Larry Phillips is a Democratic

Democratic 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...

 member of the King County Council

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...

 in Washington state. Phillips has served on the Council since 1991, representing the fourth district, which includes the Seattle neighborhoods of Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard

Ballard, Seattle

Ballard is a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of Seattle, Washington. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, ; to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont ; to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s...

, Fremont, Belltown, Capitol Hill, Montlake, and Downtown

Downtown Seattle

Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared to other city centers on the West Coast because of its geographical situation: hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by the Elliott Bay, and on the south by reclaimed land that was once...

. He served as Chair of the King County Council from 2003 to 2006. Currently, he chairs the Council's Transportation, Economy and the Environment Committee. He was unopposed in his 2011 re-election. Phillips also serves on the Board of Directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 of 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...

, a regional transit organization serving the Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

 area.

In 2004, during his tenure as Council Chair, Phillips drew attention when he discovered that his absentee ballot

Absentee ballot

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this...

 had not been counted, along with 572 others, in the 2004 Washington gubernatorial election

Washington gubernatorial election, 2004

The election for governor of Washington on November 2, 2004 gained national attention for its legal twists and extremely close finish. Notable for being among the closest political races in United States election history, Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner in the initial automated count...

, which was decided by a margin of only a few hundred votes. As a result of his noticing the mistake, the ballot

Ballot

A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...

s were counted, ultimately swinging the race in favor of Democratic candidate Christine Gregoire

Christine Gregoire

Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington...

.

Phillips ran for King County Executive

King County Executive

The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington, USA. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968...

 in 2009, an open seat due to previous Executive Ron Sims

Ron Sims

Ronald Cordell Sims, , is currently the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, having been confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 2009 and sworn in on May 8. He is also the former King County Executive...

 accepting a post in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He finished in fourth place and remained on the County Council.

From 1989 to 1991, he was a member of the Washington House of Representatives

Washington House of Representatives

The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, the legislature of the U.S. State of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 districts, each of which elects two members. All members of the House are elected to a two-year term without...

. Before this, he served as the campaign manager for Randy Revelle

Randy Revelle

Randy Revelle was the third King County Executive, having served from his election in November 1981 until January 1, 1986. Revelle received some national attention when shortly after his election the Seattle Post Intelligencer disclosed that Revelle suffered from Bipolar disorder...

's successful 1981 campaign for King County Executive.

External links

• Councilmember Larry Phillips official Council site
• Larry Phillips.com Official Larry Phillips for King County campaign website