Longtime Seattle City Councilman, Tom Rasmussen, says he is not running for reelection. Rasmussen was first elected to Seattle City Council in 2003 when he defeated Margaret Pageler. His announcement not to run again comes on the heels of councilman Nick Licata, saying he’s not seeking reelection either.
Rasmussen is the chair of the city coucil's transportation committee. He was an early supporter of building the tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and was a critic of former mayor Mike McGinn.
In a statement Rasmussen says what is most important to him right now is, “Focusing on the critical issues before the City Council, rather than being divided between a campaign and the work I want to accomplish.”
Some of the issues he’s working on during his last months in office include improving bus service and creating what’s called a “Greenspace Opportunity Fund.” This would make it possible for neighborhoods to buy former City Light substation sites and preserve them as open spaces.
Rasmussen lives in West Seattle, which will be District 1 when Seattle switches over to electing council members from districts instead of at large starting next November.
Under the new system, which was approved by voters, there will be seven districts and two at-large positions.
