{{Short description|American politician and fisheries biologist}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Dave Somers | image = Dave Somers (25568666050).jpg | image_size = | caption = | order = 5th | office = Snohomish County Executive | term_start = January 4, 2016 | term_end = | predecessor = John Lovick | successor = | office1 = Chair of the Snohomish County Council | term_start1 = {{dts|2014|01|01}} | term_end1 = {{dts|2016|01|04}} | predecessor1 = Stephanie Wright | successor1 = Terry Ryan | term_start2 = {{dts|2010|01|01}} | term_end2 = {{dts|2012|01|01}} | predecessor2 = Mike Cooper | successor2 = Brian Sullivan | term_start3 = {{dts|2008|01|01}} | term_end3 = {{dts|2009|01|01}} | predecessor3 = Dave Gossett | successor3 = Mike Cooper | office4 = Member of the Snohomish County Council<br>from the 5th district | term_start4 = January 1, 2006 | term_end4 = January 4, 2016 | predecessor4 = Jeff Sax | successor4 = Hans Dunshee | term_start5 = January 1, 1998 | term_end5 = January 1, 2002 | predecessor5 = R.C. Johnson | successor5 = Jeff Sax | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1953}} | birth_place = Napa, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | relations = | spouse = Elaine Somers | children = | occupation = Fisheries biologist | education = University of Washington (BS, MS) | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''David J. Somers''' (born 1953) is an American politician and fisheries biologist serving as the Snohomish County Executive, an office he has held since 2016. Somers previously served on the Snohomish County Council, representing the 5th district in the eastern portion of the county.
==Early life and career==
Somers was raised in Napa, California and studied at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, before moving to the Seattle area to attend the University of Washington. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in fisheries science and later returned to complete a master's degree in forest ecology. Somers was employed as a fisheries biologist by the Tulalip Tribes from 1979 to 1997.<ref name="Herald-Oct2015">{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=October 17, 2015 |title=Somers vs. Lovick: Same party, drastically different plans to lead Snohomish County |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/somers-vs-lovick-same-party-drastically-different-plans-to-lead-snohomish-county/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=October 15, 2009 |title=Dana, Somers split on what should matter for county |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/dana-somers-split-on-what-should-matter-for-county/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
==Career==
===County Council===
Somers was elected to the Snohomish County Council from the 5th district in 1997, defeating incumbent Democrat R.C. "Swede" Johnson in the primary election and facing a Republican write-in candidate in the general election.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=October 31, 1997 |title=Write-in candidate takes on Democrat |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=November 5, 1997 |title=Snohomish County Council—It's Democrats' night: Somers wins; Cothern, Larsen ahead |page=B5 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19971105/2570464/snohomish-county-council----its-democrats-night-somers-wins-cothern-larsen-ahead |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref> Somers was elected on a platform of making real estate developers accountable for strains on infrastructure created by new housing in the county, including roads and schools.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=September 11, 1997 |title=Property rights spotlighted in council race—Johnson faces challenge from Somers in contest focused on county's growth |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970911/2559788/property-rights-spotlighted-in-council-race----johnson-faces-challenge-from-somers-in-contest-focused-on-countys-growth |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
Somers was defeated in 2001 by Republican Jeff Sax,<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=November 8, 2001 |title=Power shifts, yet again, in Snohomish County |page=B4 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20011108/snohomish08m/power-shifts-yet-again-in-snohomish-county |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref> whose campaign called Somers a "committed socialist" before retracting the statement. Sax favored local control of land use, opposing the state's Washington State Growth Management Act and federal policies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=October 29, 2001 |title=It's growth control vs. freer use of the land |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20011029/council29m/its-growth-control-vs-freer-use-of-the-land |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref> Somers campaigned again in 2005, facing Sax for his former council seat, and won by a narrow margin.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schwarzen |first=Christopher |date=November 9, 2005 |title=Somers dominating rematch with Sax |page=A20 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2002612208_snocouncil08m.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 29, 2005 |title=Official Snohomish County Election Results: November 8, 2005 General Election |url=http://www.snoco.org/elections/results/Websrv01_Elections/elections/1105.htm |publisher=Snohomish County Elections |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref> Somers was re-elected to a third term in 2009, defeating Republican restaurant owner Steve Dana.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 25, 2009 |title=Election Results Show Little Change |work=Mukilteo Beacon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 24, 2009 |title=Official Snohomish County Election Results: November 3, 2009 General Election |url=http://www.snoco.org/elections/results/Websrv01_Elections/Elections/1109final/1109final.htm |publisher=Snohomish County Elections |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
