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 has four-year terms (with a term limit of three consecutive terms) and is a partisan office. History County voters approved the ado ...

, 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 ...

, 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, California, Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California, United States. Located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the Bay Area, th ...

and studied at

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, before moving to the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area to attend the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. 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, ...

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, funga, and ecosystems in forests. The management of forests is known as forestry, silviculture, and forest management. A forest ecosystem is a natural wo ...

. Somers was employed as a fisheries biologist by the Tulalip Tribes 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. ...

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 is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...

, 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 office in May 2015, challenging incumbent Democrat John Lovick, 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 Republicans and 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 (state), Washington. It manages the Link light rail system in Se ...

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. Somers ran unopposed for his second term in the 2019 election. He ran for a third term in 2023 and advanced from the primary election with 52 percent of votes alongside Republican challenger Bob Hagglund. Somers defeated Hagglund in the general election with 60 percent of votes and will serve his final term (due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

) from 2024 to 2028.

Personal life

Somers met his wife Elaine while the two were in the University of Washington Husky Marching Band. Somers played the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

for two years, served as Drum Major for three years, and marched playing bass drum at the 1978 Rose Bowl.

References

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