Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, a 23-year veteran in the state legislature, announced Wednesday she will run for King County Council.
She is running for the seat being vacated by King County Councilman Larry Phillips, a former State Representative, who announced that he will not run for re-election this year.
Kohl-Welles, who will keep her 36th district Senate seat while she runs, said she got encouragement to run for Phillips’ seat after he announced his plans to leave.
“I love it here. I love it in Olympia. I love statewide issues, but I’ve been here a long time,” she told TVW in a phone interview. “I can work on the same issues, being at home and being able to work on the same things on the local level.”
Along with being the ranking member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, and sits on the Senate Ways & Means and Law and Justice committees, Kohl-Welles has put her name behind bills including reforming medical marijuana laws and legislation to stop human trafficking.
Kohl-Welles came to Olympia succeeding Phillips in a political office. Kohl-Welles became a State Representative in 1991 to fill Phillips’ seat in the House, which he left for the King County Council. Kohl-Welles then became a State Senator in 1994.