Citizens know him as the owner of a very successful business, said a Mukilteo council member, explaining why voters may have supported Peter Zieve despite an AG rebuke and other damaging information.

Seattle Times staff reporter

A Mukilteo council member predicted it: Peter Zieve would get more votes in the primary than many people expected in the race for City Council Position 2. But even the council member, Scott Whelpley, didnt think Zieve would make it through to the general election.

It looks like he will. Initial results Tuesday show the Electroimpact president and major Trump donor had 27 percent of the vote, 9 percentage points ahead of real- estate agent Tina Over. The incumbent, Bob Champion, had a comfortable lead with nearly 55 percent.

In March after the state Attorney Generals Office found that Electroimpact, discriminated on the basis of religion and marital status the aerospace company entered into a consent decree that required it to pay $485,000 and take Zieve out of direct hiring.

For years, Zieve had been circulating inflammatory emails at work about refugees and Muslims, and last year he sent out a mass mailing informing Mukilteo residents about the planned construction of a local mosque.

In the months leading up to the primary, some residents also raised concern about court and police records showing a history of volatility between Zieve and his wife. Although both were at one time charged with low-level assault, the charges were dismissed.

In spite of some of the information thats come out, a lot of the citizens know him as the owner of a very successful business in Mukilteo that employs a lot of people, said Councilmember Richard Emery.

Emery also noted that Zieve, who put $50,000 of his own money into his campaign, blanketed Mukilteo with yard signs.

On his signs, and during a late July candidates forum, Zieve stressed his opposition to new taxes and support for family-friendly initiatives, like new playgrounds.

Despite the wide margin between Zieve and Champion, Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of CAIRs Washington office, said he was disturbed by the number of people who voted for the aerospace entrepreneur. It tells us that we have a more work to do, said Bukhari, an advocate for Muslim civil rights.

Mohammed Riaz Khan, head of the group building the mosque Zieve opposed, was trailing after Tuesdays count in his bid for City Council Position 1.

Continued here:

Fiery aerospace entrepreneur Peter Zieve likely headed to Mukilteo general election - The Seattle Times