Tim Burgess: City Council #7, Seattle

Tim Burgess (www.timburgess2007.com) is a former international aid worker whose convictions about environmental protection were shaped in part by the devastation he has witnessed in impoverished regions around the world. He founded Merkle / Domain, a fundraising agency that serves charitable nonprofits; has been active with the Queen Anne Community Council; was appointed to the city's Ethics and Elections Commission; and helped found the Queen Anne Neighbors for Responsible Growth group.

Mr. Burgess understands that global warming and the decay of Puget Sound are real, immediate threats, and he is willing to place environmental concerns at the center, not the periphery, of the city's social and economic agendas. He wants decisive action on implementation of bus/rapid-transit lanes, trip-reduction strategies, and other transportation initiatives to reduce car dependence. He also supports denser residential zoning near transit corridors, including bus lines. And he challenges the notion that the failing Alaska Way viaduct must be replaced with a limited-access freeway, preferring to provide alternative modes of transportation and reduce car trips first.