We are excited to be joined by King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci for our monthly meetup Tuesday February 11th. Balducci is a leader in tackling the big crises threatening the future of our region, notably housing affordability, equitable transportation, and climate change.
On the council Balducci represents King County District 6, which encompasses all or part of Bellevue, Bothell, Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, Kirkland, Medina, Mercer Island, Redmond, Woodinville and Yarrow Point, Beaux Arts Village, and the Sammamish Valley. Claudia first became active in politics when she joined her neighbors to advocate for the revitalization of her local shopping center in the Lake Hills community in Bellevue. She was later elected to the Bellevue City Council where she served for 12 years, including two years as Deputy Mayor and two years as Mayor. In 2015, she defeated a six-term incumbent to win a seat on the King County Council.
This year Balducci was elected to chair the King County Council. She also is chair of Sound Transit’s System Expansion Committee, vice president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, and chair of the County’s Affordable Housing Committee, which is seeking to unite the region around bold action to address the housing affordability crisis.
As an elected official, Balducci has championed transportation solutions, such as improvements to transit, major freeways like SR 520 and I-405, and bike routes in Bellevue. She fought for several years to ensure regional light rail would come to the Eastside. In 2016, Balducci was recognized as a “Transit Hero” to the Transportation Choices Coalition’s Hall of Fame for her tireless work to provide safe, reliable and equitable transit service throughout King County and beyond. She will be talking about her experience in public service, her work on the council, her vision for our region, and her colloborative work to make that vision happen.
Our monthly social event is free, all ages, and open to everyone. We will be at the Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea House in the Chinatown/International District. Come by if you want to meet other people who care about our city, network, or hear from an inspirational speaker at a local establishment. You can find us in the lower room, and our guest speaker starts at 6:30pm.
Panana Hotel has coffee, tea, beer, wine, and food available. Bonus: They are a cool independent cafe in a wonderful historic building in one of Seattle’s great urban neighborhoods. We hope you can join us!
Patrick grew up across the Puget Sound from Seattle and used to skip school to come hang out in the city. He is an designer at a small architecture firm with a strong focus on urban infill housing. He is passionate about design, housing affordability, biking, and what makes cities so magical. He works to advocate for abundant and diverse housing options and for a city that is a joy for people on bikes and foot. He and his family live in the Othello neighborhood.