Yesterday, March 16, Martin Kaplan, an architect and member of the Seattle Planning Commission, announced he will run for Seattle City Council, seeking the position currently held by incumbent Nick Licata. 

Licata, a past president on the council, also recently announced he would take another run for Position 6. He first took office in 1998.

Kaplan is a third generation Seattle resident who currently lives in Queen Anne with his wife and school age daughter. He calls himself an advocate for neighborhoods and historic preservation.

“We are facing unprecedented challenges to our economy and downtown vitality, our neighborhood character, and our cherished quality of life," said Kaplan in a statement releases announcing his cadidacy. “I’m driven by a strong commitment to help Seattle diversify, prosper and grow responsibly.  I want our city to be a regional and world wide hub for business and place for families of all incomes to call home-- today and when my daughter grows up.”

Licata had considered briefly running for mayor, until his announcement last week, when he said he could serve residents better as a maverick on the council.

"A number of you urged me to run for mayor, but I feel my role as a legislator, writing the laws that govern our city, is the one that suits me best," Licata wrote in a press release. "Last week at a committee meeting, I realized once again that I ask the questions and seek information and facts that others do not. I aggressively defend our city’s social and physical environment, but I do so with an understanding that at time compromises must be made. When word spread that I might not run again for public office, many of you told me how concerned you were that my strong voice on the council would no longer be heard."

Kaplan has served on the Pike Place Market Historical Commission, the Queen Anne Community Council and presently as an appointed member of the Seattle Planning Commission and co-chair of its land use and transportation committee.
 
“For years I have worked collaboratively to make smart decisions that move our city forward—preserving what is best about our character but recognizing the need to sensibly grow and change,” said Kaplan.  “On the council, we need decision makers who are unafraid of tackling old problems and new opportunities with innovative 21st Century solutions, and who work with others to discover and advance the very best solutions-- free from personal and political agendas.” 

Kaplan cites long, expensive debates over issues like the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Mercer Street, sidewalk investments in neighborhoods and lack of consistent planning for future growth as reasons to pursue his first campaign for public office. 

Ballard resident Jessie Israel is also running for Licata's position.