On March 20, several residents of Snohomish, Washington, were reportedly asked via text message if they supported a veto of the city’s Pride parade this year. The messaging campaign was sent from multiple phone numbers, according to Out in Snohomish, the city’s LGBTQ+ organization, and came just a few weeks before the city council holds its vote on April 7 on whether to approve the permit for the June event. Several regional Pride organizations, including Out in Snohomish, have called on people to attend the meeting to show their support for the parade. 

“This text message explicitly creates a sense of false authority by mentioning the veto power of the mayor’s office and falsely implicates the mayor as well and should be seen as the hateful strongman tactic that has no place in a town as welcoming and kind as Snohomish,” wrote Hillary Moralez, chair of the 44th Legislative District Democrats.

She further stated, “We also encourage that Mayor Aaron Hoffman and City Council members Terry Lippincott, Judith Kuleta, Felix Neals, Tom Merrill, David Flynn, Gabe Jacobs, and Anup Deol make a public comment condemning the bigoted and targeted behavior against the members of the LGBTQ+ community and the Out in Snohomish organization,” adding that “these actions undermine four years of hard work the community has put in to show that the City of Snohomish is welcoming to everyone, and the healing that has been done since the hateful and terrifying actions held by the Proud Boys when they marched on the town with their guns in 2020.”

In an Instagram video posted March 27, Mayor Hoffman addressed the incident, stating that although one of the phone numbers is tied to his campaign, his team does not send out batch text messages. He added that as mayor his role is to apply the standards of his office fairly and equally, and that once the city council decides to move forward, he will approve the event. The mayor neither condoned nor condemned the sentiment of the text message campaign.

The SGN contacted members of the Snohomish city council but did not receive a reply.

Out in Snohomish told the SGN it had no further comment on the situation but said that it is seeking help from volunteers and encourages people to attend its Pride planning meeting on April 22.