Charles Redmond, better known in West Seattle as Chas, the former chair of the city neighborhood council, filed with the PDC today to run for city council member district 1 in West Seattle in the 2015 elections. Redmond's filing apart from incumbents is the first filing under the new district system, which Redmond supported and campaigned for.

Redmond said he is running “to bring a grass roots voice to the city council, to re-empower the citizens of Seattle, and ensure our investments benefit citizens across the entire city.”

Redmond and his wife Katherine Wilber have lived in the Morgan Junction neighborhood since 2003. Redmond is a retired NASA civil servant and had served in the US Army and worked for the Seattle Post Intelligencer when he lived in Seattle from 1971 to 1972. The couple have two sons: Adam a recent UW graduate who lives in the Redmond Wilber home in West Seattle, and Leif, a resident of Washington DC.

The West Seattle Herald profiled Redmond in 2009.

For the last ten years Redmond has worked with West Seattle communities on music festivals and community arts programs. He is a leading member of Sustainable West Seattle and worked on the board of Feet First to develop community based walking maps and kiosks in West Seattle and other parts of the City.

“Chas Redmond is exactly the kind of grass roots voice we need on the council,” said attorney Cleveland Stockmeyer who co drafted the charter amendment 19 which voters adopted by a two thirds majority in the last election. Stockmeyer said he expects all council districts to have new faces running, and community organizers like Redmond are exactly the kind of person that the district charter amendment backers wanted to run. “Redmond will put the needs of West Seattle first, but work with all district based council members to help ensure that citizens needs are met citywide,” Stockmeyer said.