Bob Ferguson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Bob Ferguson is a member of the King County Council
, the nonpartisan
legislative body for King County, Washington. Ferguson represents Council District 1, which includes northeast Seattle, Shoreline
, Lake Forest Park
, Kenmore
, Bothell
, and part of Woodinville
.
. He is a state champion chess player, a former Jesuit Volunteer and avid soccer player. Ferguson is a Seattle native and fourth-generation Washingtonian. He and his wife Colleen live in Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood with their newborn twins, Jack and Kate.
district. His campaign theme was "Time for a Change!" and he promised to bring new energy and ideas to the County Council. While the candidates agreed on many bedrock Democratic issues, they differed on two notable issues: 1) a proposal to reduce the County Council from 13 members to nine. Ferguson supported the measure, which the public later passed, while Sullivan opposed it. 2) the Sound Transit
regional transportation system. While supportive of mass transit, Ferguson raised concerns about Sound Transit's cost overruns during the period in which Sullivan sat on that agency's board.
As a result of the council reduction, redistricting placed Ferguson in the same district as another Democratic County Councilmember, Carolyn Edmonds of Shoreline. Ferguson narrowly defeated Edmonds. He went on to defeat Republican
challenger Steven Pyeatt in the general election, winning approximately 74% of the vote.
In 2005, he co-sponsored legislation to place a ballot measure before the voters of King County to generate revenue to improve health services for veterans and military personnel. County residents approved the measure, generating $26 million annually for veterans and families.
In 2007, Ferguson co-sponsored legislation increasing the sales tax by one tenth of one percent in order to expand mental health, chemical dependency and therapeutic court programs to reduce costly and unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system by mentally ill and chemically dependent individuals, and to save lives. The council approved the measure on a bipartisan vote.
Ferguson was one of several co-sponsors of an independent audit of the county's election office. His other policy priorities include law and justice issues, improving transit service, and preserving and protecting historic buildings and open spaces across the county.
In 2010, Ferguson sponsored a ballot measure that would increase the sales tax to provide additional revenues to King County. Proposition No. 1 Sales and Use Tax. The measure failed 54.9% to 45.1%.
King County Council
The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget...
, the nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
legislative body for King County, Washington. Ferguson represents Council District 1, which includes northeast Seattle, Shoreline
Shoreline, Washington
Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States, north of Downtown Seattle bordering the northern Seattle city limits. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,007, making it the 19th largest city in the state of Washington....
, Lake Forest Park
Lake Forest Park, Washington
Lake Forest Park is a city in King County, Washington, United States, just north of Seattle. A bedroom community by design, most of the city consists of single-family housing on medium to large-sized lots, with an emphasis on retaining the natural features of the landscape...
, Kenmore
Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shores of Lake Washington...
, Bothell
Bothell, Washington
Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
, and part of Woodinville
Woodinville, Washington
Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,938 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish counties...
.
Personal history
Ferguson was a litigation associate at Preston Gates & EllisPreston Gates & Ellis
Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP, also known as Preston Gates, was a law firm with offices in the United States, China and Taiwan. Its main office was in the IDX Tower in Seattle, Washington...
. He is a state champion chess player, a former Jesuit Volunteer and avid soccer player. Ferguson is a Seattle native and fourth-generation Washingtonian. He and his wife Colleen live in Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood with their newborn twins, Jack and Kate.
Electoral history
Ferguson was first elected to the Metropolitan King County Council in 2003 by defeating Cynthia Sullivan, a 20-year veteran of the Council. Ferguson managed to outpoll Sullivan by about 500 votes. At the time, the council was elected on a partisan basis. He faced no general election opponent in the heavily DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
district. His campaign theme was "Time for a Change!" and he promised to bring new energy and ideas to the County Council. While the candidates agreed on many bedrock Democratic issues, they differed on two notable issues: 1) a proposal to reduce the County Council from 13 members to nine. Ferguson supported the measure, which the public later passed, while Sullivan opposed it. 2) the Sound Transit
Sound Transit
Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...
regional transportation system. While supportive of mass transit, Ferguson raised concerns about Sound Transit's cost overruns during the period in which Sullivan sat on that agency's board.
As a result of the council reduction, redistricting placed Ferguson in the same district as another Democratic County Councilmember, Carolyn Edmonds of Shoreline. Ferguson narrowly defeated Edmonds. He went on to defeat Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
challenger Steven Pyeatt in the general election, winning approximately 74% of the vote.
Accomplishments
Since being elected to the Council, Ferguson has served as Chair of the Regional Policy and Law, Justice and Human Services Committees. He is currently Chair of the Council's Law and Justice Committee.In 2005, he co-sponsored legislation to place a ballot measure before the voters of King County to generate revenue to improve health services for veterans and military personnel. County residents approved the measure, generating $26 million annually for veterans and families.
In 2007, Ferguson co-sponsored legislation increasing the sales tax by one tenth of one percent in order to expand mental health, chemical dependency and therapeutic court programs to reduce costly and unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system by mentally ill and chemically dependent individuals, and to save lives. The council approved the measure on a bipartisan vote.
Ferguson was one of several co-sponsors of an independent audit of the county's election office. His other policy priorities include law and justice issues, improving transit service, and preserving and protecting historic buildings and open spaces across the county.
In 2010, Ferguson sponsored a ballot measure that would increase the sales tax to provide additional revenues to King County. Proposition No. 1 Sales and Use Tax. The measure failed 54.9% to 45.1%.