Councilmember Vishal Bhargava is running to be retained on the Bellevue City Council in Position 1. He was appointed to the seat after longtime progressive councilmember John Stokes retired. Bhargava is a director of product management at Amazon, where he has worked for more than a decade. He has a master's degree in urban planning and has served on the city’s planning commission since 2018.
Bhargava wants to ensure that as our city grows, all community members can access a high quality of life. He states that he would take a data-driven approach to decision-making to promote affordability, mental health resources, workforce development, and more. He wants to draw upon his experience in urban planning to push for more housing to reduce the cost of living and make Bellevue more accessible.
Bhargava describes himself as a center-left candidate, which comes through in his platform. He supports increasing funding for mental health crisis response as well as traditional law enforcement, strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Bellevue, and expanding internet access. While few of our partner organizations have taken a position in this race, he has earned the sole endorsement of the King County Democrats.
Bhargava is still very new to the council and has only a modest track record. We hope that he leverages his expertise to push the council to be more ambitious in building housing in a city where the current median home price is an astonishing $1.7 million. Bhargava is a good choice if you're looking for a highly collaborative councilmember with strong experience in urban planning.
Councilmember Vishal Bhargava is running to be retained on the Bellevue City Council in Position 1. He was appointed to the seat after longtime progressive councilmember John Stokes retired. Bhargava is a director of product management at Amazon, where he has worked for more than a decade. He has a master's degree in urban planning and has served on the city’s planning commission since 2018.
Bhargava wants to ensure that as our city grows, all community members can access a high quality of life. He states that he would take a data-driven approach to decision-making to promote affordability, mental health resources, workforce development, and more. He wants to draw upon his experience in urban planning to push for more housing to reduce the cost of living and make Bellevue more accessible.
Bhargava describes himself as a center-left candidate, which comes through in his platform. He supports increasing funding for mental health crisis response as well as traditional law enforcement, strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in Bellevue, and expanding internet access. While few of our partner organizations have taken a position in this race, he has earned the sole endorsement of the King County Democrats.
Bhargava is still very new to the council and has only a modest track record. We hope that he leverages his expertise to push the council to be more ambitious in building housing in a city where the current median home price is an astonishing $1.7 million. Bhargava is a good choice if you're looking for a highly collaborative councilmember with strong experience in urban planning.
Balducci offers extensive, distinguished experience in making government work well for all of us across a range of issues, as well as a passion for solving transportation problems. Zahilay has an impressive track record of fighting for racial and social justice. He has supported efforts to make government more inclusive and a stronger tool for supporting upward mobility and opportunities for all. Read the full recommendations below to find the candidate who is best aligned with your values and priorities.