling of unrest and division” in the community. He says that a lack of leadership and civic engagement are at part to blame.
“There’s a real skill in engaging the community and carrying on upbeat attitudes, and that has not seemed to have happened often enough,” Earling said. “There are ways the community can be brought back together, and I think Mike Rosen is a perfect person to do that.”
Official candidate filing for the 2023 election will be in May.
Kayla J. Dunn: 425-339-3449; kayla.dunn@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @KaylaJ_Dunn.
