LYNNWOOD—Lynnwood City Council candidate Brandon Kimmel decided he would run for local government when he heard police sirens outside of his Lynnwood apartment on July 3, 2024. Looking out the window, he saw several Lynnwood PD Officers rushing off to nearby Alderwood Mall—where he used to work as a loss prevention officer for Macy’s. He later learned the police were responding to the accidental shooting death of 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson.
As a father of three daughters (18, 11, and 5), Kimmel was deeply touched by this fateful tragedy, promising himself he would get involved in local politics to make a difference fighting against increasing youth violence in a city he has called home for nearly a decade.
“I’ve always been an advocate for victims of violent crime,” said Kimmel. “Leading up into that moment I felt I had a lot to bring to the table. Safety and security have always been my expertise, and for Jayda she doesn’t have a voice anymore because it was taken. I want to be her voice and the voice of other victims of violent crimes. I’m running for Jayda, I’m running for my kids, and I’m running for everybody else’s kids.”
Kimmel applauded the Lynnwood Police Department for everything they do. If elected he hopes to continue partnering with them in these efforts. But it’s not just violent crime among youths, he added, it’s also the extreme mental health and substance abuse issues he sees daily while working as a security guard…