Zuckerman Selected for Vacated Winthrop Council Seat

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Winthrop Town Council selected Ed Zuckerman, the sole applicant for a seat vacated last month by Sophia Boesenberg, for Position 1 on the town council.

Zuckerman worked at League of Conservation Voters for 12 years, retiring in 2019 as senior vice president. He also served as executive director of Federation of State Conservation Voter Leagues and Washington Conservation Voters, both in Seattle.

He has also served on the board of trustees of Evergreen State College, a gubernatorial appointment, since 2019. Evergreen State College is Zuckerman’s alma mater, as is his son’s, and his father taught there. Zuckerman said he will be leaving that post effective commencement in June.

“It’s hard to get over there on a regular basis.,” he told the council during his interview Wednesday evening.

In other trivia, Zuckerman was the lead consultant in Senator Patty Murray’s original “Mom in Tennis Shoes” campaign in 1992, according to his resume.

Zuckerman has lived in the valley since 2020 and has visited every year since 1983, according to his letter of interest.

He said he moved to the valley to retire, but added that it wouldn’t be part of his values to “just live here and not provide back to the valley that provides a lot to me.”

“I have watched openings on the council before and when other people have stepped up, I felt good about that,” said Zuckerman. “When this one was open, the timing was good for me and I noticed that no one else was stepping up.”

Zuckerman filled the Position 1 seat held by Boesenberg, owner of Fainting Goat restaurant, who took the position of deputy clerk at Winthrop town hall last month.

Councilmember Signe Shaw, who is Zuckerman’s neighbor, said she had already spoken with him and had no questions for him during the meeting.

Mayor Robert Grim said he met with Zuckerman last week and expressed his approval for the selection.

Zuckerman grew up in New York City and lived in Seattle 45 years before moving to Methow Valley five years ago. He said his outsider status was an asset to the community.

“I actually feel it is important that this town is represented in a council position by someone who is new because I think in some ways, the future of this valley is going to be more and more people coming here and people can either fit in the right way or they do not, and I think I can help guide both people who are coming in but also people who have been here for a long time to understand the ethic and values of the people who are coming here. To a degree that there might be a divide there, I feel like I’m someone who can acually bridge it.”

Zuckerman will be sworn in at the next town council meeting March 18.