David J. Somers (born 1953) is an American politician and fisheries biologist serving as the

Snohomish County Executive The Snohomish County Executive is the head of the executive branch of Snohomish County, Washington. The position is subject to four-year terms (with a term limit of 3) and is a partisan office. History County voters approved the adoption of a ...

, an office he has held since 2016. Somers previously served on the

Snohomish County Council The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms. Members ;Notes History The county council was created on No ...

, representing the 5th district in the eastern portion of the county.

Early life and career

Somers was raised in

Napa, California Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 77,480 as of the end of 2021. Napa is a major t ...

and studied at

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Cl ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, before moving to the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

area to attend the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in

fisheries science Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of limnology, oceanography, freshwater biology, marine biology, meteorology, conservation, eco ...

and later returned to complete a master's degree in

forest ecology Forest ecology is the scientific study of the interrelated patterns, processes, flora, fauna and ecosystems in forests. The management of forests is known as forestry, silviculture, and forest management. A forest ecosystem is a natural woodland u ...

. Somers was employed as a fisheries biologist by the

Tulalip Tribes The Tulalip Tribes of Washington (, lut, dxʷlilap), formerly known as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. Th ...

from 1979 to 1997.

Career

County Council

Somers was elected to the

from the 5th district in 1997, defeating incumbent Democrat R.C. "Swede" Johnson in the primary election and facing a Republican

write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

candidate in the general election. Somers was elected on a platform of making

real estate developers Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

accountable for strains on infrastructure created by new housing in the county, including roads and schools. Somers was defeated in 2001 by Republican Jeff Sax, whose campaign called Somers a "committed socialist" before retracting the statement. Sax favored local control of

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

, opposing the state's Washington State Growth Management Act and federal policies. Somers campaigned again in 2005, facing Sax for his former council seat, and won by a narrow margin. Somers was re-elected to a third term in 2009, defeating Republican restaurant owner Steve Dana. During his time on the County Council, Somers focused on land use regulation and strengthening environmental protections.

County Executive

Somers announced his candidacy for the

county executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

office in May 2015, challenging incumbent Democrat

John Lovick John Lovick is an American magician, writer, and director. Since the 1990s he has performed as a magician throughout the United States and Canada, as well as England, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. His performing alter ego, Handsome ...

, appointed to the position in 2013 after the resignation of Aaron Reardon. In the primary election, Somers narrowly beat Lovick, and the two Democrats advanced to the general election ahead of two Republican an independent candidate. Somers won the general election and was sworn into office as the county's fifth executive in January 2016. State Representative Hans Dunshee was chosen in February to complete the rest of Somers's term in the County Council. In addition to his duties as County Executive, Somers joined the

Sound Transit Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It operates the Link light rail system in Seattle and Tacoma, r ...

Board in January 2016 and was named the board chair in January 2017. Somers was also elected the vice president of the

Puget Sound Regional Council The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is a metropolitan planning organization that develops policies and makes decisions about transportation planning, economic development, and growth management throughout the four-county Seattle metropolitan ...

, a regional planning organization, in January 2016.

Personal life

Somers met his wife Elaine while the two were in the

University of Washington Husky Marching Band The University of Washington Husky Marching Band (Husky Band, or HMB) is the marching band of the University of Washington. A 240-member ensemble, HMB is one of the few bands outside the Big Ten Conference to use the traditional chair step style ...

. Somers played the tuba for two years, served as Drum Major for three years and marched playing bass drum at the

1978 Rose Bowl The 1978 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game, played on Monday, January 2, and was the 64th Rose Bowl Game. The Washington Huskies, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference, defeated the favored Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers, Dave Living people 1953 births Snohomish County Councillors University of Washington College of the Environment alumni People from Monroe, Washington People from Napa, California Tulalip Tribes Lewis & Clark College alumni 21st-century American biologists