During his time on the County Council, Somers focused on land use regulation and strengthening environmental protections.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=October 25, 2009 |title=Pressures of growth heat up 3 Snohomish County Council races |page=B2 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/politics/2010131732_snococouncil25m.html |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
===County Executive===
Somers announced his candidacy for the county executive office in May 2015, challenging incumbent Democrat John Lovick, appointed to the position in 2013 after the resignation of Aaron Reardon.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 11, 2015 |title=Somers running against Lovick for county executive |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/somers-running-against-lovick-for-county-executive/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref> In the primary election, Somers narrowly beat Lovick, and the two Democrats advanced to the general election ahead of two Republicans and an independent candidate.<ref name="Herald-Oct2015"/> Somers won the general election and was sworn into office as the county's fifth executive in January 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=January 5, 2016 |title=County Executive Somers settles into office |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/county-executive-somers-settles-into-office/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref> State Representative Hans Dunshee was chosen in February to complete the rest of Somers's term in the County Council.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=February 29, 2016 |title=Snohomish County Council picks Dunshee to replace Somers |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-council-picks-dunshee-to-replace-somers/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref>
In addition to his duties as County Executive, Somers joined the Sound Transit Board in January 2016 and was named the board chair in January 2017.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 18, 2016 |title=County executive, Edmonds mayor join Sound Transit board |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/county-executive-edmonds-mayor-join-sound-transit-board/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Haglund |first=Noah |date=January 26, 2017 |title=Somers takes over as chairman of Sound Transit board |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/news/somers-takes-over-as-chairman-of-sound-transit-board/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 26, 2017}}</ref> Somers was also elected the vice president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, a regional planning organization, in January 2016.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 7, 2016 |title=Executive Somers named PSRC Vice President |url=http://blog.psrc.org/2016/01/executive-somers-named-psrc-vice-president/ |publisher=Puget Sound Regional Council |accessdate=January 26, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202041718/http://blog.psrc.org/2016/01/executive-somers-named-psrc-vice-president/ |archive-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>
Somers ran unopposed for his second term in the 2019 election. He ran for a third term in 2023 and advanced from the primary election with 52 percent of votes alongside Republican challenger Bob Hagglund.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Kayla J. |date=January 21, 2023 |title=Somers to run for third and final term as Snohomish County executive |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/somers-to-run-for-third-and-final-term-as-snohomish-county-executive/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=October 17, 2023 |title=Somers, Hagglund face off in county executive race |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/somers-hagglund-face-off-in-county-executive-race/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 2, 2024}}</ref> Somers defeated Hagglund in the general election with 60 percent of votes and will serve his final term (due to term limits) from 2024 to 2028.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baumbach |first=Jenelle |date=November 7, 2023 |title=Incumbents lead for Snohomish County executive, council, assessor |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/incumbents-lead-for-snohomish-county-executive-council-assessor/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=January 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 28, 2023 |title=Official Results – Snohomish County General Election 2023 |page=1 |url=https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/111613/Official-Results-Nov-7-2023-General?bidId= |publisher=Snohomish County Elections |accessdate=January 2, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Somers met his wife Elaine while the two were in the University of Washington Husky Marching Band. Somers played the tuba for two years,<ref>{{cite news |date=July 25, 2001 |title=Blowing their own horns |page=A3 |work=The Arlington Times}}</ref> served as Drum Major for three years, and marched playing bass drum at the 1978 Rose Bowl.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Executive – Dave Somers |url=http://snohomishcountywa.gov/1922/About |publisher=Snohomish County |accessdate=November 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Kayla J. |date=May 13, 2023 |title=On front lines of fentanyl crisis, Somers mourns brother's overdose |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/on-front-lines-of-fentanyl-crisis-somers-mourns-brothers-overdose/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=May 15, 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Dave}} Category:Living people Category:1953 births Category:County executives in Washington (state) Category:Snohomish County Councillors Category:University of Washington College of the Environment alumni Category:People from Monroe, Washington Category:People from Napa, California Category:Tulalip people Category:Lewis & Clark College alumni Category:21st-century American biologists