Jan Drago

Jan Drago is an American politician from Seattle who has served on both Seattle City Council and King County Council.[1]

Jan Drago
Jan Drago, 2010
Member of the Metropolitan King County Council from the 8th District
In office
January 4, 2010 – November 24, 2010
Preceded byDow Constantine
Succeeded byJoe McDermott
Member of Seattle City Council for the 4th Position
In office
January 1, 1994 – December 31, 2009
Preceded byGeorge Benson
Succeeded bySally Bagshaw
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouse(s)Noel Drago
Children4
ResidenceSeattle, Washington
Alma materRutgers University

Personal history and education

Prior to her election to Seattle City Council, Drago was schoolteacher (1973–1978) and later the owner of a Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream Shoppes franchise in downtown Seattle (1980-1991).[2] She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University (B.A., Psychology). She and her husband, Noel, are residents of Seattle's Pioneer Square, a downtown historic district, and have four sons and four grandsons. Her favorite form of relaxation is working her plot in Seattle's Judkins P-Patch.[3]

Seattle City Council and King County Council tenures

From 1994-2009, Drago was a member of Seattle City Council.

During that time, she was Council President (1996-1997 and 2004-2005)[4] , chair of the Finance and Budget Committee (1999–2003)[5] and chair of the Transportation Committee. She also served on the Housing and Economic Development Committee, and the Parks and Seattle Center Committee. She represented the Council on the Puget Sound Regional Council and its Transportation Policy Board as well as King County's Regional Transportation Committee, the Trade Development Alliance, the Seattle Convention and Visitors’ Board, PortJobs Board, Seattle-Chongqing Sister Association, Seattle-Taejon Sister City Council, the Sister Cities Coordinating Council, and the Sister City Association. For eight years, she was a Council representative on the Civic Center Client Group.

On March 1, 2009, Drago announced her intention to retire from the Seattle City Council and not seek another term.[6]

Drago's lasting impact, as a Seattle elected official, was on transportation. As a councilmember, Drago played a leading role in the success of a mega-project, the deep-bore tunnel under downtown that replaced the Alaskan Way Viaduct; in the transformation of a major arterial—the two-way Mercer Street—that helped develop the South Lake Union neighborhood now home to Amazon headquarters; and the beginning of the Seattle Streetcar network.[7]

On May 26, 2009, Drago declared that she was running for Mayor of Seattle, seeking to unseat two-term Mayor Greg Nickels.[8] She ultimately finished fifth in the August 2009 primary election and failed to advance to the November general election.[9]

On January 4, 2010, only four days after she had left the Seattle City Council, Drago was appointed to the King County Council, District 8. She filled the seat left vacant by Dow Constantine's election as King County Executive. As a condition of her appointment, she agreed not to seek the post in the November 2010 election.[10]

Civic leadership and volunteer work

Drago was also a board member of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and was a member of the Seattle Art Museum Executive Board, Downtown Seattle Association, Washington Council on Crime and Delinquency, Denny Regrade Business Association and the Denny Regrade Crime Prevention Council (former president), the National Women's Political Caucus of Washington, and Washington State Democratic Party. Prior to her election to the City Council, she served as chairperson to Seattle Mayor Charles Royer's Homeless Task Force and vice-chair of Washington Governor Booth Gardner's Task Force on Homelessness. More than 16 years ago, Drago organized the City's Downtown District Council, the first acknowledgment by City Hall that Downtown Seattle was composed of several residential neighborhoods. Drago was one of the original founders of Sustainable Seattle.

References
  1. "Eight-year 'veteran' Drago banks on her experience in city council race". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  2. Archives West. Retrieved January 17, 2019
  3. Mulady, Kathy (October 16, 2005). "Drago to be City Council president". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  4. Seattle City Archives. Retrieved January 17, 2019
  5. Mulady, Kathy (December 11, 2003). "Drago often cited for work ethic". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  6. staff, Seattle Times (March 1, 2009). "Drago won't run again for Seattle council". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  7. Douglas, C.R. (December 27, 2009). "How Jan Drago dragooned a Viaduct solution". Crosscut. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  8. Heffter, Emily (March 27, 2009). "It's official: Drago running for mayor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  9. King County Elections. Retrieved January 18, 2019
  10. Ervin, Keith (January 4, 2010). "Jan Drago sworn in, moves from City to County Council". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
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