Elections Conlin first ran for the Seattle City Council in 1997 after councilmember
Jane Noland chose to run for mayor instead of reelection. In the September primary, Conlin came in first among seven challengers, with 30% of the vote, and advanced to the general election with former councilmember
Sherry Harris, who earned 28% of the vote. Harris received endorsements from a majority of the council while Conlin only received an endorsement from Mayor
Norm Rice after the primary. Although heterosexual, Conlin received endorsements from LGBT politicians and organizations over Harris, who was a lesbian. He advanced to the general election with Seattle School Board member Michael Preston who earned 23% of the vote in the primary. Conlin ran on his record as chair of the neighborhoods committee, and outraised and received more endorsements then Preston. Conlin ran for reelection in 2005, facing two primary challengers, Paige Miller, a Seattle Port Commissioner, and Darlene Madenwald, President of the American Lung Association of Washington. in the September primary, Conlin and Miller advanced with 49% and 36% of the vote, respectively. In the general election, Conlin focused on his record as transportation chair while Miller accused Conlin of flip-flopping on transportation issues, like the
Waterfront Streetcar and the
Alaska Way Viaduct replacement. In the November general election, Conlin defeated Miller 60% to 40%. In the November general election, Conlin defeated Ginsberg in a landslide, 77% to 23%. Kshama Sawant, an economics professor at
Seattle Central College and member of the Socialist Alternative party, came in second, with 35% of the vote, and also advanced to the general election. Sawant campaigned on raising the minimum wage and against the capitalist systems. including whether to ban or tax
plastic shopping bags and
Styrofoam food containers. In 2008, Conlin sponsored a bill to
phase out plastic bags in Seattle, a 20-cent surcharge on bags. Businesses with under one million dollars in annual sales were exempt and got to keep the money. The measure passed the city council by a 6-1 margin. On September 15, the petition was certified by the King County Elections Office, delaying implementation of the fee until after a public vote. On August 18, 2009, Seattle voters rejected the fee, 53 to 47 percent. A new plastic bag ban and paper bag fee passed in 2011. On October 15, 2012, both the
King County Council and Seattle City Council approved a financing plan for a $490 million sports arena in Seattle's
Sodo neighborhood, backed by venture capitalist Chris Hansen. The King County Council vote was 9–0, while the City Council vote was 7–2, with Conlin and
Nick Licata as the only opposition. The new arena was intended to host the
NBA Seattle SuperSonics professional
basketball team as well as a potential
NHL ice hockey team.
Recall effort On May 31, 2011, a recall effort was announced. Proponents cited Conlin for three alleged violations of law: signing the draft environmental-impact statement of the proposed Seattle waterfront tunnel in lieu of Mayor Mike McGinn, colluding with City Attorney Peter Holmes, and failing to place a certified initiative on the ballot. On July 22, 2011, King County Superior Court Judge Carol Schapira dismissed the recall petition, which would have required proving Conlin committed malfeasance or an illegal act to go forward. ==Post-City Council Career==