Tom Rasmussen | |
|---|---|
 Tom Rasmussen, 2012 | |
| Member of the Seattle City Council for Position 5 | |
| In office January 1, 2004 –December 31, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Pageler |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Domestic partner | Clayton Lewis |
| Residence | West Seattle |
| Education | Pacific Lutheran University (BA) Valparaiso University (JD) |
Thomas M. Rasmussen is a retired member of the Seattle City Council,serving from 2004 to 2015. [1]
Rasmussen holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Pacific Lutheran University and a J.D. from Valparaiso University. [2] After graduating,he worked at the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for three years. [3] From 1976 to 1988,Rasmussen was a legislative aide to Seattle councilmember Jeanette Williams,working on transportation and parks projects,including construction of a new West Seattle bridge and the city's purchase of the Kubota Gardens. [3] [4] [5]
After Williams' election defeat in 1989,Rasmussen became a top manager at the nonprofit Senior Services of Seattle/King County. [3] In 1999,Mayor Paul Schell hired him as director of the office of senior citizens,serving until his 2003 election win. [3] [5] Before running for city council,Rasmussen also chaired the parks committee of the Queen Anne Community Council. [5]
In 2003,Rasmussen ran against incumbent Margaret Pageler,citing the council's lack of focus on local issues as the reason for his candidacy. [4] In the September open primary,Pageler came in first against her five challenges,with 39% of the vote,with Rasmussen coming in second with 25%. [6] Rasmussen criticized Pageler's application to the become president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce the prior year and for the financial crisis that Seattle City Light was facing. [3] In the November general election,Rasmussen defeated Pageler,52% to 48%. [7] [8]
Rasmussen ran for reelection in 2007 unopposed. [7] [9] In his 2011 reelection bid,Rasmussen had only one challenger,Dale Pusey,which he defeated in a landslide in the general election with 72% of the vote. [7] [10]
From 2004 to 2007,he was chair of the Housing,Human Services &Health Committee and vice chair of the Urban Development &Planning Committee. [2] From 2008 to 2009,he was chair of the Parks &Seattle Center Committee,the vice chair of the Culture,Civil Rights,Health and Personnel Committee,and the Labor Policy Committee. [2]
Rasmussen chaired the Transportation Committee for his final six years in office. [2] As chair,he championed the "big dig" tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement. [11] Rasmussen also supported Proposition 1,a levy that gave new funding to Seattle transportation projects,and pushed for expanded bus services from those funds. [11] In his final year in office,he pushed for expanded bus service,using Prop 1 funds,and a new tax levy,"Bridging the Gap II." [12] [13]
In 2015,Rasmussen announced he would not seek reelection,choosing not to run for the newly created District 1 seat. [12] [13]
Rasmussen is gay and is active in LGBT legal and political organizations,including as a board member of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund. [11] He lives in West Seattle with his partner Clayton Lewis. [5] [12] [13]