Around a quarter of the applicants vying for an open position on the Seattle City Council come equipped with experience at tech companies and startups.
The City revealed a list of the 72 people who applied for the temporary vacancy on the council, created when former councilmember Teresa Mosqueda took a new role on the King County Council.
The City Council is expected to vote Jan. 23 on a replacement, who will serve for most of this year, until a special election for the seat in November.
Mosqueda’s position is citywide, meaning applicants can hail from any of the city’s districts.
The new councilmember will join a revamped lineup of lawmakers — two-thirds of council seats flipped in the latest election.
Read on to learn more about the candidates with tech backgrounds, with excerpts from their cover letters included in applications for the position.
Agarwal studied computer science and was a program manager at Microsoft before pursuing an acting career. He now works in retail and ran for city council last year.
In their words: “I believe in building a futuristic Greater Seattle where we not only solve the current problems that Seattleites face — homelessness, public safety and high home costs and rents — but focus on leveraging green energy innovation to continue building new world leader companies and technology.”
Andeen is a software engineer who worked at Microsoft, Amazon, and most recently Dyndrite. She’s also a cellist in the Rainbow City Orchestra.
In their words: “As a software developer, I have a solid understanding of one of the city’s most important industries; as a gay trans woman, I am deeply involved with the local LGBTQ+ community; and as an author and cellist, I have a strong connection to the arts.”
Baumgardner is a cloud deployment manager at Nokia, where he has spent the past 16 years in various managerial roles.
In their words: “In my experience, there must be a clear and concise method and procedures to negotiate and reach compromises with all the stakeholders to resolve issues.”
Blevins was a senior product manager at Nordstrom and also spent time in analyst roles at InComm Product Control and UPS.
In their words: “My expertise in prioritization, honed through years of product management, has equipped me with the ability to assess competing needs and allocate resources judiciously.”
Duda was most recently director of strategy and insights at Seattle-based e-commerce startup Stackline. He also worked at Amazon and Target.
In their words: “Professionally, there are many parallels and learnings from my prior roles to the City Council functions both in terms of informing and communicating to constituencies decisions and their rationales and setting the clear goals and directives for staff to ensure effective governance.”
Faerber has spent more than two decades working for Microsoft, both as an employee and senior marketing consultant. He has expertise in product management and marketing campaigns.
In their words: “Seattle has transformed significantly in the last 25 years, and we must retain its uniqueness while supporting the spectacular growth and opportunities provided by our unique combination of local small businesses and large multinational companies that are headquartered within the city limits.”
Feeny is a longtime tech sales leader who worked for X2Engine, CopperTree Analytics, BuildPulse, Egraphs, Atigeo, and Oracle.
In their words: “My career in business development and being an entrepreneur should lend creative solutions and partners to make them a reality.”
Kapadia has worked in various sales and business development roles at companies and is currently CEO of TheBionicGroup, which helps nonprofits in Washington state use technology, according to his application to the city.
In their words: “As a Certified Peer Counselor and recipient of the Microsoft 2023 AI Innovation Lab Award, I have demonstrated my commitment to innovative solutions and empathetic leadership.”
Kassamali is a senior engineering manager at Google and previously worked at various other tech companies including Amazon and Microsoft.
In their words: “As a highly experienced technical leader with a proven track record at esteemed companies such as Google, Amazon, Snapchat, Microsoft, and Xerox, I believe my diverse skill set, community engagement, and commitment to inclusivity make me an ideal candidate for this role.”
Koa is a longtime legal leader who specializes in technology-related law. He previously worked at Costco, Dell, and Microsoft. Koa also spent time as an investment banker.
In their words: “My legal, business and pro bono / community service experience and educational background in public affairs and law would enable me to make significant contributions.”
James was most recently chief communications officer at police body camera giant Axon, and previously worked for Tesla in investor relations.
In their words: “With a diverse career spanning journalism, stock analysis, and executive leadership in the technology sector, I bring a unique blend of analytical financial skills, effective communication, and a deep understanding of evolving technological landscapes.”
Div Manula is a flight operations specialist for UPS who previously was an engineer for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and a strategic consultant for IBM.
In their words: “Born in Washington and having been involved in most aspects that are iconic to our Greater Seattle Area (technology, air transportation, natural resources, tourism, international trade), I would love nothing more than to help the City of Seattle move forward.”
Morris is a former senior project engineer and director of IT for the Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle. More recently he’s been a community leader advocating for disability rights and accessibility.
In their words: “In addition to my policy and advocacy credentials, I offer critical thinking and budget oversight experience from past roles as an engineer, nonprofit treasurer, and finance chair.”
Song is a finance and operations specialist who worked for Goldman Sachs, Google, and Shop It To Me. She founded a subscription service called Little Spark in 2012 and is a board director for Seattle Public Schools.
In their words: “I bring a collaborative approach to public service, relevant finance and budget skills, and first-hand experience in serving residents of Seattle in a city-wide elected office.”
Squier is a veteran entrepreneur and former biotech investment banker who worked at Credit Suisse and Presidio Investors. He’s currently an operations partner for back-office operations company Levy.
In their words: “With degrees in chemistry, materials science, and finance, I possess a strong analytical foundation that has proven invaluable throughout my career, spanning roles from bench chemist to entrepreneurship, healthcare investment banking, and private equity.”
Sztainbok is a longtime engineer who worked at Okta, Smartsheet, Microsoft, and most recently crypto company Bittrex, which shut down late last year.
In their words: “As a software engineer, I have a successful and rewarding career, but I also have a keen interest in learning about the U.S. Constitution, democracy, and the government.”
Twiss is a longtime tech exec and advisor who previously ran Outcome Concept Systems. She’s currently managing partner of Epic Property Management.
In their words: “The concept of outcome management is one that translates well to the challenges currently faced by the Council; to effectively manage complex processes, you must clearly identify goals and transparently measure progress.”
Yusuf is a tech policy and privacy specialist who worked for Google and Meta as a senior privacy engineer. He is currently a senior privacy engineering consultant for the Kalles Group.
In their words: “I believe my experience as a mixed-race person of color, a lifelong Seattleite, a watchdog for Big Tech, and an ongoing passion to service and advocacy can be a strong asset to the growing Seattle citizenry.”
