by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 10 June 2015
Please read the June 9th overview column before reading this candidate profile, and consider also reading profiles of the other two candidates for Seattle District #6 – Jon Lisbin and Catherine Weatbrook. (The fourth registered candidate, Stan Shaufler, could not be reached for an interview.)
Councilmember Mike O’Brien lives in Fremont, and has been elected, twice (in 2009 and 2013) to Position #8 on the Seattle City Council. “I have tried to work very hard,” he said, “to be responsive and communicative. I try to get out of the office,” to meet with constituents, and to see the city. “I have never turned down a meeting,” he observed, “to my knowledge.”
A native Seattlite, Councilmember O’Brien is very clear, “I was elected to represent all the city,” in his reelection to the Council. “Starting January 1st,” he said, about whoever is elected to serve District #6, among Seattle City Council candidates, “you will be representing the district, and behavior will change.”
Issues That Matter
Behavior, in how he represents the city, will change but Councilmember O’Brien won’t change his beliefs. “The issues I remain passionate about,” he said, “are environmental sustainability (how we work with nature,) and social justice (how we work together.)”
His efforts to build a more responsible and environmentally friendly city, like the opt-out for phone books, help not only District #6 but the entire city. “There are environmental sustainability issues that apply to all of us,” Councilmember O’Brien pointed out about oil trains, public transit and, “how we’ll get light rail to Ballard.”
Under ‘social justice’, Councilmember O’Brien explained, “affordability is a primary issue. How do we address affordability, making sure that neighborhoods that are underserved get what they need? District 6 does have good schools, parks, and pretty good public safety. How do we make more opportunities for others to live here?”
He related the story of a friend, whose 62-year-old nanny had her rent increase so high that it created an ‘economic eviction.’ The nanny saw two choices – to move away from her job, or to buy an RV to live in.
For District #6, Councilmember O’Brien observed, “transportation is a huge one. We have decent transit service, but the busses are full. Trying to get across town, or downtown, can be a challenge.”
For Councilmember O’Brien campaign finance reform is another important issue. As he observed, the day after election councilmembers have often begun raising money to build a figurative war chest so intimidating that no one would challenge their re-election, in four years. “I want a very competitive election system,” O’Brien explained, “I think it is great to have so many candidates, where I get pushed very hard. As a voter, I want good choices.”
“The [City] Council I’m working on is not responsive,” Councilmember O’Brien observed. He wants to talk with constituents, and to be pushed by them. “I have strong opinions on a lot of things,” he said, “I’ve taken meetings where I’ve learned something I didn’t know, that gave me a different framework, and changed my opinion.”
The Call To Serve, In District #6
Among the nine sitting councilmembers, when Seattle voters passed the district system, some chose not to run for re-election but one chose to run at-large, for Position 8. When asked why Councilmember O’Brien chose to run for District #6 he explained that serving at-large, “That’s what I’m used to.”
“The thing that is real appealing,” Councilmember O’Brien said, “District #6 is my home, where a lot of my friends live.” We share backgrounds, similar values, and the affinity we hold for the area most of us – including O’Brien and his family – chose to live in.
Councilmember O’Brien knows the district system still has to be worked out, in how it will represent the city. For him, “I know I will be making decisions city-wide, not just governing in my district.” Still, he said he will enjoy doing more, closer to home. An avid bicyclist, Councilmember O’Brien often has difficulty figuring out how to get to meetings at the far reaches of the city. “I like the idea of being able to focus,” he admitted.
Parking – Where He Stands
When asked about parking, particularly in Fremont, Councilmember O’Brien said, “I liken where we are at in our transportation development to the awkward adolescent phase.” He grew up at a time when life centered around the car. He got his driver’s license at 16, like his friends. “I have a vision where the car is only one way,” O’Brien observed, among many ways to get around.
Technology has advanced rapidly, including in transportation, with share ride, and share car, being developed in the last few years. “Who knows what the next three years will have,” Councilmember O’Brien said. “I am so dedicated to bringing light rail to Ballard,” he said, “but it could take 10 years. If I know that’s coming (and I don’t know that yet,) I don’t want to be investing in auto infrastructure.”
“Cars are convenient,” Councilmember O’Brien acknowledged, but “I don’t think requiring people to pay for parking that they don’t want to use is fair.” When apartment or condominium buildings build parking, residents often pay for it even when they won’t use it.
“It is frustrating when you can’t find parking,” Councilmember O’Brien said. He supports Restricted Parking Zones (RPZ), but he doesn’t go to neighborhoods like Capitol Hill as much, with a car, because he knows it will be hard to park.
Councilmember O’Brien wants environmental sustainability, and to find social justice, for District #6 and city-wide. To find out more about him, visit his Council site, and his campaign website.
Also, consider meeting him at the Fremont Chamber Picnic-In-The Park on June 17th at Noon, at Gas Works Park, and asking him your own questions about what he can do, as a Seattle City Councilmember and, in January 2016, as our District #6 representative. RSVP to the Picnic on-line or at director@fremont.com
Related Articles
- A Pizza Picnic & Candidate Round-Up
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, June 9, 2015
- Jon Lisbin, Concerned Citizen Candidate
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, June 10, 2015
- Catherine Weatbrook, Community Spokesperson Candidate
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, June 10, 2015
- A Picnic-In-The-Park Manifesto To Come
- by Kirby Lindsay, June 23, 2014
©2015 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.