Redmond’s mayoral race is a matchup between incumbent Ed Fitch and fellow City Councilor Jay Patrick — a contest that means both have plenty of experience, and plenty of votes, from which to analyze their leadership. (Another person, Charles Webster Baer, is also in the running, but we did not consider him a viable candidate in this race.) Patrick’s priorities include infrastructure and “working as a team,” he told us — something he believes is missing on the Council right now. Fitch identified water and transportation as his two biggest priorities — both issues that have come before this Council on numerous fronts over the past several years.
On the topic of water, we find one of the key differentiators between these two candidates. Fitch championed the new tiered water rate structure in Redmond that is going to charge big water users more for their increased consumption, and, ideally, help people regulate their overuse. Patrick seemed to look at this new structure as just more pressure from state regulators, and voted against it. We think Fitch’s approach is more pragmatic in the face of a declining aquifer. Likewise, Patrick voted against the long-awaited managed camp in Redmond, which is meant to help move people off other private and public lands. We agree with Patrick’s assertion that we should address the root causes of homelessness as part of the solution, but that doesn’t solve the short-term challenges of fire danger and sanitation issues that have cropped up by having people camping in unsanctioned places on the outer edges of town.
Patrick brings up a valid point about a need for a collaborative approach — one that any hopeful city councilor or mayor should heed. Still, our pick in this race is the incumbent. Vote Ed Fitch for mayor of Redmond.
This article appears in the Source September 24, 2026.
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