Snohomish council member called a racist in ongoing conflict

Snohomish County Council Chairman Dave Somers was rather surprised when County Executive John Lovick accused him on Monday of making a racist joke. But he wasn’t surprised when no one else agreed with the allegation.

“He just came in Monday morning and said he was highly offended and that the comments I made were inappropriate,” Somers told KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz.

After the scolding, Lovick handed Somers a letter stating the offense.

“I read the letter and I was shocked,” Somers said. “And frankly, I think the accusations are really pathetic and disgusting. He’s trying to make a racial issue out of something that is not racial in the least. And I’m sorry he has dragged us into this.”

“Us,” which Somers refers to, is himself and the Tulalip Tribes. The alleged offense happened at a recent leadership breakfast with aims to foster positive relations between the county and the tribes. During the conference, Somers quipped, “Do you know why Indians have no enemies? Because they killed them all.”

The joke’s tone that Lovick relates is in a negative context.

“I absolutely did not say that,” Somers said. “He is misquoting me.”

“I recalled a story that was often told by Stan Jones, the tribal chairman, about a Snohomish tribal song that they sing, and still teach, and sing at their salmon ceremony,” Somers said. “The gist of it is, ‘We’re the Snohomish tribe, we are very happy people, we have no enemies because we’ve eliminated them all.’ It’s a bit of dark humor, but it is a traditional tribal song and that’s actually the words. I’ve heard the words many times because I worked for the Tulalip Tribes for over 18 years and I’m familiar with the community. The Tribal members laughed and they understood it.”

Somers knows tribe members understood it because he called the Tribe to apologize, mainly for the Tribe being dragged into county drama, but also in case someone did find it offensive. An article in the Everett Herald confirmed, no one did. Tulalip Tribal Chairman Mel Sheldon and Vice Chairman Glen Gobin told the paper as much.

Somers further told Rantz that the issue isn’t so much to do with racism, as it has to do with drawn out drama between county officials. There has been tension between the council and Lovick, Somers added.

“This is just part of an ongoing conflict between the council and the executive’s office, and this reflects that,” Somers said.

“It’s a lack of understanding of on the executive’s part about tribal culture out there at Tulalip,” he said.