Why I can’t support council member’s re-election

When Carmen Rivera first ran for Renton City Council, I supported her. I believed in the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in our local government, and I hoped she’d bring both lived experience and a collaborative spirit to the role. But since that time, I’ve seen a continued pattern that’s hard to ignore — and I can’t support her re-election.

In 2023, during a key endorsement meeting with the Democrats, she escalated tensions between candidates during the debates in a way many people found emotionally charged in what should be a structured process. These meetings often bring in new, energized members of the party — people we want to keep involved. Instead, it became an experience that pushed people away, observing elected leaders slinging accusations at each other.

In the weeks that followed, I led a group to draft a code of conduct to prevent that kind of breakdown in the future. Despite the fact that some of us had supported her — including me — Carmen accused us of trying to undermine her. It was frustrating, but not surprising by this point. The pattern was already beginning to show: disagreement met with suspicion, criticism met with hostility. That continued into this year’s endorsement season, where she broadly accused new members in the district of intentionally blocking her from support.

Earlier this year, comments attributed to her in publicly available notes from a regional Pride group claimed that the mayor and several councilmembers were transphobic — individuals I’ve worked with and known to be allies on these issues. I stepped in to clarify the situation and protect the reputations of people who had done nothing wrong. When I spoke with her about it afterward, she defended the remarks with something along the lines of “all straight people are transphobic,” and referred to me as “the little shit” who had shared the information. I offered to meet in person to talk; she responded with something to the effect that she’d need people to protect me from her if we saw each other.

After Axios reported on a trail of harassment claims, I saw Democratic Party leaders rush to defend her — many of whom haven’t worked with her so frequently and directly. I have witnessed the behavior up close, over time. It seems it isn’t about one disagreement, one personality clash, or a few bad days. Nor does it seem to me that these repeated occurrences are rooted in a principled stance. I believe these incidents reflect an insecure leadership style that centers the protection of one’s image over the health of the community they’re meant to lead.

In the advocacy I do, especially around LGBTQ+ youth, I see bullying comes up as an issue regularly. It would be hypocritical of me to work against this behavior in young people and then step back when I see the same behavior in adults, especially from someone with power.

I say this all as someone who’s made mistakes, too. I’ve had to put in the work to repair relationships, earn back trust, and grow. Some people will never see me differently — and that’s part of the deal when you’ve hurt people. What matters is doing the work, learning, and showing up better. That’s the difference between accountability and deflection. One builds trust over time. The other erodes it. Which one do you want in a leader?

Winter Cashman, Renton: “These views are my own and not on behalf of any organization I’m affiliated with.”