Two Issaquah Highlands residents are running for Issaquah mayor in the November 2025 general election. Lindsey Walsh and Mark Mullet answered a series of questions in the fall 2025 issue of Community Connect magazine.
Don’t miss our Candidate Forum to meet the two mayoral candidates at Blakely Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 22. There will be a meet and greet starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by the forum at 7 p.m. The City of Issaquah will record the forum to post on their YouTube channel. Fill out the form to submit a question for the candidates!
Ballots will be sent in the mail Oct. 17. Be sure to vote by Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m.
1. Introduce yourself.
Lindsey: Hello neighbors, I’m Lindsey Walsh, a small business owner and mom of 2 teenagers who has lived in the Highlands for 16 years. It has been my honor to serve you on the Issaquah City Council since 2019, including the last 3 years as the Council President and acting Mayor pro tem.
Mark: Our family moved to the Issaquah Highlands in 2006. Our kids attended both Lakeside Montessori School and Grand Ridge Elementary. In 2009, I opened Zeeks Pizza Issaquah, which I operated until 2019. In 2010, I opened Ben & Jerry’s, which is where you will often find our children scooping ice cream.
2. What inspired you to run for mayor, and what’s your top priority if elected?
Lindsey: My deep commitment to Issaquah as a longtime resident, parent, and small business owner is what inspires me to serve as Mayor. I have no ambitions for higher public office, preferring to focus solely on making Issaquah a better place to live—protecting our beautiful hillsides, ensuring our small businesses thrive, and promoting safe, walkable neighborhoods. My top priority is public safety—ensuring residents feel safe around town and we are well prepared for emergencies.
Mark: My dad became the mayor of Tukwila in 1999, the town where I was born and raised. This was my inspiration to devote more of my life to public service when I moved to the Issaquah Highlands in 2006. My top priority as mayor will be making smart investments and working with our regional partners to reduce traffic congestion.
3. What leadership qualities do you bring that make you the right choice for mayor?
Lindsey: My experience as acting Mayor makes me ready on day one to get to work for you. For the past 6 years I’ve been singularly focused on the needs of Issaquah residents. While others may talk about state budgets, I’ve delivered real results right here in Issaquah to improve your quality of life—safer neighborhoods, increased street and sidewalk maintenance, and local transit options—and I will continue to put you first as Mayor.
Mark: I own and operate five Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops, Alki Coffee Co., and Zeeks Pizza Sammamish. I have experience hiring leaders for each location and helping guide them into providing excellent customer service. This is my hope at the City of Issaquah, to bring a customer service mentality to all departments. There is no reason for any Issaquah resident to be afraid of our permit department if we create the right customer service mentality.
4. Issaquah Highlands has a unique mix of residential, retail, parks and open spaces. How would you balance preserving our community character with the city’s need for growth?
Lindsey: I’ve fought hard to ensure the Highlands has a balance of work and play to support our housing, especially with upcoming development in the West Highlands and Lakeside. I’m committed to protecting our open spaces and parks while encouraging development on the valley floor as is intended by our Central Issaquah Plan. This is the future of walkable, transit supported neighborhoods in Issaquah.
Mark: During my time on the IHCA Board of Directors and my time on the Issaquah City Council, I was proud to help bring long needed retail shops to the Issaquah Highlands. The Highlands has already taken on its share of housing; it is time to execute on the Central Issaquah plan to bring new housing to the valley floor. I strongly oppose letting Bellevue College sell their land to a housing developer.
5. As mayor, how would you stay connected with Issaquah Highlands residents and ensure our neighborhood’s priorities are reflected in city decisions?
Lindsey: My commitment is simple: listen first, lead with integrity, and put Issaquah residents at the heart of every decision. I will collaborate closely with community leaders and local groups to ensure that neighborhood priorities drive policies to reflect what matters most to the Highlands. As Mayor, I will prioritize regular communication through neighborhood coffees, weekly email newsletters, and sharing important information on social media to ensure you remain well informed about what’s happening in your city.
Mark: I was proud during my time in the State Senate to stay closely connected to the needs of the Issaquah Highlands. I was able to secure state funding to provide turf fields at Central Park as it was obvious the grass fields did not provide adequate year-round use. As Mayor I will make sure that the Issaquah Highlands is not shortchanged just because we have a HOA that does landscaping.
6. What steps would you take to make Issaquah more resilient to emergencies—whether that’s crime prevention, disaster readiness, wildfire protection, etc.?
Lindsey: I care deeply about resiliency as a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The Bomb Cyclone showed the importance of preparedness. As Mayor I commit to adding Resilience Hubs, including at Blakely Hall. As a board member for Eastside Fire & Rescue, I’ve advocated for wildfire readiness programs to keep us safe. As Council President I helped hire our police chief and as Mayor I will ensure there is funding to increase neighborhood patrols.
Mark: In meeting with Issaquah police officers I have become convinced there is excellent technology that can be deployed to read license plates and alert police when vehicles associated with property theft enter our neighborhood (Flock Safety systems). We also need to educate Highlands residents about evacuation routes by the preschool roundabout that can be used in an emergency.
7. What is your favorite thing about Issaquah Highlands?
Lindsey: The community! I love living in a place designed to get people out of their homes and engaging with their neighbors. Whether it’s taking a morning walk to Caffe Ladro, doing a weekend hike through our wonderful trail system, joining one of the many community groups, or attending the great events hosted by the Highlands Council—it’s all there to bring us together as a community.
Mark: Our family moved to the Highlands for the combination of access to the outdoors, retail, and good public schools. I loved the morning routine of walking our dogs on the Grand Ridge Trail, and then walking our kids from Zeeks to Grand Ridge for school in the morning. I remain amazed at how many customers at Ben & Jerry’s get there on foot. We love the Highlands community.
8. Salmon or Sasquatch?
Lindsey – Sasquatch
Mark – Salmon
Candidate statements not edited by Highlands Council.
- Meet the candidates running for Issaquah City Council, Position 1
- Meet the candidates running for Issaquah City Council, Position 5
- Meet the candidates running for Issaquah City Council, Position 6
- Meet the candidates running for Issaquah School Board, Director District 2
- Meet the candidates running for Issaquah School Board, Director District 4
- Meet the candidates running for Washington State Senate, District 5
As published in fall 2025 issue of Community Connect magazine >>>
