Benson Wong Announces his Candidacy for Mercer Island City Council

Benson Wong, a longtime resident of Mercer Island and an attorney with Keller Rohrback, LLP, announced this week that he is running for Mercer Island City Council position 6, which is currently held by Councilman Mike Grady.

Last year, Wong was among those who vied for the council's open seat that was vacated when Jim Pearson resigned. Councilwoman Tana Senn was appointed to that seat. Senn announced her run to keep her seat earlier this year.

Wong issued the following statement on his candidacy:

Long-time Island resident, Benson Wong, announced that he will run for Mercer Island City Council Position No. 6, currently held by Mike Grady.  

Wong said, “I am excited about the opportunity to work for the residents of the Island if elected onto the City Council.  While I was born and raised in Seattle, the Island has been my home for almost 30 years.  My family and I love living here.  I want to use the talents, skills and energy that I have to help make the Island an even healthier community.”  As an attorney with the Seattle law firm of Keller Rohrback L.L.P., Wong believes that the skills used while representing clients in his business practice are well suited for the City Council.  “When advocating and negotiating for a client, you also need to listen carefully to the other party.  By doing so, often a win-win result occurs.  I will listen and consider all viewpoints while on the City Council and will work with others for the Island’s common good.” According to former School Board President and community activist, Terry Pottmeyer, who serves on Wong’s steering committee, “I have been fortunate to work with Benson on several community boards and committees over the years.  He has consistently demonstrated a collaborative and thoughtful approach to our shared work.  When Benson is involved, the team gets things accomplished.”

Wong sees challenges facing the community over the next four years, but also sees exciting opportunities ahead that will allow the community to shape its future.  “As a community we need to confront the challenges with an effective Island voice.  While that voice often comes from the City Council I want to make sure that it resonates from the entire Island.”  Wong believes that WSDOT’s current proposal for tolling I-90 is unfair to both Island residents and to non-resident employees and adversely impacts Island businesses that rely on customers from off the Island.  He will work vigorously to defeat the current proposal. Wong is also committed to the continued Town Center development so that it best serves our local businesses, insuring that the Island has well-maintained open spaces that serve its population, and having the City Council be an effective partner with the Mercer Island School District.

When his children were attending the Island schools, Wong served on the Mercer Island Schools Foundation for three years.  In 2011 he completed six years on the Mercer Island Community Fund Board, serving as its President during the last two years of his term.  Susan Kaplan, another former School Board member and part of Wong’s steering committee, says, “Benson’s service on the MI Community Fund Board is just one example of his passion for and commitment to our community and to his desire to improve the fabric of life on the Island.”

Wong also serves on the King County Bar Foundation Board of Trustees and is that organization’s treasurer.  In 2011 Wong completed fourteen years of service on the Washington State Public Stadium Authority Board and on the TVW Board (having served for three years as its President).  The PSA and First & Goal formed a public-private partnership to construct CenturyLink Field and the adjacent Event Center.  TVW operates this state’s C-span equivalent of legislative proceedings in Olympia and in 2012 the TVW Board awarded Wong its Founder’s Award.  During his campaign Wong looks forward to meeting more and more Islanders, and to listen and learn about the issues that concern them.