Snohomish County councilors Jared Mead and Nate Nearing urge civic education, media literacy and local dialogue to counter polarization

Jared Mead, chair of the Snohomish County Council, and Nate Nearing, the council’s vice chair, told an Association of Washington Business audience on March 2 that local, bipartisan outreach and better civic education are key to reducing political polarization.

Mead and Nearing described a 2023 nonprofit, Building Bridges, they launched after an op‑ed calling for civility drew both criticism and widespread civic interest. "We can find ways to work together," Mead said, recounting town halls and meetings that brought conservatives and progressives together across Snohomish County.

The pair said those in‑person events produced concrete shifts in attitudes. Nearing described a town‑hall in Lynnwood where precinct committee officers from both parties later told the panel the event changed their impressions of people across the aisle: "They weren't crazy like I thought they were before," he said.

The panelists urged three practical approaches. First, strengthen civic education and media literacy in schools so young people learn how government works and how to evaluate information, Mead said. Second, experiment with voting systems that give weight to broader voter preferences — "the concept" of ranked or alternative voting rather than endorsement of a single method, Mead said — to reduce the incentives that push candidates toward extreme positions. Third, change incentives that reward bombastic, hyperpartisan behavior in media and fundraising.

Dan Kirschner, introduced as executive director of the Northwest Gas Association and sponsor of the panel, framed the conversation with regional energy and membership context before the discussion. Kirschner noted the association’s members include four gas utilities and two pipelines, which he said operate about "45,000 miles" of delivery infrastructure and serve roughly 1,300,000 households and about 4,000,000 people in the region.

Audience questions illustrated common concerns. One attendee said of ranked choice voting, "All it has done is to further erode the middle and further polarized the populace." Mead replied that his reference was to the idea of giving weight to candidates who appeal broadly and that the panel supports experimentation with different voting theories rather than a single mandated system.

Another participant asked how to reach people on the extremes. Nearing recommended more face‑to‑face conversations: "If you can get to a conversation where you're able to just sit down and talk with each other, get off the keyboard and talk in person," he said. Mead added that elected officials should "practice curiosity" and seek out ideas and people who challenge their views.

When an attendee asked how to teach a 5‑year‑old about social media, Mead suggested delaying exposure and teaching children to ask questions about sources; Nearing described his own decision to delete social apps as a personal step.

The panel closed with Mead invoking historical examples of statesmanship and urging attendees to nurture democratic institutions. The program included an interactive Menti poll of attendees and ended with applause and thanks to the Association of Washington Business.

No formal votes or policy actions were taken at the session; the event consisted of a presentation and audience Q&A.