Thank you students, neighbors, for helping Federal Way meet the moment | Commentary

Published 6:30 am Friday, February 27, 2026

Over the past few weeks, we’ve watched Federal Way meet a moment that tested our values and showed us exactly what it looks like when the people use their voice.

I had a front-row seat for it. I was president of the Federal Way City Council a few weeks ago, elected in January by a 4-3 vote of my council colleagues. It was a narrow margin, and it came minutes after Councilmember Linda Kochmar fell one vote short of winning.

I had little time to settle into the role. I publicly supported Federal Way students exercising their Constitutional rights, being civically engaged, and standing up for their beliefs when they organized a walk-out protest against the ways Immigration and Customs Enforcement are operating in our neighborhoods.

Three of my council colleagues, the “3” in that 4-3 vote, clutched their pearls, shrieked that caring about ICE’s presence in Washington was partisan, and demanded a recall vote. They got one Councilmember Susan Honda to switch her vote, removed me as president, and awarded the title to Susan Honda.

To be clear, this reaction did not come from a place of good-faith disagreement. It came from a brand of politics that relies on faux outrage and grievance, where power is protected by attacking anyone who challenges the status quo. We’ve seen this nationally, and now we’re seeing it play out locally.

I accepted the vote, although I disagreed with it and was deeply disappointed. That disappointment, though, disappeared pretty quickly as I started receiving feedback from the people in Federal Way.

It’s an understatement to say I was overwhelmed by the support I received from our neighbors. So many of you reached out through Facebook, on phone calls, and even in person in passing comments of encouragement. In a very difficult and very public moment, your voices mattered and reminded me that leadership is never exercised alone.

And they validated how proud I was, and how proud I am, of our Federal Way students.

These students did not act impulsively or in isolation. They thoughtfully planned their protest, joining a broader national movement, when it would have been easier to stay quiet, retreat behind screens. They used their voices to speak about what they are seeing and experiencing in the world around them. That takes courage.

Using your voice is not always easy. It is not always rewarded. Sometimes, as I found, it comes with consequences. But silence has consequences too.

Our students exercised their constitutional right to free speech and free assembly with bravery and intentionality. They asked to be heard. They shared fear and concern. And in doing so, they showed us what civic engagement looks like in its most honest form.

Honest, good-faith civic engagement does not belong only to adults, and it certainly doesn’t only belong to elected officials, the old-guard elites, or those who believe in silencing those they disagree with.

It belongs to everyone.

I want to encourage everyone to keep believing in honest, good-faith civic engagement, and I want everyone to keep using your voice. Democracy does not work when we disengage. The Federal Way City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Show up. Speak up.

In closing, thank you Federal Way. Thank you for your kind words, for believing in our students, for believing in me, and for showing me once again what it looks like when neighbors use their voices together.

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Martin Moore is a member of the Federal Way City Council.