Cynthia Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Member of the King County Council from the 2nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1984 –January 1, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Blair |
| Succeeded by | Bob Ferguson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949 (age 75–76) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jim Hebert (m. 1999) |
| Alma mater | University of Washington (BA) |
Cynthia Sullivan (born 1949) is a former member of the King County Council representing District 2 from 1984-2004.
Sullivan dropped out of her graduate program at the University of Washington in 1983 to run for county council against Republican Scott Blair. [1] [2] She called her opponent an entrenched republican and declared that the county had become "a candy store for developers" because of the republican led council. [1] [2] Sullivan defeated Blair in the general election and credited her win to knocking on more than 1,000 doors in the district. [1]
Early in her career, King County experienced significant population growth, and the council passed a comprehensive redevelopment plan. [1] [2] Sullivan became chair of the committee charged with creating the line between urban growth and other land uses. [1] She focused on growing metropolitan areas while protecting rural, forested, and agricultural areas. [2] Although she ran on slow-growth policies, Sullivan promoted pro-development and pro-mass transit legislation. [1] [2] Sullivan stated, "If growth management fails, it's for two reasons: You didn't build housing where you need it — which is in urban centers — or you didn't build the transportation system to link up those urban centers." [2]
Sullivan and councilmember Greg Nickels endorsed and advocated for a 1988 advisory vote on developing a rail transit system, which voters overwhelmingly approved. [2] This led to the failed vote 1995 vote on the creation of the Regional Transit Authority before the successful creation of Sound Transit in 1996. [1] [3] She would also play a leading role in the creation of a mass-transit bus system to entice more families into the cities. [2]
Sullivan was a reliable progressive vote and was an ardent supporter of rights for gays, women, and minorities. [1] [4] She fought against citizen initiatives by anti-tax advocate Tim Eyman that would reduce the county's income from property taxes and vehicle license fees. [2]
Sullivan faced no serious challenger until her 2003 reelection bid when attorney Bob Ferguson challenged her in the Democratic Primary. [4] Ferguson critiqued Sullivan on her reliance on donations from developers, supporting Sound Transit, and her reluctance to shrink the council from 13 seats to 9. [2] Ferguson called Sullivan an entrenched incumbent as she did in her first election, and touted his campaign knocking on 25,000 doors. [4] In the September primary, Ferguson defeated Sullivan 50.37% to 49.63%, a margin of 143 votes. [5]
After leaving the council, King County Executive Ron Sims named Sullivan the director of the Metropolitan Initiative. [6]
While in office, Sullivan divorced her husband and became a single mother on the council. [2]
She married market researcher Jim Hebert in 1999. [2] In 2015, a jury ordered Hebert's company to pay $650,000 to a former employee after he told them to learn English or lose his job. [7] Sullivan supervised the employee until she cut back on her work at Hebert Research in August 2011, and was able to communicate effectively with the employee. [8] The couple would file for bankruptcy, with the biggest liability being the $650,000 judgment against Hebert Research. [8]