Fremont Candidate Forum 2025: Packed house as neighbors grill the candidates

Last night the Fremont Neighborhood Council packed the Doric Lodge for its 2025 Candidate Forum, one of those rare chances to hear directly from the people who want to run our city, and to see how they handle questions from actual neighbors instead of reporters. A New York Times photographer was there documenting the mayoral race, catching the candidates as they faced a room full of engaged neighbors.

The stage was full:

• District 8: Incumbent Alexis Mercedes Rinck and challenger Rachael Savage
• District 9: Incumbent Sara Nelson and challenger Dionne Foster campaign manager Sage Lawrence 
• City Attorney: Incumbent Ann Davison and challenger Erika Evans
• Mayor: Incumbent Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson

What they talked about

Economic inequality. Rinck pointed to progressive funding tools like JumpStart and floated her Seattle Shield tax idea, while Nelson talked up small-business equity programs. Savage pushed for higher minimum wages and rent subsidies. Foster’s proxy emphasized social housing and Black homeownership as priorities.

Public safety. Davison stood by her record: more prosecutions, lawsuits against auto makers over car theft vulnerabilities. Evans pushed back, saying diversion and treatment programs need to be smarter, and noted high dismissal rates under the current City Attorney. Council candidates disagreed sharply on whether Housing First should expand or whether treatment mandates are the answer for people struggling with addiction.

Housing and livability. Harrell highlighted his comprehensive plan’s goals and streamlined permitting. Wilson countered that it’s not ambitious enough. She argued it crams apartments onto arterials instead of spreading growth into neighborhood centers, and said the city needs more family-sized units. Rinck talked about zoning amendments that would allow childcare centers and corner stores to weave into neighborhoods as they grow.

What it meant for Fremont

Aurora safety. Wilson brought up the recent pedestrian death at an unsafe Aurora crossing, saying the city needs to move faster on safety fixes. Harrell pointed to declining fatality numbers overall and promised to finish the Burke-Gilman Trail “missing link.”

Frelard tree canopy. When asked about the industrial area’s sparse 6% tree coverage, Savage floated an unusual idea: using “recovered addicts” from compulsory treatment programs as a tree-planting workforce. That answer raised eyebrows. Rinck took a different tack, emphasizing arborist staffing and zoning tools to grow the canopy.

The vibe

The mayoral race got heated. Harrell tied Wilson to “defund” politics, while Wilson hit him on the police contract and expanded surveillance. You could see some folks in the audience shifting in their seats, the mayoral contest clearly runs hotter than the others.

It was the kind of evening that reminded you why these forums matter. Candidates can say whatever they want in mailers, but when neighbors ask the questions, you get a much better sense of who they really are.