Yến Huỳnh selected for open seat on Olympia City Council
Yến Huỳnh, who is currently a member of Olympia’s Planning Commission, will be the City Council’s newest member.
Huỳnh was selected from a field of seven candidates to fill the seat now vacated by Jessica Bateman, who was elected to represent the 22nd District in Washington’s state legislature.
Huỳnhwill serve until the November 2021 general election, when the seat will be up for election; Huynh wrote in her application that she intends to run for the seat at that time.
City Council members voted live during Tuesday’s meeting by writing their votes on cards and dropping them in a box presided over by Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall, with the results displayed on a spreadsheet that was shared. They used ranked choice voting, which means that each council member voted for their top three choices. Four council members chose Huỳnh as their first choice, with the two others choosing Dontae Payne, an Army veteran who recently left a job at the Governor’s Office to join the staff of new U.S. Rep Marilyn Strickland.
Huỳnh grew up in Olympia, studied at South Puget Sound Community College and The Evergreen State College, and currently works for the state Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises as a supplier diversity program specialist.
On Tuesday evening, council members asked each of the seven candidates about their ideas to reform the police department and promote public safety, tackle climate justice, amend the comprehensive plan, and represent the interests of a wide array of constituents.
Every candidate talked about prioritizing equity in the city’s policies and plans, as well as being proactive about reducing emissions and investing in sustainable energy. Every candidate also cited homelessness as one of the top three issues facing the city, with police accountability and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic high on the list as well.
On police reform, every candidate described police as overburdened with calls that would be more appropriate for social workers or other trained professionals. Many embraced redirecting resources to social services, however all stopped short of calling for defunding the police and Payne explicitly said defunding would be “premature.”
Huỳnh was the only candidate to propose a civilian oversight board to investigate complaints of police use of force. She also mentioned enhanced training and education and reviewing hiring criteria to ensure the “police force reflects the diversity of the community.” Huynh and Payne both said they support the use of police officer body cameras, which has been discussed for five years but not been implemented.
Huỳnh now becomes the only person of color on the council and the youngest member. At the council meeting on Tuesday, Huỳnh described herself as a member of many different constituencies: a child of Vietnamese refugees and downtown small business owners, a young person, a renter, and a state employee.
“I welcome and celebrate differences. I have a human approach — not only do I lead with my heart, but I listen and I welcome dissenting voices,” Huỳnh said.
Huỳnh was momentarily speechless on Tuesday night after the votes were tallied.
“I’m so excited right now,” Huỳnh said. “I don’t have all of the right words because I don’t think there are any right words, and I’m looking forward to going off camera so I can freak out in private.”
The position pays a stipend of $21,918, according to the city’s application materials.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
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