Thomas M. Rasmussen is a retired 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 ...

, serving from 2004 to 2015.

Education and early career

Rasmussen holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in political science from

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a Private university, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congreg ...

and a J.D. from

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

. After graduating, he worked at the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for three years. 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 The West Seattle Bridge, officially the Jeanette Williams Memorial Bridge, is a Cantilever bridge, cantilevered segmental bridge that serves as the primary connection between West Seattle, Seattle, West Seattle and important highways such as Was ...

and the city's purchase of the

Kubota Gardens Kubota Garden is a Japanese garden in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. A public park since 1987, it was started in 1927 by Fujitaro Kubota, a Japanese emigrant. Today, it is maintained as a public park by the Seattle Par ...

. After Williams' election defeat in 1989, Rasmussen became a top manager at the nonprofit Senior Services of Seattle/King County. In 1999, 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 ...

hired him as director of the office of senior citizens, serving until his 2003 election win. Before running for city council, Rasmussen also chaired the parks committee of the Queen Anne Community Council.

Seattle City Council

Elections

In 2003, Rasmussen ran against incumbent Margaret Pageler, citing the council's lack of focus on local issues as the reason for his candidacy. 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%. Rasmussen criticized Pageler's application to the become president of the

Seattle Chamber of Commerce The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is a private, membership-based organization that represents economic development and the economic interests of its corporate members in the metro region of Seattle, Washington. Its members include most ...

the prior year and for the financial crisis that

Seattle City Light Seattle City Light is the public utility providing electricity to Seattle, Washington, in the United States, and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline, nearly all of Lake Forest Park, and parts of unincorporated King County, ...

was facing. In the November general election, Rasmussen defeated Pageler, 52% to 48%. Rasmussen ran for reelection in 2007 unopposed. 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.

Tenure

From 2004 to 2007, he was chair of the Housing, Human Services & Health Committee and vice chair of the Urban Development & Planning Committee. 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. Rasmussen chaired the Transportation Committee for his final six years in office. As chair, he championed the "big dig" tunnel replacement for the

Alaskan Way Viaduct The Alaskan Way Viaduct ("the viaduct" for short) was an elevated freeway in Seattle, Washington, United States, that carried a section of Washington State Route 99, State Route 99 (SR 99). The double-decked freeway ran north–south along the ...

replacement. Rasmussen also supported Proposition 1, a levy that gave new funding to Seattle transportation projects, and pushed for expanded bus services from those funds. 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." In 2015, Rasmussen announced he would not seek reelection, choosing not to run for the newly created District 1 seat.

Personal life

Rasmussen is gay and is active in LGBT legal and political organizations, including as a board member of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund. He lives in West Seattle with his partner Clayton Lewis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Tom Seattle City Council members Valparaiso University alumni American gay politicians Pacific Lutheran University alumni Living people American LGBTQ city council members LGBTQ people from Washington (state) Year of birth missing (living people)