Rich Conlin: Liberal Resume Opens Doors

Richard Conlin had just stepped into the middle of a Seattle block a month or so ago when the city attorney pulled him back onto the curb and reminded him of the law against jaywalking.

"You can't do that anymore," cautioned Mark Sidran, perhaps a bit prematurely looking ahead to the day when as a member of the City Council, Conlin would come under closer public scrutiny.

Sidran isn't the only influential person and interest group impressed with Conlin and looking out for his well-being. The Washington, D.C., native received one of only two "outstanding" ratings given out this year by the Municipal League of King County. Even before the primary, which he won, virtually every incumbent council member not on this year's ballot endorsed him. He has since received the support of Seattle Mayor Norm Rice.

In September, Robert Rohan, widely respected throughout the gay and lesbian community, wrote an effusive letter in support of Conlin that has since become a centerpiece of his campaign. At a recent meeting of the Timberline Group, where Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., was the keynote speaker, Conlin got a rousing reception from the largely gay audience - no small feat considering the woman he's running against, Sherry Harris, is a lesbian.

"It was a gay crowd and Conlin got equally enthusiastic applause," says W. Torie Gould, chairwoman of Harvey Muggy Democrats, a gay-rights political organization that did not endorse either candidate in the Position 2 council race. "That got my attention."

Only in Seattle would a middle-age, straight white guy be seen as a minority, but that's the case in this election. There are no white men on the Seattle City Council and, with his thinning hair and wispy beard, Conlin seems the quintessential middle-age guy - with a resume to match.

"His commitment to making Seattle a better place to live is exemplified by his almost 20 years of effective volunteer work with a wide range of organizations," wrote Rohan in explaining the reasons for his endorsement.

Conlin's community and professional involvement in the 16 years he's lived here are tailor-made for Seattle's liberal politics. He's done volunteer work for the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the Madrona Community Council and Sustainable Seattle, which he helped found.

Professionally, Conlin, 49, ran the program that wrapped Seattle waterheaters with insulation and he persuaded developers to put energy-efficient refrigerators in the houses they built.

Conlin, a Madrona resident, grew up in Arlington, Va., and is distantly related to the late U.S. Sen. Harry Byrd, a major force in Old Dominion politics earlier this century. His father lost the only two political races - Congress and state Legislature - he entered and died of heart disease when Conlin was 9.

Conlin's first political involvement came when he was 15 and volunteered to work on a campaign to register African-American voters. At 16 he borrowed the family car to drive blacks to polling booths.

"My parents were not excited about that, so I told my (step)father I was going to a party," he says.

Conlin went to college at Michigan State University and wound up making his home in East Lansing. He served two terms on the Ingham County Commission.

In 1976, Conlin was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. A year later his son was born and the family moved to the African nation of Botswana, where Conlin ran a university public-administration department for two years.

On his return to the U.S., Conlin headed west. He got as far as Montana when the Solar Lobby and the Center for Renewable Resources hired him. A year later, funding was cut and Conlin found himself out of a job and headed west again. This time he made it all the way to Seattle.

"I started thinking about running for the council five or six years ago," says Conlin. "Three things got me into this election. This is the right time for me, this is the right time for my children and I'm ready with my work life to make this kind of change." Conlin's most recent job was as director of the community and environment department at Metrocenter YMCA. He left in 1996. Conlin and his wife of 22 years, Sue Ann Allen, have three children, David Conlin, 20, Tony Conlin-Allen, 20, and Caroline Allen, 13.

Conlin figures the greatest challenge on the City Council will be trying to budget his time.

"The problems on the council aren't a matter of people not able or committed to doing the job," he says. "It's a matter of organization and avoiding reading documents and sitting in on briefings about things that aren't important or I can't do much about."

Robert T. Nelson's phone message number is 206-464-2996. His e-mail address is: rnel-new@seatimes.com