(The Center Square) – With the general election two months away, the top candidate for the Everett City Council District 4 position is facing mounting questioning about eligibility and campaign finance violations.
Leading Candidate Niko Battle – who’s campaigning on policing, affordable housing, and protecting Everett Transit from consolidating – gathered 42.1% of votes in the 2025 primary election. He leads Alan Rubio – a contractor in the local aerospace industry – who had 33.1% of votes.
Battle is leading the race despite initial reports from The Lynwood Times and My Everett News that revealed Battle registered to vote in Snohomish County five days before filing to run for Everett’s District 4. The city’s municipal code requires candidates to be a registered voter of the city for at least one year preceding the election.
The Washington Public Disclosure Commission is also investigating Battle and his campaign. Jacob Read – former ministerial treasurer for the Friends of Niko Battle campaign – filed a complaint with the commission on Aug. 16, claiming Battle’s requests for campaign finance records alterations were “a malicious attempt to undermine the regulations” established by state law.
After reading the My Everett News article, Read said he realized Battle’s statements to him and the public were showing serious inconsistencies and he became uncertain of continuing a professional relationship with Battle.
Alongside claims of Battle lying to him and the press, Read’s complaint also alleges Battle did not make campaign books of account available within 48 hours, attempted to impersonate his father to access a bank account held in his father’s name and improperly used campaign funds.
According to data from the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, Battle’s campaign has raised $12,574 in contributions and expended a total of $9,144. The complaint alleges that the Friends of Niko Battle campaign authorized dozens of food and gas expenses that are “very hard to explain considering the scale and scope of the campaign.”
“I believe there is sufficient suspicious data to merit an investigation into the legitimacy of these expenses, to confirm whether or not the food, coffee, and gas cards were really ending up in the hands of staff and volunteers, or if these were improper uses of campaign funds for personal expenditures,” Read wrote in a complaint.
Battle is also facing a separate Snohomish County Superior Court case regarding his eligibility for the city council seat. A hearing to determine whether Battle is eligible to continue his run for Everett City Council is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Battle and his campaign did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.
