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Redmond interviews Human Services Commission candidates amid heavy demand for funding
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Summary
At a special April 14 meeting, the council interviewed two Human Services Commission candidates — Sabrina Sevilla and Sonia Lawson Samasi — who emphasized lived experience, data‑driven decisions and nonprofit partnerships. Council staff noted the commission faces roughly 140–150 applications totaling about $8 million.
Redmond City Council interviewed two candidates for the Human Services Commission at a special meeting Tuesday and heard how each would approach prioritizing services amid a large applicant pool.
Alaric from the city’s human services team introduced the candidates and told the council staff will provide a fuller Committee of the Whole briefing next week on the application process. He described Sabrina Sevilla as an occupational therapist and small business owner and Sonia Lawson Samasi as an academic and author with a focus on community equity.
Sabrina Sevilla said she has lived in Redmond since 2018 and that helping immigrant family members navigate services motivated her to seek the role. "It feels very personal to me," she said, describing work with families and experience in special education and occupational therapy.
Sonia Lawson Samasi described a background in academia and a commitment to giving voice and space to hidden or marginalized community members. She said lived experience — including a period of childhood homelessness — drives her focus on ensuring the unhoused, disabled and elderly are represented in planning and services.
Council vice president Nueva Camino asked what each candidate would celebrate two years after serving. Sonia said she would celebrate concrete gains in representation and agency for marginalized residents; Sabrina said she would celebrate effective nonprofit partnerships and measurable outcomes for service recipients. In a separate exchange, a council member said staff counted roughly 140–150 funding applications totaling over $8,000,000 — far more than available program funds — and asked how candidates would prioritize. Both candidates said they would lean on data, regional collaboration and commission deliberation to maximize reach and impact.
The council indicated no objection to placing both nominees on the April 21 consent agenda for confirmation consideration. The human services team will present additional application‑process details at the Committee of the Whole next week.
