January 19, 2006
Staffer enjoys short run for City Council
Lisa Kagan’s brief political career is over — for now
It started a week or so back, when the Seattle City Council asked for candidates to succeed outgoing Councilman Jim Compton. And it ended Tuesday, when the council members announced 14 semi-finalists for the job, and Kagan’s name was not among them.
“I gave it a shot,” said Kagan, a research interviewer for the Young Women’s Health Study in the School of Social Work. She added, even-handedly, “And I am probably less politically experienced than a lot of the other candidates.”
And there were plenty of them, to be sure. Kagan was one of 98 people to step forward to be considered for the position; the final candidate will be chosen by the council. Kagan, who had never tried for elected office before, said a friend told her she should consider the idea. “I started thinking about it, and it really is something I’d like to do,” she said Friday, days before she learned the fate of her brief candidacy.
A researcher who has worked in the area of criminal justice and even did demographic work for the State Legislature last year, Kagan said, “I’ve been listening to things that are important to communities and quality of life.” And she said her professional skills might make her a strong addition to the council. “I know how to tell good information from bad, and that’s as good as knowing how to build a mile of freeway.”
Being chosen for the positon, said Kagan, who is 27, would send a message that “the council isn’t immediately turned off by young people.” Plus, she said, “I think it would encourage people who are in my line of work — researchers and social workers. It’s good for us to know there’s a chance for us to do politics, too.”
Kagan’s hurry-up candidacy included a bit of press contact, too — Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Robert Jamieson mentioned her in a column singing the praises of the many candidates willing to step forward for the position. It was only after Jamieson’s column ran, Kagan said, that people learned of her intentions.
Relatives called and co-workers inquired, Kagan said last week. “I’m getting flooded with e-mails from people and relatives I’ve never met, and they are saying ‘Good luck.'” She said she held back even from telling her own mother, who completely understood. “When I told my mom I said, ‘Sorry I didn’t tell you about this.’ And she said, ‘Well, that’s because of the jinx!'”
The council conducted brief interviews of all the candidates — the part that Kagan said made her most nervous. She said several of the other candidates impressed her with their presentations. Several other of the candidates presented themselves well, she said. Of some, she said, “I thought, ‘You sound wonderful. I’d be perfectly happy if you represented me.'”
Seattle City Council staff say there were a couple of other UW-related candidates in the mix, too — a student named Alon Bassok and a professor emeritus named Earl Bell.
Kagan said she didn’t much mind not being chosen, but elected not to say that it’s the end of her new-found political ambitions. “I don’t know. We’ll see,” she said. “Let’s not say it’s over.”
