People for Richard Conlin

About Richard

An advocate for our neighborhoods

RICHARD CONLIN was elected to the Seattle City Council in November 1997. He was selected by his colleagues to serve as Council President for 2008-2009, and again for 2010-2011.

In his first term on the Council, he chaired the Neighborhoods, Sustainability, and Community Development Committee, and moved 37 neighborhood plans through Council approval. The successful completion of the Neighborhood Planning Program was a key step in Seattle's implementation of Washington's Growth Management Act.

In his second term, Conlin served as Chair of the Transportation Committee. He worked to implement regional plans to improve transit, develop new funding sources for transportation maintenance and neighborhood transportation improvements, and support pedestrian and bicycle improvements to reduce dependence on the automobile.

In his third term, Conlin chaired the Environment, Emergency Management, and Utilities Committee. The committee oversaw solid waste, water, drainage, and sewer utilities, emergency management, and environmental initiatives, including salmon recovery, climate change, green building programs, and sustaining the urban forest. His work included a major reshaping of Seattle's approach to solid waste and recycling ("Zero Waste Strategy") developing sustainable infrastructure policies, and creating a food policy for Seattle (“Local Food Action Initiative”).

In his current term, Conlin chairs the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability (PLUS) Committee. He oversees the Department of Planning and Development and manages legislation involving comprehensive planning, zoning, design, land use regulations, and neighborhood plans. The Committee also covers urban sustainability, including industrial development districts, food policy, the urban forest, and emergency preparedness.

Prior to being elected as a Seattle City Councilmember, Richard Conlin was Director of the Community and Environment Department at Metrocenter YMCA from 1985 to 1996. Among the programs he led were Seattle YMCA Earth Service Corps, supporting youth development through environmental education and action, and the Master Home Environmentalist, training volunteers to reduce home indoor pollution. Richard was one of the co-founders of Sustainable Seattle, an organization that published the "Indicators of Sustainable Community," and now works to promote actions that further Seattle's progress towards long-term cultural, economic, environmental, and social health.

Richard and his wife, Sue Ann Allen, have lived in Madrona since 1982. Prior to his election to City Council, he served as Public Safety Chair and Land Use Chair for the Madrona Community Council, and was active in the Central Area Neighborhood Plan.

Sue Ann is the Training Director for the Dispute Resolution Center of King County. Their three children are all graduates of Garfield High School. David Conlin is a conservation biologist for an environmental consulting firm, Tony Conlin-Allen works for a Seattle-area business-to-business technology sales company, and Caroline Allen is a dental hygienist in private practice.

Richard enjoys hiking, backpacking, and bicycling. He is also an avid reader, who usually has a stack of books on request at the Seattle Public Library, and has been a member of the Finding Geography Book Club for more than fifteen years. Richard also plays marimba with the band Tumbuka.