When two may not be better than one
Kent Treen will be serving on the Sammamish City Council through 2027. His wife, Debbie Treen, is running for office on the same city council and, if elected, would serve from 2026-2030. There is no law or rule in Sammamish against serving alongside your spouse, but I don’t think it is a good idea—and I think we should talk about it.
This idea may seem irrelevant in the face of today’s divided politics; we vote for the politics, not marital status. If you support one Treen, you may be happy to support another and consider it better to have two guaranteed, like-minded people in office to usher in the policies you value.
The fact that they seem happily married suggests an even stronger alliance than two candidates who happen to share the same views on many issues. I imagine the two Treen views were forged over a lifetime together and are refined daily amid the hustle and bustle of life in the same household. I understand that many people may consider that a positive.
But I also see how others might consider it a negative, and not just because you do not share the Treens’ political views. I am thinking of City Council dynamics in general.
Is it unnerving to think that a marital alliance is stronger than the typical allegiances among Councilmembers? Would anyone stand a chance of persuading one Treen if the other is opposed? Would one Treen use their marital status to persuade (or pressure) the other? Would any Councilmember want to be responsible for pitting one spouse against the other? Would it become an unconscious reason for not speaking up? Would the art that many couples share of knowing each other’s minds and body language better than acquaintances come into play? How might it change the dynamics of communication on the council? Would it hinder that element so crucial to making local government actually work?
Imagining myself in their position, I find I could never do this to my spouse because we have a mutually loving, respectful, supportive relationship; we are protective of each other. Councilmembers are elected to support and protect their community, not their spouses; they are sworn to act in the best interest of the city.
How much harder will it be for the Treen spouses to separate work from personal conversations—not just when they are alone, but also when they are socializing with friends? Our spouses and friends unquestionably influence us in our various public positions. I think the consequences of that influence are far more significant in matters that affect a population of over 63,000 people.
How will city matters be affected because the line between private and public life is blurred? What materials will be surrendered to the council when they leave office or upon request. What will be deemed “personal” or “between spouses” and therefore redacted or withheld? What kind of transparency is that?
This council had issues just a few years ago, involving Kent Treen. I introduce this not to finger-point but to illustrate one real-life crisis that our city officials faced. The Council voted to censure Treen for improper handling of the situation. If one of the Treens were to find themselves tangled in a similar situation, could either Councilmember be relied upon to put Sammamish’s best interests over the interests of the other Treen? I cannot imagine voting against my spouse if this were me. Can you?
I suspect it is not easy for anyone to publicly disagree with, correct, censure, or fire a co-worker. Even when it is the right thing to do, those tasks come with consequences. Could you do such a thing to your spouse? What quality does it take to censure your spouse publicly? What does that dinner conversation sound like? What does that do to a marriage?
Usually, I’m not one to pry into people’s private lives, but I feel that a married couple working on the same council forces part of their private life upon the public, giving us no choice but to consider its effect on our city’s affairs. That is certainly worthy of scrutiny.
In their social media posts, the Treens seem like a loving couple. I do not question either person’s ability to do the job or their public-facing professionalism. I am, however, concerned about what happens between them that is not public-facing. Because of that, I think they should not be on the council simultaneously. The hazards and effort required to avoid such hazards seem too significant to ignore. I absolutely would not put myself or my spouse in that situation. I question anyone who would. It appears to be a significant risk to career and marriage. I believe this is a considerable risk for Sammamish.
Jeannette Illsley has lived in Sammamish since 2012.
