Q&A with Incumbent Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross: Snoqualmie Police, North Bend Relationship and Pool Expansion Project

Candidate Katherine Ross submitted answers to six questions we posed to her. Below are her unedited responses. After the Q&A, you will find her bio (also unedited) and links to her website for additional information.

The summer primary was held on August 5th. Ballots will be mailed out on October 16th, and the general election will be on November 4th.

1. Do you support Snoqualmie maintaining its own independent police force?

YES! Snoqualmie’s local police department is one of our greatest strengths. Our officers know our neighborhoods, our families, our values, and stay true to their “No Call Too Small” motto. Under my leadership, we reached full staffing, maintained high morale, passed a public safety levy, and kept Snoqualmie among Washington’s safest cities, with crime down 10% in 2024 and 98% of residents reporting they feel safe in the 2025 NCS Survey. I strongly oppose outsourcing police and fire services; keeping them local is what makes Snoqualmie safe, responsive, and accountable.

By contrast, my opponent suggested outsourcing Snoqualmie’s public safety services during the July 17, 2025 candidate forum (time stamp 1:08:03), stating, “Let’s not do our own police force.” His proposal to eliminate Snoqualmie’s own police and fire departments would risk slower response times, higher long-term costs, and a loss of local control. Local control, rapid response, and trusted service are what keeps our city safe, and that’s exactly how I will keep it.

2. Snoqualmie has lost many officers since May, with no public replacement plan. With the North Bend contract set to expire in March, how will you ensure both cities have adequate police coverage in the interim?

Snoqualmie is fully prepared for the transition when the North Bend contract police services contract ends March 31, 2026. Since May, we have aligned police staffing with service needs for both Snoqualmie and North Bend, reviewed the plan with the Public Safety Council Committee, and ensured an efficient, well-managed department during this transition period.

Our optimized staffing structure includes a Chief, Captain, Detective, Administrative Coordinator, four sergeants, eight officers, a School Resource Officer (SRO), and an evidence technician. This structure allows our Police Department to continue delivering consistent, reliable service to both cities.

The operational model provides three officers per shift, one assigned to North Bend, one to Snoqualmie, and a supervising Sergeant overseeing both ensuring strong coverage on both day and night shifts. Additional support from the Chief, Captain, Detective, and SRO enhances responsiveness and community presence across both cities.

It’s important to note that North Bend represents nearly 46% of total calls for service, including many of the high priority incidents. When the North Bend contract ends, Snoqualmie’s officers will be able to focus entirely on serving our own community, coverage will include a sergeant and two officers per shift, improving both response times and presence across our neighborhoods. My focus remains on maintaining seamless service, supporting our officers, and keeping Snoqualmie one of Washington’s safest cities.

3. Relations between Snoqualmie and North Bend are currently strained. What specific steps will you take to repair that relationship?

As mayor, I’ve worked to build regional relationships with King County, the state, and our neighboring cities by focusing on shared goals. With North Bend, I engage openly, keep discussions transparent, and prioritize outcomes that benefit both communities.

The relationship between Snoqualmie and North Bend mayors and city administrations is positive and productive, we meet regularly to work on shared goals and priorities. Some of the challenges seem to arise more at the council level, where participation in regional engagement has been limited. Over the past year, our cities held a joint Public Safety Council Committee meeting and a joint Economic Development Commission meeting, encouraging steps toward future collaboration. I’ll continue encouraging more joint meetings, shared planning sessions, and greater council participation in regional forums so both cities can work together effectively on public safety, economic development and other shared priorities. 

Beyond these direct efforts, I’ve made regional partnership a central focus of my leadership. I served as President of the Snoqualmie Valley Government Association (SVGA) along with Mayor Miller as Vice President. These forums help mayors and councilmembers from across the Valley connect, share information, and align common priorities. I also host monthly breakfast meetings of Snoqualmie Valley mayors. Taken together, over the past four years, I’ve met with the North Bend Mayor more than 25 times per year, demonstrating my commitment to open communication and partnership. 

A stronger regional presence benefits everyone, and I continue to encourage broader council participation in SVGA and other regional forums. These relationships take time to build, and they are invaluable when major agreements or shared challenges arise. During my opponents time on City Council, he did not see the value in attending SVGA meetings nor serve on regional boards, missing key opportunities to form those important connections.

As Mayor, I’ve consistently shown up, built solid partnerships, and delivered results for Snoqualmie. This includes being a Sound Cities Association Board Member, representing 38 King County cities, ensuring the Valley has a voice at the table; Southeast Area Legislative Transportation Coalition (SEAL-TC) member advocating for SR-18 funding, including testifying at house and senate transportation hearings advocating for SR-18 funding; engaging with the Snoqualmie Tribe; and working closely with county and state elected officials to advance our City and Valley key priorities. 

Leadership is about showing up, building trust, and doing the work. That’s how we’ve secured outside funding, strengthened partnerships, and delivered results for Snoqualmie residents.

4. How would you work to increase tourism revenue in downtown Snoqualmie while managing traffic impacts on the community?

Snoqualmie is already one of Washington’s most-visited small cities because of Snoqualmie Falls, yet too few visitors make it into our historic downtown and Ridge retail areas. My goal is to turn more Falls visitors into local customers while keeping traffic moving and neighborhoods livable.

We are improving the visitor experience through walkable design, clear wayfinding signs, attractive streetscapes, and convenient parking. We’re working with businesses through retention visits and merchant roundtables, and we partner closely with the SnoValley Chamber and the North Bend Downtown Foundation to market the Valley, align events, and support small businesses. Through joint Economic Development Commission meetings with North Bend, we will set and pursue a shared priority agenda.

We’re strengthening the destinations that draw people into town. Zoning updates favor more  street-level retail and dining. We’re advancing heritage-tourism anchors like the Northwest Railway Roundhouse, the Model Train Museum, and the Millsite redevelopment. Retailers and restaurants are already seeing gains from the new splash pad, the community pool will bring families year-round, smoothing the “shoulder season.”

To keep people and traffic flowing, we’re improving access by car, bus, bicycle, and on foot. The SR-18 widening to Deep Creek and the new diverging-diamond interchange are being completed this month. As that corridor opens more regional visitors will choose Snoqualmie because it will be easier and faster to reach. Through my seat on the Regional Transit Committee, I’m advocating expanded Metro service. Locally, we will evaluate a circulator shuttle linking the Falls, downtown, and the Ridge; completing the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail at Reinig Road and connecting the Great American Rail-Trail through Snoqualmie will bring more hikers and bicyclers as well as building the first mile of the River Trail with more connections over the next couple years. The Millsite will bring an improved Mill Pond Road/Reinig intersection, and the Meadowbrook Bridge replacement will provide a bypass route to ease congestion.

We’ll manage peak periods with better wayfinding, routing to under-used parking, and event timing that avoids pinch points. We’ll program year-round events such as winter lights festival, heritage weekends, arts events, and youth swim meets so there’s always a reason to visit. Stronger tourism across the Valley, especially in collaboration with North Bend, means stronger tourism for Snoqualmie. When the region prospers, we all benefit.

5. The YMCA Community Center Expansion Project is now estimated at $30.2 million, with $19 million in capital funds committed and a $10 million funding gap remaining. Should the city continue holding these funds for this project, or redirect them elsewhere?

The City should continue to hold and deploy the committed funds for the Community Center Expansion Project (CCE) and work to close the remaining gap. The project is fully designed, ready to break ground, centrally located in the Valley, and reflects extensive public input. Across surveys and workshops, over a majority of respondents identified a community pool as a top safety priority for swim lessons and water-safety training.

After more than a decade of saving and planning, the City and partners have assembled about $26 million, including about $22 million in capital funds and grants, along with the YMCA’s fundraising commitment, leaving an estimated $4–5 million to reach the estimated $30.2 million cost. By saving these funds over time, we preserved capacity to fund other capital projects. City Council has made this project a legislative priority, I have met with our county leaders and state legislators to secure funding and will continue doing so until we close the funding gap.

The planned facility, a six-lane competition pool plus a separate recreation/therapy pool is appropriately sized for our community, supports year-round instruction and water-safety, and enables our school swim teams to practice and host meets. Under the operating model, the YMCA, not the City, is responsible for maintenance and operations and pays day-to-day costs (staffing, utilities, chemicals, routine maintenance), protecting the City’s General Fund for core services like police, fire, roads, and parks. The YMCA will offer passes, scholarships, and a free weekly swim for Snoqualmie residents.  

