Candidate Statement For Cindy Gobel Snohomish County Auditor

Editor’s Note: On June 18th candidates in the August 1st Primary Election for Everett City Council Districts, Everett School Board and Port of Everett Commissioner along with Snohomish County offices including Everett voters were invited to send a statement up to 500 words to MyEverettNews.com introducing themselves to our readers. Invitations were sent to the email address on file with the Snohomish County Auditor. Not all of the candidates responded but we are publishing unedited statements from those that did reply by our deadline. We think this is a good way for you to hear directly from the people running. All City of Everett offices are non-partisan, other offices vary. MyEverettNews.com does not endorse candidates or issues but does accept paid political advertising.
 

Hello MyEverettNews! My educational background in Human Services and Adult Education, along with a law degree from Seattle University Law School, in partnership with years of extensive community service and outreach make me uniquely qualified to be your next Snohomish County Auditor. My first career was 11 years in law enforcement, then 12 years in Snohomish County Elections, followed by 5 years at the Secretary of State’s Election Division. I was responsible for state and federal election compliance in all 39 counties while providing training to all Auditor’s and Election Administrators. These experiences demonstrate my strong commitment to community, accurate and transparent processes, and a dedication to legal compliance.

My top priorities include election integrity and transparency, youth engagement, and service inclusivity. We need to build community relationships that allow for education and engagement, demonstrate the workings of the office, and allow for easy access to all services. This includes increasing language access, providing education via classrooms and social media, and getting out from behind the desk to interact with our county partnerships.

My recommendations to increase confidence in Snohomish County elections and voter registration is to have active interactions with all parties, educating the public on new yearly legislation, goal setting for engagement and interaction, as well as meeting all legal requirements in each department.

I would provide services in multiple languages, as the Auditor determines what languages are provided and we need to increase the accessibility. I would engage with future voters directly in the high schools every election cycle. And I look forward to providing opportunities for the public to learn about each division through online videos, in person demonstrations, voter pamphlet art contests, etc. We have ideas from the past that worked, but there are more options to be developed.

This office has four divisions of licensing, elections, recording, and rural animal control services. I am the only candidate that has experience in all four divisions. These services are vital to our communities and affect everyone in our county. The Auditor determines what services to provide, how much information you can access, and how you perceive the voting process. The Auditor decides if decisions are going to hurt or enhance our community. When you hear “non-partisan” regarding this office please note that this is a skill and not a political stance. Having worked in the field of elections for 17 years demonstrates my commitment to being non-partisan in my engagement during the election process. But I am a person with values and morals that are reflected in my personal life – as are all candidates. Please select the candidate that reflects you and doesn’t hide behind non-partisanship to deflect from answering your direct questions of stance on issues.