Sue Donaldson was a member of the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-larg ...

from 1990 to 2000 and served as council president from 1998 to 1999.

Seattle city council

Appointment and elections

Donaldson was appointed to the council on January 19, 1990, to fill the first of two years of Norm Rice's remaining term, after he was elected

Mayor of Seattle The Mayor of Seattle is the Head of government, head of the executive branch of the Government of Seattle, city government of Seattle, Washington. The mayor is authorized by the city charter to enforce laws enacted by the Seattle City Council, a ...

. She would run in the 1990 special election with David Moseley, a political adviser and community activist, her primary opponent. In the November general election, Donaldson defeated Mosely in a landslide, 73% to 27%. In 1991, Donaldson ran for reelection with three challengers, with Freedom Socialist Party member Yolanda Alaniz moving past the September primary. In the November general election, Donaldson again won in a landslide earning 82% of the vote. Donaldson faced two challengers during her 1995 reelection bid, and she advanced through the primary with

University of Puget Sound The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1888. The institution offers a variety of undergraduate degrees as well as five graduate programs in counseling, education, oc ...

professor Jordan Brower. Brower sued the city of Seattle in October 1995 for allegedly misusing federal housing money for the new

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a seco ...

flagship store, which Donaldson voted in favor of. In the general election, Donaldson would win in another landslide, 77% to 23%.'

Tenure

Over her tenure, Donaldson chaired the Land Use Committee and Public Grounds and Recreation Committees. She was considered "establishment" and voted for legislation that favored downtown businesses, including Nordstrom's, and voted for socially conservative legislation, such as the drug loitering ordinance. Donaldson was council president from 1998 to 1999. As president, she lobbied the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

to host the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999. During the conference, people protested the event, which led to rioting through downtown Seattle, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Seattle. In her final month in office, Donaldson oversaw the response to the riot and the investigation into the city's failed response. Police chief

Norm Stamper Norman Harvey Stamper (born 1944) is an American former chief of police, writer, law enforcement consultant, and advocate for criminal justice reform. Biography Stamper is known for his role as Chief of the Seattle Police Department (1994–2000 ...

resigned after the riots, which Donaldson opposed and placed blame on Mayor

Paul Schell Paul Schell (born Paul Ervin Schlachtenhaufen; October 8, 1937 – July 27, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington, from 1998 to 2002. Early life and education The oldest of six children ...

saying, "It is unfortunate that the mayor has taken this action at this time." In 1999, Donaldson announced that she would not seek reelection.

Post-council

After serving on the council, Donaldson worked at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. She also hosted an interview radio show called "The Bridge" with fellow former city councilmember

Jean Godden Jean H. Godden (born October 10, 1931) is a former member of the Seattle City Council. She served from 2004 to 2016. Before running for city council, she was a columnist for the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' and ''The Seattle Times'' newspapers ...

, which is on hiatus due to the pandemic.

Personal life

Donaldson is a graduate of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and earned her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the University of Washington. Before running for city council, she was a property lawyer for Perkins Cole. Donaldson is married to Dr. Paul Fletcher, and they have three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaldson, Sue Living people Seattle City Council members University of Washington alumni Washington (state) Democrats 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century Washington (state) politicians Harvard College alumni Year of birth missing (living people)