Hi neighbors,
As I shared late Thursday night, Flock implementation has been paused — at least until the lawsuits in Stanwood and Sedro-Woolley are resolved. However it was reached, this outcome was driven by community pushback. Residents spoke up, showed up, and made it clear that Mountlake Terrace is not comfortable rushing forward.
The council also showed strong support for reinstating the Community Policing Advisory Board. While no formal action was taken yet, they asked City Manager Jeff Niten to make a few tweaks to the resolution and bring it back for a vote. Despite some tension on the dais, it looks likely to pass. Restoring this board will be an important step for oversight and accountability.
What I want to focus on here is what each councilmember said — or didn’t say — about Flock. Understanding their positions helps us see where the momentum lies and what work remains.
Councilmember William Paige
Councilmember Paige gave the most forceful remarks of the night, calling Flock’s undisclosed Homeland Security work the “drop-dead deal breaker.” He walked through the meaning of the word pause before turning to what it revealed about Flock’s conduct:
“Pause means a temporary stop, a hesitation, a reason to stop and think again. And that’s what gives me pause about Flock. We found out they had a test going on in one city. They denied doing business with Homeland Security until they got caught — then they paused it. So when I hear pause, I ask: when is it going to be resumed? What was the test for?
Over 5,000 locations have Flock. When did their discussions with Homeland Security begin? Why did it take until May to turn it on? I can only speculate, but I believe those conversations started long before May. And then in June, just weeks later, we voted on this contract. During that time we were raising the one concern that we said was a deal breaker — don’t do business with Homeland Security or ICE. And they never revealed that to us.
Think about it this way: if you hire a contractor to work on your house, and you tell them there’s one subcontractor you don’t want anywhere near your property, and they know it — and then you find out they’ve been working with that subcontractor all along, right around the corner — that’s the deal breaker. They knew what our concern was, and they didn’t tell us.
For me, this comes down to morality, character, and integrity. It feels wrong to have Flock on our streets. It feels wrong to have Flock in our city. It feels wrong to have Flock in my life. They lack morality, they lack character, and they lack integrity. We should start by considering the possibility — the reality — that the right step is to just cancel the contract.”
Paige originally voted for the contract with Flock, but we can assume he would vote against it if given another chance.
Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Wahl
Mayor Pro Tem Wahl has been the bridge between residents and city leadership throughout this debate. He strongly supported pausing implementation and emphasized that community pushback shaped the revisions to the Flock policy, MOU, and statement of values.
He credited residents directly for influencing the changes, and he pressed for the new Community Policing Advisory Board to be broadened beyond Flock, suggesting it also review future policing technologies.
Wahl has met with residents repeatedly, worked line by line through draft language, and pressed for stronger guardrails around transparency and oversight. The fact that so much of the revised policy reflects what community members asked for is due in no small part to his persistence.
Wahl originally voted for the contract with Flock and has not indicated how he would vote if given another chance.
Other councilmembers
Erin Murray
Emphasized the value of reinstating the Community Policing Advisory Board for broader policy review and police-community relations.
Murray originally voted against the contract with Flock and has been consistent in her opposition.
Laura Sonmore
Supported bringing the board back. Asked to hear from other cities already using Flock and raised questions about how audits and published logs would work in practice.
Sonmore originally voted for the contract with Flock and none of her public comments since indicate she would change that vote if given another chance.
Steve Woodard
Supported youth participation on the board but suggested not limiting it to just Mountlake Terrace High School, so homeschooled and other local students can serve.
Woodard originally voted against the contract with Flock. His comments on the topic since have not given any clues to how he would vote if given another chance.
Rick Ryan
Said the board language needs more work and time. Supported tabling the ordinance while the city manager revises it for a future meeting.
Ryan originally voted for the contract with Flock and none of his public comments since indicate he would change that vote if given another chance.
Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright
Presided over the meeting and facilitated discussion. Offered limited direct commentary on Flock itself.
Matsumoto Wright originally voted for the contract with Flock and has given minimal comments on the topic since.
Oversight is moving forward
While no formal vote reinstated the Community Policing Advisory Board, the council asked the city manager to revise the ordinance and bring it back. There was clear consensus to restore the board and to use it, not a DEI subcommittee, for oversight.
What still matters
A pause is not a cancellation. The contract remains in place, and trust in Flock remains the core issue. As Paige put it, this is about morality, character, and integrity. The company has repeatedly hidden its ties to Homeland Security and fought its own customers in court.
That is why the best outcome is still to cancel before any cameras go in.
Dustin
Watch the entire discussion here starting at 16:10: