Isabel Mata is a Queer Jewish woman who, over the course of her career, has worn many professional hats: cosmetics marketer, creative consultant, mindfulness teacher, photographer, writer, and even (former) SGN staff writer, known for the column “Ask Izzy.”
Mata now lives in Lynnwood with her husband and three cats, and over the past year she has grown more and more frustrated with the decisions being made at Lynnwood City Hall. With incumbent City Councilmember Patrick Decker not seeking reelection, Mata decided to throw her hat into the ring for the District 2 seat. With the November 4 election approaching, the SGN caught up with Mata to talk about her campaign and what changes she’d like to make if elected.
Madison Jones: What brought you to decide to run for Lynnwood City Council District 2?
Isabel Mata: Ever since Trump got elected the first time, I’ve been feeling very anxious and just kind of angry at the state of the world and everything that is happening on a federal level. It forced me to get a little bit more involved in local government.
Especially [since Trump’s second term,] I knew that, for a lack of a better term, the shit was going to hit the fan in Washington and that we needed to have strong, kind, empathetic, courageous leaders in local government who are willing to fight and use their voices in order to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. I started going to [Lynnwood City Council] meetings probably around nine months ago and started making public comments, and I just wasn’t happy with the way that our city council was running.
MJ: Do you have a background in politics and civics, or was this decision to run more spontaneous?
IM: I have a background in marketing and communications but always have been an activist... Whenever I saw an injustice, I would speak out about what’s going on. In high school, I got bullied pretty badly, especially through this online site called Formspring. I got comments that were basically like [“commit suicide”], and I really, really struggled with it. But I knew I had to do something, so I put together a petition to try to get the website taken down. And then I started a school club that started this journey of activism and leadership: I was youth group president, I was on all kinds of boards…, and then I just always showed up to protests and used my voice as much as I could.
MJ: If elected, what issues would you tackle in your first hundred days in office?
IM: One of the things that’s currently wrong with our [local electoral] system is that our elections don’t have the highest turnout rates. In the primary this year in Lynnwood, we’ve got about 20,000 voters, and only about 5,000 showed up to vote. That’s 15,000 people who are not having a say in what’s going on in local government, in the places that are affected most. The people that do vote right now in Lynnwood are homeowners and [tend to be] much older, and that demographic is much more conservative. But our city is growing astronomically, and there are more and more people who are renting and are cost burdened by the housing market. They’re the ones who our policies impact the most, but they’re not showing up [to vote], and that means they’re not getting representation on the council.
So the first thing I want to do is put together a strategic outreach plan in order to get people more involved in local government, so that we can work better together, rather than just the people at the top having all the power. The most important part of local government is an engaged citizen who is showing up and having their voice heard, because we are creating policies dealing with millions and millions of dollars in a budget that is directly impacting these people.
A presidential election, yes, impacts them on a broader scale in terms of quality of life, like maybe tariffs, but [with local government,] these are things that directly impact them: it’s having a smooth sidewalk, it’s having enough playgrounds and parks, it’s prioritizing infrastructure that keeps you safe. There are so many different ways local government impacts people.
MJ: What are some of the major issues voters have been bringing up on the campaign trail so far?
IM: The number one thing that comes up all the time is safety. We are a microcosm of what’s happening [in the US] and have a lot of youth gun violence. Just in my neighborhood, two kids have died in the last year from gang-related gun violence. People are afraid to send their children on the bus, to the mall, to the park, like, all of these things that are really necessary for kids and teens to learn independence.
Number two is the cost of living. Taxes are really high, and groceries are really expensive. We have one of the highest sales tax rates in all of Washington state, and definitely the highest in Snohomish County (10.6%). I hear all the time, “I’m scared of getting priced out,” and “I’ve lived here for 60 years — if they raise the taxes again, I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford to stay.” So those are the two biggest issues that I hear, and that I’ve been really reflecting on as I go about this campaign.
MJ: How would you go about addressing those challenges?
IM: In terms of youth gun violence, one of the things I’ve noticed is there are really no third spaces for teens to hang out. The mall closes at eight o’clock, and we’ve got one bowling alley that’s even thinking about selling to a developer, so there are no places for these kids to go and be with their friends after school. [Instead], they go to the parks, they go walk around the streets, [which makes] them susceptible and vulnerable, stuff that will get them in trouble.
I want to focus on finding ways to partner with developers who are prioritizing creating some of these third spaces. And one of the ways is working with the new Lynnwood Neighborhood Center that’s opening in January. I’m pushing for them to have a teen space that is open late, because then we can have an area that’s got things for them to play together, that gives parents [peace] of mind to let their kids go out and be independent, be with their friends, and build community.
As far as the cost of living, I want to be a little more creative about ways to bring in different revenues, so that we don’t automatically have to rely on adding more and more taxes. For example, the city council is thinking about a business and occupation (B&O) tax that would make it harder for businesses to get started. We already have so many big-box stores and corporate chains; it’s really important that we incentivize small businesses.
One of my ideas is [about] a really cool area in Lynnwood called Perrinville. I think it would be great for tourism, but there’s no outdoor seating or promenades, just parking lots. I want to see how we can redevelop it to add some more community spaces to draw more people out to Lynnwood, which therefore brings in more sales revenue and eases the burden on our own community.
MJ: Any final messages for Lynnwood voters before election day on November 4?
IM: It’s so incredibly, incredibly important for people to vote and have their voice heard, just to share what they think on a regular basis. Because as city council, it’s our job to represent the [people’s] best interests, whether it’s to Olympia on the state level or up on the dais figuring out what new developments we’re going to push through next. People have so much power, and when they come out and make their voice heard, really amazing changes are possible.
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