Legislative District 41, which covers Mercer Island and several surrounding cities, has a new state representative in its corner: Bellevue’s Janice Zahn (D).
On Jan. 21, King County Council engaged in a unanimous 8-0 vote to appoint the Bellevue City Councilmember to replace Mercer Island’s Tana Senn (D), who was appointed in December by Gov. Bob Ferguson to lead the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families.
County council released the information on its social media platforms, and Zahn’s appointment was further confirmed with the addition of the new position on her Linkedin page.
Zahn will join State Sen. Lisa Wellman (D) of Mercer Island and State Rep. My-Linh Thai (D) of Bellevue as the district’s legislative trio. Senn served in her district role since 2013.
Six candidates — Zahn, Jane Aras, Pam Stuart, Daniel Carroll, Ted Weinberg and Paul Charbonneau — applied for the open position soon after Senn’s appointment to her new role. During a meeting with the 41st District Democrats on Jan. 19, organization members listened to candidate statements, held several rounds of voting and recommended that Zahn, Stuart and Weinberg move into the King County Council voting realm, according to King County Democrats Chair Beth Bazley.
The 41st Dems’ meeting at Bellevue College included candidate insight on major issues like transportation, education, housing and environmental sustainability, according to the Northwest Progressive Institute. Zahn, Stuart (Sammamish City Councilmember) and Weinberg (Mercer Island City Councilmember) were the precinct committee officers’ top three choices, in order.
In front of King County Council in Seattle, the top three candidates were individually interviewed and then faced council’s vote, said council communications director David Shurtleff. Zahn was immediately sworn into her new role by an on-site judge.
“I am just so appreciative for the opportunity to serve the entire state of Washington and especially the 41st and King County, because we know that there’s a lot to do and that this is a crisis in Olympia related to our budget,” Zahn said following her swearing in. “What I pledge to you and all of the people in the 41st is that I will continue to show up and listen so that I can best represent you in Olympia and that will not waver.”
Zahn, who said she’s an engineer, life-long learner and problem solver, came to the United States from Hong Kong with her family at the age of 10. She said the state is blessed to have representatives like Senn in the 41st and looked forward to stepping into Senn’s big shoes in Olympia.
While addressing council, Zahn said that community-based programs and education are the great equalizers and they create a successful path for people, especially immigrant and refugee communities.
Also on the community front, Zahn said that during COVID, she began collecting rocks on the beach and polishing them to pass on to others: “I carry them around in my pocket and I start giving them away to my community as I’m out in community and I see people struggling, because what I believe is that leaders need to be the calm in our community when they’re in the storm while we’re trying to help them.”
Bazley said it was a good move on county council’s part to select the 41st Dems’ first choice as Senn’s successor. She added that all the candidates displayed integrity at the two meetings. Bazley noted that Aras is a Bellevue School Board member, Charbonneau is a Newcastle City Councilmember and Carroll is an active community member.
“Janice brings something unique. She is a phenomenal representative at the Port of Seattle, which is her employer, and (has) a very impressive amount of knowledge on transportation systems overall. That is an area where we need a lot of help and she will be able to bring impact immediately,” Bazley said. “I’ve also seen her work seamlessly across the aisle, and there’s no time like 2025 where we need representatives who can be consensus builders.”
During his interview at the King County Council meeting, Mercer Island’s Weinberg said he has a passion for listening to Islanders and crafting effective solutions. The councilmember said that during his open brunches, he joins locals in building community, discussing vital issues and strategizing to bring about permanent positive change.
“We have a paramount duty to maintain the K through 12 and higher ed, as well as supporting those with special needs,” he said, in part. On the healthcare and childcare front, he added: “I believe that healthcare is a human right. We should not be having anyone spending a disproportionate amount of their income on childcare or on healthcare.”
Stuart noted in her interview: “The issues that I’ve been focused on on the city council and the ones I care most deeply about are shared across our state. I think that they can best be addressed through more action and coordination at the state level — things like affordable housing, climate change, transportation.”
Zahn, who has spent seven-plus years serving on the Bellevue City Council, told her colleagues at council’s Jan. 28 meeting that she’ll retain her Bellevue seat for a brief time while she tends to business in Olympia.
“I will remain committed to serving the community,” said Zahn, who will discuss with the city manager about exactly when the change will occur. “I just continue to be really grateful to this council for the learning and collaboration over the years. Know that you have a friend in Olympia and (I) will continue to lift up the great work that we do and spreading that a lot more broadly in the rest of the state.”
After jumping into her Olympia position, she joined the local government, housing and capital budget committees.
Legislative District 41 covers all of Mercer Island and Newcastle, with portions of Bellevue, Renton, Issaquah and Sammamish.