Transit and Environmental Leader Abigail Doerr to Run for King County Council
If elected would be the youngest member of County Council at a time when Seattle and region facing generational change and opportunity
Democrat Abigail Doerr has announced that she will run for King County Council in District 4. Doerr, an experienced campaign manager and transit advocate, led the successful Sound Transit 3 light rail ballot measure as well as the history-making Initiative 1631 to place a price on carbon.
“The County Council needs to be a stronger, more visible partner as our region faces unprecedented growth and change,” said Doerr, who at age 30 would be the youngest member of the County Council. “As a renter, transit rider, and proven advocate for progressive policy solutions, I will bring a much-needed perspective about what it means to live and work in Seattle. I will listen to and work with others and prioritize the local and regional issues that matter most: affordable housing and child care, mental health and homelessness, available and reliable transit, and a clean environment. We need new leadership and a fresh voice helping craft decisions that will affect our families, neighborhoods, and communities for generations to come.”
Doerr has an established track record of action through campaigns, policy advocacy, and government service. After managing a pair of successful Seattle campaigns in 2014 to provide permanent funding for Seattle parks and needed transportation investments, she worked as a legislative assistant for Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw. At the City, Doerr worked with many County Council District 4 neighborhoods and helped craft policies and legislation enhancing human services and improving public utilities.
In 2016, Doerr led the Sound Transit 3 campaign, which will bring seven new light rail stations to District 4 alone.
“Light rail is bringing overdue high capacity transit to Seattle neighborhoods that have suffered increasing gridlock and frustration,” said Doerr. “We need leaders committed to developing solutions to speed up the delivery of light rail projects and who will fight for highly demanded transit service that connects our community and is accessible and affordable.”
Doerr later served as the Advocacy Director at the Transportation Choices Coalition where she worked at the junction of transportation, social justice, and environmental conservation. That work led her to serve as campaign manager for Initiative 1631, a first in the nation effort to address climate change by placing a fee on carbon pollution. The measure passed in Council District 4 with 74% of the vote, and brought together an unprecedented coalition of unions, communities of color, tribes, businesses, and conservation leaders.
“Housing, child care, and transportation are the largest household costs for working families in King County. These costs are interconnected—and to make real progress, we need new ideas and bold leadership,” said Doerr. “We face an urgent need for investments in affordable housing, for clean, efficient transit serving our businesses and neighborhoods, and for leadership who will address the real threats of climate change. These are all areas where King County plays a direct role, and where I will bring needed new leadership. I’m proud of the work I’ve done leading diverse coalitions to make real progress, and look forward to this new opportunity to lead and serve.”
Doerr is an advocate for greater involvement of youth in politics and public policy. Previously an organizer with the Washington Bus, she has personally helped thousands of young people register to vote. She also aided in developing county and state policies to make voting accessible and helped lay the groundwork for 16- and 17-year-old pre-registration, same day voter registration, and the Washington Voting Rights Act. She served as a board member with the Seattle & King County Chapter of the League of Women Voters.
Doerr lives in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Council District 4 is the only County Council district located entirely in Seattle, including parts or all of the Ballard, Wallingford, Fremont, Green Lake, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Belltown, Bitter Lake, and Downtown neighborhoods. King County Council has not had a competitive election within Seattle city limits since 2003, when now Attorney General Bob Ferguson knocked on thousands of doors and defeated a 20-year incumbent.
Learn more at www.AbigailDoerr.com.
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