WHY I’M RUNNING
ABOVE: David with former Snohomish County Sheriff John Lovick. BELOW: David with his grandfather, Dan Cameron, a former trooper with Washington State Patrol.
First, deciding to run for Lynnwood City Council was a slow process for me. I wouldn’t say there was a single moment where lightning struck and I decided to run. Instead, I hope I started where all public officials start, from a desire to do good. I was always interested in government and politics and I grew up in a household where elections and the Constitution were often discussed.
The early start must have stuck with me because I ended up with a degree in political science and I taught United States history and American government at the high school level. As an adult I started out thinking voting was enough but soon saw I could do more good by advocating for the causes I believed in. From there I started working on volunteering and helping good people get elected. About 7 years ago, I started attending city council meetings here in Lynnwood and learning everything I could about our city. I’m finally at the point where I can do some good by joining that city council.
Second, I’m running because I genuinely love Lynnwood and I want to see our city be successful. If you read the “about David” page on this website, you’ll see that Lynnwood has been a very important place for my family. My family started here, my family has worked here, rented here, bought a home here, and enjoyed many of our best memories right here in Lynnwood. I believe in Lynnwood and I want to give back.
The last reason I’m running and this is an important one. I’ll do a good job for Lynnwood. As I said above I’ve been attending city council meetings for years learning about Lynnwood and what goes into this job. Not only that, I’ve gone beyond Lynnwood and attended meetings and town halls at the county level, state legislative level, and federal level. I know the people that represent Lynnwood and that’s why so many of them have endorsed me for this position. They know that I’ll do a good job for Lynnwood and I’ll be able to work with them to fulfill the needs of our city.
ABOVE: David with girlfriend, Shannon.
LYNNWOOD–’70S & ’80s
ABOVE: Young David.
My parents purchased their first home near where Lynnwood High School is now on North Road and Lynnwood continued to be our home base. We got groceries at Haggen’s Market which was in the parking lot where the Lynnwood Convention Center is. Farmer’s Market by 196th and Highway 99 was also a popular spot. I loved to go there because at the risk of dating myself, it was before barcodes and I got to mark the prices on our groceries with a wax pencil.
Herfy’s was still a fast food restaurant in Lynnwood before it was supplanted by the golden arches. I got my haircuts at Herb’s barber shop. Jimbo’s had my favorite butterscotch milkshakes. Ed’s Surplus was a great place for a Halloween costume and I bought my baseball cards at Wickers Market for 35 cents a pack! The Wickers building was still an appliance repair shop and not a historical site. I also have to mention the pizza parlors on 196th. You could still watch dough being hand-tossed (where Todo Mexican is now).
Nearby Alfy’s was a ton of fun as well with all of the amazing fountains and classic video games like Centipede. I played Sno-King basketball at Cedar Valley elementary and College Place Middle School. My Little League baseball coach was almost my librarian at Hilltop Elementary.
MOVING EAST & ATTENDING UW
My parents moved the family out towards Snohomish to fulfill their dream of having a small farm. Lynnwood was still at the center of the family though because dad was the head boys’ basketball coach at Lynnwood High School from 1982 to 1991. We’re still very proud of Lynnwood’s 4th place in the state finish in 1986.
Mom was teaching mathematics at Mountlake Terrace High School so we did a lot of trips back and forth on Filbert Road. I ended up going to Bothell High School and then the University of Washington. I graduated with a degree in Political Science and had some different jobs (I did retail work, customer service, custodial work, was at UPS, and managed the shipping department for a sporting goods company) before deciding that, like my parents, I wanted to coach and teach.
TEACHING & COACHING
I should probably put the coaching first. My family has always been a basketball family. I coached both boys’ and girls’ basketball over a 25-year period at many levels and schools. I’ve been at Lynnwood HS, Bothell HS, Mountlake Terrace HS, and Shorewood HS. I loved teaching the fundamentals of the game to young men and women and I still believe athletics helps teach life lessons of teamwork, leadership, and how to compete with integrity and passion.
Working with youth inspired me to get in the classroom and I went back to school to earn my Masters Degree in Education and my teaching certificate. Teaching in public schools kept me engaged with young people and their families in our community. My passion for history and government translated to me teaching those same subjects at Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.
I spent some years living in Seattle during and after my education but teaching at the local high schools started to make me miss the place I’d grown up. I ultimately found the perfect little condo to purchase in Lynnwood and to be completely honest, the 10-minute commute to my jobs in the Edmonds School District was way better than the commute had been to and from Seattle. I felt like I was home again.
MORE ABOUT DAVID
My parents became professional dahlia growers in their retirement. Many people don’t realize that Snohomish county is one of the best places on earth to grow dahlias and Snohomish hybridized dahlias are known throughout the world! I love to help out with the family business and take photos of the amazing blooms.
My girlfriend and I have a mutual love of kayaking and Martha Lake is one of our favorite places for an evening paddle. We also enjoy an old-fashioned quiet night with a good board game or jigsaw puzzle.
I am a huge fan of our local sports. I follow the Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies (no offense to our Cougar voters). I also love to go to Everett for AquaSox games (How big does Lynnwood have to get for a minor league baseball team?). Last but not least. I am a voracious reader. I’m going to end with a short list of some of my favorite books. It’s really hard to make a short list of books I love. Thanks for reading about me.
FAVORITE BOOKS
- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Deacon King Kong by James McBride
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George RR Martin
- The Aubrey and Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian