North Bend Mayor Mary Miller is no stranger to public service. With nearly a decade of experience in city government, including roles on the Planning Commission, City Council, and now as mayor, she has played a key part in shaping the community.
Sworn in as North Bend’s mayor in January 2024, she stepped into the role with a strong background in civic leadership, economic development, and historic preservation.
*Miller’s election also marks a notable moment in local history, as she is only the second woman to serve as North Bend’s mayor, following Joan M. Simpson (1996–2004). Across the valley, women have stepped into mayoral leadership at different times, with Duvall seeing its first female mayor, Mabel Bourke, as early as 1932—leading an all-female council.
Snoqualmie elected its first female mayor, Amy English, in 1950, followed by Jeanne Hanson from 1987 to 1997. Duvall has had four women serve as mayor, including Jean Baldwin (1985–1989), Becky Nixon (2002), and Amy Ockerlander (2018), while Carnation has had Kim Lisk (2018) and Adair Hawkins in recent years.
*Information provided by Cristy Lake of the Snoqualmie Valley Museum
For the first time, all four Snoqualmie Valley cities are led by women. As part of our Women Governing the Snoqualmie Valley series, we sat down with Mayor Miller and her Communications Manager, Bre Keveren, to discuss her priorities for North Bend, her path to leadership, and the impact of this historic moment in local government.
Question: What was the most rewarding part of being a first-year Mayor?
Mary: Oh, my goodness. I went into this with my eyes wide open, and I am grateful to have this opportunity. It is the people I have the great opportunity to work with at the City of North Bend, such as all the Directors and the staff within each department. We work as a team.
It is the community, the entire community. I love building and creating relationships.
The mayor expressed her commitment to being accessible and connecting with the community. While maintaining boundaries, she tries to take calls on weekends or meet residents for coffee when needed. Though her role is part-time, she approaches it with full-time dedication, believing the city and its people deserve that level of commitment.
Question: Do you think being a photographer for many years helps you be a better mayor?
Mary: Well, to tell you the truth, I think it helps. I have spent many years as an event photographer, building relationships, problem-solving, researching, meeting deadlines, team playing, staying positive no matter what and mentoring others. All these elements I apply each day as Mayor. I was never afraid to step into a room where I didn’t know anybody. That’s never been a part of my identity. I guess you’d call me an extrovert, but there is that piece of introvert to me.
Question: You’re an ambivert. It’s both. Sometimes you are, and sometimes you aren’t.
Mary: I’m an ambivert, maybe. I pull on both. When the extrovert needs to be doing her work, she will show up as best as she can. When the introvert needs to pull back, she takes pause to come up with a new plan a new approach or creative idea. This happens a lot when walking my little Corgi, Dr. Seuss.
Question: Have you encountered any unique challenges or opportunities being a female mayor in the current political landscape?
Mary: There certainly have been challenges. But I hope to roll with it. Honestly, this last year I am profoundly amazed that I’ve been treated with so much respect. I hope to treat everyone with respect no matter your viewpoint or political affiliation.
Mayor Miller acknowledged the challenges of navigating the online world, recognizing it as a unique and evolving space. While she considers herself sensitive, she emphasized the need for resilience in her role, stating that dwelling on negativity is not an option. Instead, she focuses on staying strong and purposeful. This perspective, she noted, comes from years of experience, hard work, and building connections as a woman in leadership.
Question: The change of leadership on a national level could empower people to behave badly towards women. Have you encountered anything like that?
Mary: No. I haven’t felt it. Do you know what was funny, though? There was one experience where I met somebody probably the second month in, and this individual pulled me aside in a coffee line, knew exactly who I was, came striding up to me, looked me in the eye and said, there’s a problem, I bet you can’t solve it. I was able to communicate the issue, which was a real issue. I listened to her, communicated the issue to the appropriate department, and the fix occurred in less than two hours.
The interesting thing is that she told a friend, a mutual friend, and I got a call within about three hours saying, “This person couldn’t believe something got done.” Now, that’s not a promise you can always make, but it was an instant that I could potentially change someone’s viewpoint of my capacity or ability to take this role on by showing action.
Mayor Miller values an action-oriented approach in her photography career and leadership. She acknowledged that politics can be slow-moving, especially at the local level. Still, she emphasized that progress comes from knowing the right people to engage with—effective and willing to collaborate.
Question: What inspired you to go into politics?
Mary: The City of North Bend did not have an official photographer, so I offered my services and began the adventure of covering City events, headshots, landscape imagery, adding to the City’s historical catalogue. I know this city very well from photographing below the ground to aerial imagery over our city. This work gave me an access point to meet staff, build relationships, better understand what was happening with our local government. Ultimately, I saw issues and areas that I knew that I could help the town I love on different level. I saw that I could use my creativity differently, adding a unique perspective as a politician. Once I became a Councilmember, I had to give up my position as City photographer.
Question: How long ago was that?
Mary: 2009. I did that for ten years, and then throughout that experience, showing up at city council meetings, listening, and not being able to have a part or a play in it, I realized that there were things that I had questions about. I wanted to keep learning.
I was appointed as a planning commissioner in 2016, which is a great opportunity that comes with a lot of reading and ingesting a lot of information. It’s a huge way to inform the council of positions and go from ordinances to all sorts of things. But I spent a ton of time, as our other fellow commissioners did back in the day, trying to inform the council. After that, I thought I was ready and willing to jump into the possibility of leading as a council member, which I did.
I went directly into running a campaign and enjoyed a lot of it—actually, all of it.
Question: How long were you on the planning commission?
Mary: Four years. And then city council for four years, from 2020 to 2024, and ran during council as mayor—ten years as a city photographer.
Bre: And you were also on the North Bend Downtown Foundation Board. You were pivotal in bringing increasing tourism to North Bend. You brought the visitor information center to North Bend, which played an important part while it was there.
Mary: We were the start of it all, with a general sense of where we wanted to take it, but the Downtown Foundation now is doing what we hoped it would do, and we’re very excited.
Question: Well, now you’ve got Miss Go-Getter (Executive Director Jessica Self)
Mary: She’s a great fit. She’s full of energy.
Question: How do you plan to continue addressing growth and development while maintaining North Bend’s small-town charm?
Mary: I think it begins with the vision of what our city looks like going into the future, and that’s a long-term plan, and that’s what the council and I are still coming up with. My vision is to include things like a performance arts center or facility out here. That’s way down in the future, but a way to connect the arts and the artists out here. The thing about affordability is huge right now.
Mayor Miller emphasized the importance of preserving downtown North Bend’s charm while planning for growth. She noted that building height is a key consideration, as maintaining current limits helps protect the iconic mountain views that define the town’s character. As the city moves forward, she acknowledged growth is inevitable, with an expected rate of 2.5% per year or about 50 new homes annually.
Question: Are those going to be single-family homes?
Mary: We’re not hoping for that. It could be mixed-use but affordable. We’ve got the 230 Main project, which would be 40 units, potentially affordable or mostly affordable. New legislation is coming through right now that will address ADUs, which you can have on properties now. You can have multiples up to two, I think, right now. And you can sell that ADU on your property, which is totally new. I think there are many factors in play right now. People resist change; we all know that. But we want to be very careful about how we proceed and with great thought. I’m always aligned with what our city is about.
Question: Was your first year as mayor how you thought it would be?
Mary: It’s what I thought with more on top of it. I’m a problem solver by nature. So when problems show up, it’s great to see how we can pull together as a team on council and administration and staff to see how we can solve that problem. I love finding the solution to the problem. I expected problems.
Question: With any of those problems, is there anything you would have approached differently?
Mary: I think there are always opportunities to learn from an experience that may not have gone how I felt it should have, but I try to learn from that example and do it differently next time if there is a next time. There’s always education for me, which means the job itself, being educated in my role.
Question: Are there any major projects or initiatives planned for 2025 that you’re particularly excited about?
Mary: Absolutely. There are so many things to look forward to this year. I, for one, cannot wait to walk with residents – and my dog – on all the new, connective sidewalks we will see as part of our ongoing Sidewalk Gap Removal project along Thrasher Avenue, North Bend Way, 5th Street, 6th Street, Main Avenue and 140th Street, near Twin Falls Middle School.
In addition, I think many residents can agree that 14th Street, while it does not have a sidewalk, is greatly in need of improvement. This project is anticipated to come to fruition this year.
And with connection in mind, I would like to remind our community that the North Bend City Hall is not simply an administrative location for staff and the Council. It is a public building, here for our residents to stop by, say hello, ask questions and even linger to enjoy our warm fireplace and magnificent view of Mt. Si.
Question: There must be a balance between urban development and preserving the natural environment.
