Daniel Aaron Strauss (born April 12, 1986) is an American politician who serves on the Seattle City Council from District 6. A native of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, he previously worked as an aide to local politicians, including Seattle councilmember Sally Bagshaw.
Dan Strauss | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Member of the Seattle City Council from District 6 | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Mike O'Brien |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Daniel Aaron Strauss April 12, 1986 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Seattle, Washington |
| Alma mater | Whittier College (BA) University of Oregon (MPA) |
Early life and career edit
Strauss was born in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to a Jewish family of social workers and graduated from Nathan Hale High School.[1][2] He participated in the Northwest Youth Corps and local search and rescue groups in high school and the National Civilian Community Corps in college.[3] Strauss graduated with a degree in political science from Whittier College, where he was elected student body president, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oregon in 2012.[3][4] As a graduate student, he also worked as a policy intern for Oregon state representative Nancy Nathanson.[5]
After graduating from college, Strauss returned to Seattle and worked as an aide to several local politicians. He was part of the campaign team for Snohomish County councilman Dave Somers during his 2013 reelection. He then worked as a legislative assistant for State Senator David Frockt.[4] Strauss worked for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility during their successful campaign on Initiative 1491, which expanded gun safety protections.[3] From 2017 to 2019, he served as a legislative assistant to Seattle councilmember Sally Bagshaw.[4]
Political career edit
Strauss announced his candidacy for the District 6 seat in February 2019, shortly before incumbent councilmember Mike O'Brien announced that he would not seek re-election.[6] He finished first out of 13 candidates in the primary election, with 34 percent of the vote, and advanced to the general election alongside former city councilmember Heidi Wills.[2] Strauss was endorsed by the King County Labor Council and The Stranger, while Wills earned the support of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Amazon.[2][7] He won 55.65 percent of the vote and was sworn in on December 22, 2019, at a ceremony at the Ballard Centennial Bell Tower.[8][9]
Strauss is the chair of the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee.[10]
Electoral history edit
2019 election edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Dan Strauss | 23,868 | 55.68% | |
| Nonpartisan | Heidi Wills | 18,799 | 43.83% | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 221 | 0.52% | |
| Turnout | 44,399 | 59.37% | ||
| Registered electors | 74,785 | |||
References edit
- ^ Vandraiss, Karin (July 16, 2019). "Meet the Jewish Candidates Vying for a Seat on the Seattle City Council (Part One)". Jewish in Seattle Magazine. Sagacity Media. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Gutman, David (September 21, 2019). "Strauss, Wills clash over homelessness sweeps in District 6 Seattle City Council debate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c "About Councilmember Dan Strauss". City of Seattle. January 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Gutman, David (October 19, 2019). "Seattle City Council candidates Strauss and Wills locked in polite battle over District 6 seat". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "PPPM Alum Wins Seattle City Council Seat". University of Oregon School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. November 14, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Beekman, Daniel (February 13, 2019). "Mike O'Brien is fourth Seattle City Council incumbent who won't run for re-election". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Beekman, Daniel (October 27, 2019). "TV, texts and canvassers: How PACs are spending millions to sway Seattle City Council elections". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b "November 05, 2019 Official Final Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. November 25, 2019. p. 33. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ "Councilmember-elect Dan Strauss takes oath in Ballard". Seattle Channel. December 22, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ Graham, Natalie (January 7, 2020). "New Seattle City Council Sworn in with Calls for New Progressive Taxes". The Stranger. Retrieved January 9, 2020.