Lisa Sturgis and Cobi Clark are running Auburn City Council Position 6 in the Nov. 4 general election. Here’s a quick recap of the candidates.

Lisa Sturgis

Education: BS in psychology, emphasis on human motivation and performance, Capella University.

Occupation: Auburn City Council Position 6; leadership and business performance coach.

Statement: I’m a mom, wife, proud Auburn resident, and someone who has overcome a lot of adversity to build a life of purpose. I worked my way up from bank-teller to senior executive, leading teams of up to 425 team members and budgets as large as $2 billion. I earned my college degree at 43, driven by my passion for transformational leadership and the impact it has on people’s lives. With 20-plus years of leadership in the private and non-profit sectors, I bring grit, perseverance, heart, and most importantly, results. I’m running to retain my appointed seat on the Auburn City Council, where I have demonstrated transparency, accountability for truth, and heart.

Articulated at candidate forums: Sturgis, who was appointed to the city council last April to fill the unexpired term of former councilmember Larry Brown, strongly supports a zero-based budget that would require the city council to assess all city programs to gauge their effectiveness. She added that she has been studying the potential benefit of streamlining resources and combining programs. Sturgis supports exploring public-private partnerships to bring more development into the city, with zoning changes that would open up new tracts for housing developments, thereby bringing in more property tax revenue to the city.

Cobi Clark

Education: BA, economics and policy analysis and PPE: politics and philosophy, University of Washington Tacoma.

Occupation: Former housing producer.

Statement: I’m a lifelong local resident and father, recognized as a top 40 under 40 business professional. I produced hundreds of homes across Washington before shifting my focus to public service and serving Senator Jeff Wilson during the 2025 legislative session. My background in housing and policy allows me to bring common-sense leadership, rooted in real-world experience, to address Auburn’s challenges. I’m committed to creating affordable housing with targeted zoning and regulatory reforms rather than public subsidy, upholding rule of law and protecting civil liberties with Auburn’s court and police systems, and streamlining economic development. While I bring strong ideas to the table, I believe in listening to feedback to ensure every policy aligns with community needs, while respecting individual freedom. With deep local roots and a clear vision for the future, I’m ready to serve our community.

Articulated at candidate forums: Clark, a former developer, supports increasing population density in areas that are already served by high-density infrastructure, such as near the downtown core and the Outlet Collection. Clark said he wants to create more homeownership opportunities for multi-family structures such as condominiums, as they “would generate revenue by expanding the tax base without necessarily increasing the tax burden.” Clark wants to reactivate the volunteer Auburn Police program, Citizens on Patrol, to perform routine police tasks, such as fingerprinting, freeing up officers so they can do other more high-impact work. He is likewise interested in creating permit process that would allow private parties, homeowners associations and other groups to effect minor roadway improvements such as fixing potholes and installing speed bumps, so residents could do more without increasing the tax burden. The city would still do the big stuff