Michael Westgaard (Renton City Council Position 1, Washington, candidate 2025)
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Michael Westgaard ran for election to the Renton City Council Position 1 in Washington. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Westgaard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Michael Westgaard provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 8, 2025:
- Birth date: March 25, 1981
- Birth place: Anchorage, Alaska
- High school: John Marshall Alternative High School Seattle, Wa.
- Gender: Male
- Religion: Agnostic
- Profession: Government
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign endorsements
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Instagram
- Campaign YouTube video
Elections
General election
General election for Renton City Council Position 1
James Alberson and Michael Westgaard ran in the general election for Renton City Council Position 1 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
James Alberson (Nonpartisan)  | ||
| Michael Westgaard (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Renton City Council Position 1
James Alberson, Gwendolyn Hosea-Mimms, and Michael Westgaard ran in the primary for Renton City Council Position 1 on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| James Alberson (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Gwendolyn Hosea-Mimms (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Michael Westgaard (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Westgaard received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Westgaard's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge 751
- Seattle Transit Riders Union
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Westgaard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Westgaard's responses.
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On council, I'll: • Enforce Renton's minimum wage and expand affordable housing • Build complete neighborhoods with walkable streets and reliable transit • Replace failed punitive approaches with crisis care and treatment • Tax speculators to fund social housing and tenant protections
I believe in a Renton where housing is a right, work pays living wages, and safety comes from community support - not just policing. My lived experience and union background mean I'll never sell out to corporate interests.
Let's build a city that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.- I'll fight Renton's housing crisis with bold action:
• Fast-track "missing middle" housing (duplexes/fourplexes) • Implement renter protections to protect tenants • Ban algorithmic rent-setting software (RealPage) • Use cities bonding capacity to fund social housing • Upgrade building codes to Passivhaus energy standards
Renton workers deserve housing security. I'll stand up to corporate landlords and developers profiting from this crisis. My plan combines immediate relief with long-term solutions to ensure everyone can afford to live here.
Let's build a Renton where housing is a right, not a privilege. - Renton needs a transportation revolution that puts people first. My plan: • Build complete neighborhoods where daily needs are walkable • Protected bike lanes and sidewalks • Fast-track light rail expansion to connect Renton regionally • Prioritize bus rapid transit on major corridors • Design streets for safety over speed • Align transit with affordable housing Electric cars won't solve congestion or climate change alone. We need alternatives so families aren't forced into car dependency. My vision: - 15-minute communities with schools/stores nearby - Safe routes for kids and seniors - Clean air through reduced emissions Let's build a city where transportation connects rather than divides us
- We need public safety reforms that address root causes, not just symptoms. My plan: 1. Prevention: Fight poverty through living wages and affordable housing - the true crime deterrents 2. Alternatives to Policing: - Deploy mental health teams for crisis response - Establish Renton's first Crisis Care Center - Replace armed officers in schools with counselors 3. Accountability: - Create civilian oversight of police - Reform union contracts to prioritize public trust - Redirect unused police funds to community programs As someone who finally overcame substance abuse through treatment - not punishment - I know we can't arrest our way to safety. Let's build a system focused on healing, not handcuffs.
- Housing First with mental health services & mixed-income social housing
- Climate-ready infrastructure – walkable neighborhoods & regional transit
- Strong wage enforcement (Raise the Wage Renton)
- Renter protections prioritizing tenants over landlords
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Westgaard completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
