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Lea Ellis (Redmond City Council Position 2, Washington, candidate 2025)
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Lea Ellis ran for election to the Redmond City Council Position 2 in Washington. She was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.[source]
Ellis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Lea Ellis provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 7, 2025:
- Birth date: March 2, 1963
- Military service: United States Air Force, 1983-1992
- Gender: Female
- Religion: Christian
- Profession: Accounting Manager
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
General election
General election for Redmond City Council Position 2
Steve Fields and Vivek Prakriya are running in the general election for Redmond City Council Position 2 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Steve Fields (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Vivek Prakriya (Nonpartisan) | ||
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Redmond City Council Position 2
Lea Ellis, Steve Fields, and Vivek Prakriya ran in the primary for Redmond City Council Position 2 on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Lea Ellis (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Steve Fields (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Vivek Prakriya (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lea Ellis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ellis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My journey began with nearly a decade in the United States Air Force, where I served as an Aerospace Control and Warning specialist and later as an Air Traffic Controller with the Washington Air National Guard.
After settling in Redmond with my husband Dennis, I built a successful bookkeeping company while raising our family—creating flexible employment opportunities for fellow parents and supporting local small businesses. My financial expertise expanded to include governmental accounting and budgeting, giving me the specialized skills needed for effective municipal oversight.
Throughout my years here, I've been actively involved in our community through PTA leadership, teaching Sunday school, and serving as a Precinct Committee Officer in the 48th Legislative District.- Restore Accountability and Transparency Our city council meetings have become exercises in going through the motions rather than genuine public engagement. Too often, council members appear disinterested during public comment periods, distracted by phones or paperwork instead of actively listening to constituents. I will change this culture by ensuring every resident's voice is heard and genuinely considered in our decision-making process.
- Implement Priority-Based Budgeting Despite holding four public hearings, Redmond's 2025-26 budget passed with a 5-1 vote evidence that dissenting voices aren't being adequately heard. While the city claims to use "Budgeting by Priorities," their current priorities "Healthy and Sustainable," "Safe and Resilient," "Vibrant and Connected," and "Strategic and Responsive"—are so vague they could justify virtually any spending. They fail to address actual needs. The lack of easily accessible year-over-year budget comparisons raises transparency concerns. I will bring my experience in governmental accounting to provide rigorous financial oversight.
- Prioritize Community Safety Through Smart Policy I oppose low-barrier housing projects that compromise public safety while failing to provide effective solutions for those truly in need. The "housing first" model has proven flawed—we need practical approaches that address both housing and substance abuse issues comprehensively. I support evidence-based drug rehabilitation programs and housing solutions that make our neighborhoods safer, not less secure. Community safety must be the foundation of any housing or social services policy.
My candidacy represents a commitment to bringing fresh energy and genuine accountability to the Redmond City Council. Together, we can ensure that our city government truly serves all residents.
What made Chief Farrer special was how he understood that we were giving up two weekends every month (a heavier commitment than many other Air National Guard duties) and he never took that sacrifice for granted. He led by example, showing us that true leadership means serving those who serve under you. He was demanding when it came to standards and safety, but he was also genuinely invested in our success and well-being.
His approach taught me that the best leaders don't just give orders. A good leader provides guidance and support to their people, creating an environment where everyone can perform at their best. Chief Farrer understood that leadership is about responsibility, not privilege, and that your job as a leader is to make sure your team has what they need to succeed.
That said, I find wisdom in "The Federalist Papers," particularly Hamilton's writings on fiscal responsibility and the importance of accountable government. These founding documents remind us that effective governance requires both principled leadership and practical constraints on power.
I also appreciate "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" for its portrayal of principled independence—the willingness to stand alone when fighting for constituents against special interests. Like Jefferson Smith, I believe elected officials must have the courage to represent the people who sent them, not the political establishment that wants to co-opt them.
Great leaders cast dissenting votes when necessary, question assumptions, and refuse to follow bad ideas simply because they are popular. This requires intellectual honesty—admitting when current approaches fail and pursuing better solutions even when unpopular. Democracy functions best when different perspectives are genuinely considered, not when dissent is discouraged.
Officials are stewards of taxpayer dollars, not venture capitalists gambling with others' money. This means operating within budget constraints, making hard choices about priorities, and remembering every dollar spent comes from families and businesses who earned it. Raising taxes should be a last resort after exhausting efficiency improvements and waste elimination.
Effective governance requires genuine accessibility—explaining decisions in plain language, admitting mistakes, and taking responsibility rather than deflecting blame. Officials must be accessible throughout their terms, not just during campaigns, and treat public comment periods as essential engagement, not formalities to endure.
Through community leadership roles, volunteer work, and local political involvement, I've learned to listen to different voices and build practical solutions. My experience working with dozens of small businesses has taught me how policies affect working families and local businesses. Unlike candidates who emerge from the existing political pipeline, I'm not beholden to current officeholders or insider networks, so I can provide genuine oversight and ask tough questions because I don't owe my candidacy to those currently in power. My background has taught me that people deserve straight answers and clear explanations about how their money is being spent and why decisions are being made. I believe in servant leadership, not political ladder-climbing.
This means listening to residents rather than special interests, asking tough questions about budget priorities, making information accessible to the public, and prioritizing the basics, including roads, public safety, and core services. Every decision should serve the broader community interest while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
My hope is that people will say I led by example, demonstrating that you can serve in leadership without compromising your values. I want to show that true leadership means genuinely listening to people, being transparent about decisions, and always remembering that we're called to serve others, not ourselves.
During my service, the Cold War wasn't just something you read about - it was our daily reality. I'll never forget being at a party near the border between East and West Germany, looking through binoculars at a border guard who was looking right back at me through his own binoculars. It was this surreal moment that captured the absurdity of the whole situation - two people, probably not much different from each other, staring at each other across a line that divided families, friends, and an entire nation.
When I returned to Germany in 2018 and visited Checkpoint Charlie, those memories came flooding back. Even nearly thirty years after reunification, when I traveled to Leipzig (the city where the peaceful protests that toppled the communist government actually began in 1982) I could still feel the difference between East and West. The contrast between Leipzig and cities in former West Germany was still palpable, a reminder of how deeply those decades of division had affected people's lives.
As a teenager, I was the victim of an assault, but I was amazed by how my fellow students rallied around me. I didn't realize people would care in the way they did, and their support helped me through that difficult time.
I lost my grandfather, one of the most important people in my life, but God's timing was remarkable. I met my husband, Dennis, at the USO in an airport on that very same day. What could have been one of the worst days became the day I met my life partner.
I've walked through the difficulty of raising a child struggling with addiction and substance abuse. This is something that touches far too many families, yet we often suffer in silence because of shame and stigma. Addiction doesn't discriminate. It affects families from all walks of life, and we need to bring this issue out of the darkness and remove the shame that prevents people from seeking help. I feel blessed every day that my now adult child is clean and sober, and I know firsthand the strength it takes for both the person battling addiction and their family to persevere through recovery.
At age 49, I faced a breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery. The true fight was with sepsis that followed. It was a test of endurance and faith. Having this occur amid the dark battle with addiction, I discovered how precious life is and strengthened my resolve to make every day count.
Your local Redmond government has more control over your daily life than you might think. They decide what cable and internet companies can operate in your neighborhood, where power lines go, and how much you pay for water and sewer services. The city can grant or deny franchises to telecommunications companies, essentially controlling which providers offer services in your area. They also mandate that new developments include underground utilities, affecting neighborhood appearance and service reliability.
This insider promotion system creates a closed loop where the same political perspectives perpetuate themselves. Constituents get candidates shaped by the existing system rather than fresh voices who might challenge current approaches or bring new solutions to municipal problems.
The pipeline favors those who can afford to volunteer on unpaid boards for extended periods, screening out working-class candidates or those with caregiving responsibilities. This makes the candidate pool less representative of the community's actual demographics and experiences. People who work multiple jobs or have significant responsibilities often can't volunteer extensively, yet they best understand residents' daily challenges.
Candidates from this system arrive with pre-existing loyalties to current office holders, staff, and local interests. This compromises their ability to provide independent oversight or make decisions conflicting with those who helped elevate them. Instead of checking municipal power, they become part of an interconnected network prioritizing relationships over challenging problematic policies.
Financial literacy and budget analysis are crucial since these officials control utility rates and franchise agreements that directly impact residents' costs. My experience in governmental accounting and budgeting, combined with running a successful bookkeeping company, has given me the specialized skills needed for effective municipal oversight. I understand how to scrutinize contracts and budgets rather than simply accepting staff recommendations.
Community engagement and listening skills are essential for breaking out of the advisory board echo chamber. My background as a military service member, small business owner, PTA leader, and Precinct Committee Officer has taught me to actively seek input from diverse community members - working families, parents, and small business owners whose voices are often unheard in existing political networks.
Independent critical thinking may be most important, as officials need to challenge existing practices and question whether current policies truly serve residents.
Transparency and communication skills are vital for explaining complex municipal decisions in plain language and making the process accessible to ordinary residents rather than keeping it confined to insider circles.
Vague categories like "Healthy and Sustainable Environment," "Safe and Resilient Community," "Strategic and Responsive Community," and "Vibrant and Connected Community" represent exactly what's wrong with current transparency practices. These meaningless catchphrases can justify any spending while making real oversight impossible. When every expense fits every priority, taxpayers can't track how their money is spent or whether programs deliver results.
Real accountability means explaining decisions in plain language, admitting mistakes, and taking responsibility rather than hiding behind bureaucratic jargon.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Ellis completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