Mary: We have this much land available, which is open space. North Bend has done a great job through the years to preserve open space, such as Tollgate Farm and Meadowbrook Farm (co-owned with the City of Snoqualmie.) Those are examples that came together over time and look at what we have now. We’ve saved some precious lands that will forever be that way, we hope.
Question: What advice would you give young girls if they wanted to be in a leadership role?
Mary: Girl Scout Troop 42805 asked me this very question as we toured City Hall together in January. My advice is always, first and foremost, to lead with kindness, a strength our community has ample amounts of.
I’ll answer very simply that I think of the future of our young people like yourself. I want to show by example, to lead by example. Mentorship is extremely important to someone like me. I want to bring you along in the conversation, not to have you feel fearful about what local government or any part of government looks like. In fact, I want to engage you enough to say, “You can do it yourself. You can lead yourself. Don’t be afraid.”
Mayor Miller emphasized the importance of perseverance, encouraging others to follow their dreams, no matter what. Reflecting on her mother, who passed away 15 years ago on February 8th, she shared how deeply special and influential her mother was in her life. Rather than offering direct instruction, her mother led by example, subtly mentoring her in ways that shaped her approach to life. Through observation, she learned how to connect with others—lessons that were never forcefully taught but naturally absorbed.
She also spoke about the importance of self-acceptance, particularly for young women. She encouraged them to embrace who they are, take time to understand themselves, and be mindful of the people they allow into their lives, as values play a crucial role in shaping one’s path.
The mayor firmly believes that anyone can achieve their goals with determination, hard work, and a supportive, trustworthy circle. Life is an adventure to her, and embracing that mindset makes all the difference.
Question: How long have you lived here? Have you always been in North Bend, or did you move around?
Mary: Since 1992. Going on 33 years. I made an effort to put myself out there and get to know people—even the people at the grocery store. The first friend I had was the meat cutter across the counter when I was eating more meat back in the day.
Mary and her family moved from the L.A. area to Kirkland in 1989. She has a daughter, Sarah, 27, and a son, Jake, who is 31.
Question: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen out here in the time that you’ve lived here?
Mary: More people, tons of people. But, you know, there’s education and understanding for new people and people that have lived here long, like myself and others, and you can educate with kindness how to get along and how to embrace each other’s opinions and be respectful. My hope is that we try to be more and more respectful of the area being here and your neighbors. I’m really trying to say, get to know your neighbors, get to know each other. There’s great value in that.
I’m all about emergency procedures now. We’re spinning that up this year in a big way because wildfires are a very big possibility. But it’s helpful if you get to know your neighbors for one. Once again, it’s about creating relationships and helping you get to know those people living right next door to you. Sometimes, it’s hard for people to get into a new environment.
They get excited and into their day that they forget that they have a neighbor next to them. And then the neighbor might not be happy with you coming in because you’re new, and you’re all excited and bringing a party or two or whatever. It’s just getting to know each other and embracing each other’s differences as well as possible.
Question: What do you hope to preserve about the Valley as it grows?
Mary: The charm. That takes effort. Remember that we’re all important to each other. The small-town feel comes with relationship building. I think that’s what I want to present more than anything. It sounds simple. It’s sometimes very challenging to get, to embrace and make that connectivity happen. Anytime you have an event in town, it’s an opportunity to connect with your neighbor or meet new people or have time with your personal friends and family.
Question: How does your personal history help you connect with residents and their concerns?
Mary: I think the photography part of my career has helped prepare me. It may sound a little goofy, but when you photograph a wedding, you’re looking at all angles. You’re looking for a backup plan.
You’re looking at the team. You may not know who’s on that team. You may not have met anybody in the room except the bride and groom, yet you are too informed. You have to get the shots. You have to do it. You have to bring the level of excitement up while maintaining calm. You have to be calm. And I apply what I’ve been hopefully applying for years to this new role.
As Mayor Miller looks ahead to the remainder of her term, she remains committed to fostering economic growth, preserving North Bend’s unique character, and ensuring a strong future for the city. Her experience, from planning commissions to city governance, has given her a deep understanding of the community’s needs.
With three other female mayors leading cities in the Snoqualmie Valley, this marks a shift toward a new era of representation in local government. While women have served as mayors in the valley for nearly a century, the current moment—four women leading together—is unprecedented. Stay tuned as we continue this series, speaking with the women shaping the future of our valley.
