Snoqualmie City Councilmember Rob Wotton will run for election later this year.

Wotton announced his candidacy in a statement Sunday, March 5. He is one of four councilmembers whose term will expire at the end of 2023.

This will be Wotton’s first election after joining the council via appointment in January 2022. He was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Katherine Ross after she was elected mayor.

While on council, Wotton said his priorities have been focused on public safety, economic vibrancy and finding new approaches to local government operations.

“At the top of my list is public safety. We need to keep our neighborhoods safe,” Wotton said, also noting, “we need to preserve our infrastructure — from parks and open spaces to the streets and sidewalks.”

Wotton, a Valley resident since 1999 and a Snoqualmie resident since 2005, has been an active community volunteer, serving on the boards of Encompass NW and Trail Youth Coffee. He also leads the Snoqualmie Valley Housing Task Force, SnoValley Innovation Center and local job website, snovalleyjobs.com.

Prior to joining the city council, Wotton spent nearly a decade on the city’s Economic Development Commission.

His announcement for office comes nearly eight months before election day on Nov. 7. Candidate filing opens in May.

Besides Wotton, three other council seats are up for election this year.

One of those seats is vacant and will be filled by appointment in April. The appointed candidate will have to run in the general election to retain their seat.

The other two seats are held by Cara Christensen and James Mayhew. Christensen was appointed to the council in October of 2021. Mayhew joined the council in 2017 and was reelected two years later.