Armondo Pavone, a life-long Renton resident and business owner, announced Tuesday he will run for a seat on the Renton City Council this year.

Pavone and his wife Angela live on Renton Hill with their two young boys, Roman and Dominic.

Pavone will seek an open seat on the council currently held by council member Rich Zwicker, who has announced he does not plan to seek re-election to his seat this year. Zwicker was appointed to the City Council in 2008 and elected in 2010.

“I’m thrilled that Armondo is stepping forward to run for City Council,” Zwicker said. “He has my full support.”

Pavone has deep roots in the Renton community. His father John retired after 24 years of service with the Renton Police Department. Pavone was born and raised in this community and is a graduate of Renton High School.

After attending Shoreline Community College, he co-owned and operated “Just Cookies” with three locations in downtown Seattle and one in Bellevue. For the past 27 years, he has owned and operated restaurants in the downtown community, including Armondo’s Café Italiano, which he opened in 1986 and operated until 2011.

He continues to own a steakhouse, The Melrose, along with his partner Franco Phillips.

Pavone has been a business leader and has been active with the Renton Chamber of Commerce, Renton Hill Neighborhood Association, former board member with the Downtown Renton Association and a member of Renton Rotary since 1996. He was one of the founding members of the Renton Blue Ribbon Committee that was responsible for changing the direction of the city and credited with attracting new development and jobs to the community.

Pavone says his interest in serving on the City Council is a continuation of his commitment to play a role in Renton’s future.

“I have watched this city evolve from a small manufacturing town into a desired community to live and operate a business,” Pavone said. “Renton has earned the respect of the entire region for being a progressive, quality city, where people work together for the good of the community.”

Pavone cited the quality of Renton schools and the rich diversity of the community that makes Renton a special place to live.

“We have quality parks and schools and many public amenities that continue to attract new families here,” he said. “I look forward to working with other council members and the city administration in making sure that we protect, and even improve, the quality of life in our community.”