Beyond the clear community benefits, the expansion strengthens our local economy. We have already seen increased foot traffic and spending from the splash pad. An expanded community center will add jobs and drive additional business activity year-round. It will also expand daily drop-in space for seniors, serve as our City’s emergency shelter, and broaden programming for youth, teens, adults, and older adults.

Redirecting these funds to other projects would delay or jeopardize a project the community has endorsed and that is ready to build. The prudent course is to maintain our commitment, complete the funding, and deliver this long-planned expansion and aquatics facility. This is the only aquatics project in the Valley that is more than 85% funded. If we don’t finalize this pool, there is a strong likelihood the Snoqualmie Valley will go without a public pool. We’re moving forward and hope to partner with the Snoqualmie Valley Aquatics Collaborative to help close the remaining funding gap.

6. What is one common misconception voters may have about you or your leadership style, and how would you like to address it?

Some people may think my calm, businesslike style means I’m reserved or hesitant. The truth is, I’m prepared, fair, respectful and I make clear, timely decisions, because good government is transparent, accountable, and delivers for residents.

When I took office in 2022, Snoqualmie was still in pandemic recovery, nearly 30% of city positions were vacant, only 2 of 9 leadership roles were filled, and talented employees were being recruited away. My approach was steady and straightforward, I listened, brought people together, did the homework, and made the decisions needed to stabilize City Hall. I’m incredibly proud of the culture we’ve built at City Hall. Employee satisfaction is high, and our team is thriving with just 5% in vacancies, 85% of staff reporting they feel positive about coming to work, and 90% satisfied with their work–life balance. That’s not just a statistic, it’s a reflection of a healthy, respectful, and high-performing environment that directly benefits our residents.

Leadership and culture matter. I believe in steady, respectful, results-focused leadership. During my opponent’s time on council, concerns about workplace conduct were raised publicly specifically at the March 27, 2021 council retreat (video time stamp 4:20:00). That episode is real, and it’s relevant when we talk about the kind of leadership and workplace culture we need at City Hall.

Public safety and fiscal stewardship guided our decision to end Snoqualmie’s $1 million per year subsidy to North Bend’s police services, a responsible move that protected our taxpayers. While North Bend chose a more expensive contract, our council made the right decision for Snoqualmie.

Snoqualmie has a dedicated, fully staffed fire department, with a Fire Chief in place, and strong public safety teams who deserve our full support. It’s misleading and harmful when some council members claim otherwise, along with my opponent who suggests outsourcing police and fire services, only to walk it back when the public pushes back. That kind of political posturing sends the wrong message to the women and men who keep our community safe, and it creates unnecessary doubt about the future of their jobs. I’m proud to support our public safety professionals with real investments and real leadership. When it comes to safety, collaboration, and responsible governance, the record speaks for itself.

Candidate Bio with Linked Website

Mayor Katherine Ross has proudly called Snoqualmie home for more than two decades. Alongside her husband, Victor, she raised their twin daughters here from kindergarten through Mount Si High School. Deeply rooted in the community, Katherine has long been an active volunteer, serving on city advisory committees and in leadership roles as Board President of Encompass, a regional nonprofit supporting children and families, and President of the Snoqualmie Library Board following the opening of the city’s new library. Her commitment to public service grew from this community connection. After her appointment and election to the City Council in 2017, she was elected Mayor in 2021. With over 20 years of business experience in operations management and internal audit, Katherine brought a collaborative, results-driven approach to modernize city systems, improve emergency preparedness, and strengthen staffing and transparency.

As Mayor, Katherine focuses on keeping Snoqualmie one of Washington’s safest and most livable cities, investing in public safety, supporting local businesses, expanding parks and amenities, and advancing affordable housing for working families and seniors. She manages a $150 million biennial budget, serves on the Sound Cities Association, King County Flood District Advisory Committee, and Regional Transit Committee, and is endorsed by mayors and councilmembers across the Snoqualmie Valley and Eastside.

Learn more at: https://mayorrossforsnoqualmie.com/