Phillip Tavel

Phillip Tavel (also known as Phil) ran for election to the Seattle City Council to represent District 1 in Washington. He lost in the primary on August 1, 2023.

Tavel was a 2015 candidate for the Position 1 seat on the Seattle City Council in Washington. The primary election took place on August 4, 2015.

In 2014, Tavel was a candidate for the King County West Division in Washington.^[1]

Biography

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Tavel was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1993 and a Juris Doctor from The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1998.^[2] Tavel's professional experience includes working as a high school physics teacher, Science Education Analyst for the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation, co-founder of Interactive Imagination, National Curriculum Manager for DeVry University, trial lawyer for Associated Counsel for the Accused and private practice lawyer.^[3]

Elections

2023

General election

General election for Seattle City Council District 1

Rob Saka defeated Maren Costa in the general election for Seattle City Council District 1 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rob Saka (Nonpartisan)	54.2	18,382
	Submit photo	Maren Costa (Nonpartisan)	45.5	15,431
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	132

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,945
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council District 1

The following candidates ran in the primary for Seattle City Council District 1 on August 1, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maren Costa (Nonpartisan)	33.1	8,787
✔		Rob Saka (Nonpartisan)	24.1	6,397
		Phillip Tavel (Nonpartisan)	20.1	5,324
	Submit photo	Preston Anderson (Nonpartisan)	8.4	2,222
	Submit photo	Stephen Brown (Nonpartisan)	6.3	1,659
	Submit photo	Jean Iannelli Craciun (Nonpartisan)	3.2	838
	Submit photo	Lucy Barefoot (Nonpartisan)	2.9	767
	Submit photo	Mia Jacobson (Nonpartisan)	1.8	472
	Submit photo	Vincent Auger (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	55

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,521
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2019

General election

General election for Seattle City Council District 1

Incumbent Lisa Herbold defeated Phillip Tavel in the general election for Seattle City Council District 1 on November 5, 2019.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lisa Herbold (Nonpartisan)	55.7	20,033
	Phillip Tavel (Nonpartisan)	43.9	15,787
	Other/Write-in votes	0.4	139

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,959
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council District 1

Incumbent Lisa Herbold and Phillip Tavel defeated Brendan Kolding in the primary for Seattle City Council District 1 on August 6, 2019.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lisa Herbold (Nonpartisan)	50.6	13,405
✔	Phillip Tavel (Nonpartisan)	32.3	8,558
	Brendan Kolding (Nonpartisan)	16.7	4,435
	Other/Write-in votes	0.3	85

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 26,483
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Click here for more information about the 2019 race, including endorsements and campaign finance data.

2015

See also: Seattle, Washington municipal elections, 2015

The city of Seattle, Washington, held elections for city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on August 4, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 15, 2015. All nine council seats were up for election.^[4]^[5] In the Position 1 race, Shannon Braddock and Lisa Herbold advanced past Pavel Goberman, Charles R. Redmond III, Arturo Robles, Jody Rushmer, Phillip Tavel, Brianna Thomas and Karl Wirsing in the primary election on August 4, 2015. A recount to decide the race between Braddock and Herbold started on December 3, 2015, and concluded with confirmation of Herbold's victory on December 7, 2015.^[6] Amanda Kay Helmick dropped from the race on May 20, 2015.^[7]

Seattle City Council Position 1, General election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lisa Herbold	49.8%	12,459
Shannon Braddock	49.6%	12,420
Write-in votes	0.62%	155
Total Votes		25,034
Source: King County, Washington, "November 3, 2015 General Election Recount Summary Report-Final Results, City of Seattle Council District No. 1," December 7, 2015

Seattle City Council Position 1 Primary Election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lisa Herbold	30.1%	5,234
Shannon Braddock	27.8%	4,824
Phillip Tavel	18.2%	3,156
Brianna Thomas	10.2%	1,765
Charles R. Redmond III	7.3%	1,268
Jody Rushmer	2.1%	368
Karl Wirsing	1.4%	245
Arturo Robles	1.4%	240
Pavel Goberman	1.2%	204
Write-in	0.3%	58
Total Votes		16,247
Source: King County Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed August 12, 2015

2014

See also: Washington judicial elections, 2014
Tavel ran for election to the King County West Division.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 35.8 percent of the vote. He competed against Mark C. Chow. ^[1]

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

Phillip Tavel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Phillip Tavel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tavel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a renter, public defender, entrepreneur, father of a student at Arbor Heights Elementary, and longtime West Seattle resident. I am devoted to making our community a better place for all.

I am involved across District 1 serving as the Vice President of the Morgan Community Association, hosting trivia at Talarico's for the past 11 years, and raising money for our local organizations such as Westside Baby, Westside Neighbors Network, and the West Seattle Helpline. Most importantly, I am in our community every day listening to the needs of our neighbors.

I have been a high school physics teacher, co-founded a video game and entertainment company, and for the last 15 years been a public defender and a trial lawyer. Additionally, I served as a Pro Tem Judge in King County District Court. In 2011, I served as a Court Appointed, Special Advocate for children for CASA of King County.

Seattle is at a major crossroads. The public continues to voice concerns about the lack of affordable housing, chronic public safety issues and a shortage of shelter options and services to help those who need assistance the most. City Government has missed opportunities to foster partnerships with businesses and organizations, allowing current problems to escalate.

As your City Council member for District 1, I will work with fellow Council members, City Departments, King County and State Government to improve the City's operations and galvanize efforts to serve the needs of the people to deliver better results to you.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will bring accountability, trust, and respect back to our City Council by listening to all voices across our district. We need to get back to the basics of governing and ensure we are delivering effective results.
My top issues are homelessness, public safety, and transportation. Our City must fund service providers that are proving effective results. We need a Councilmember that is supportive of our police department for them to enforce the laws of our City. The transportation projects in our City are over budget and behind schedule, we must hold our city departments accountable so our residents can move around faster.
I will listen to all voices while in office, not just a vocal minority. I will be in our community and have a district office so my office is easily accessible.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about homelessness and policy areas with which homelessness intersects. Homelessness has been a longstanding issue in Seattle, more so over the last 15 years and especially over the last 5 years. Our policy makers have nudged us more into a housing first model, but addressing this crisis demands more than that. Underfunded mental health and substance abuse services, lacking employment services, ineffective affordable housing production, and the absence of preservation policies and programs for currently affordable housing all play a role in our ongoing, worsening crisis.

We have people on Council now who have been around since the '90s and still continuously fail to address homelessness - the single largest problem we have. Until this year, efforts to shift to a regional approach have been met with resistance despite the recommendations to do so from every expert the City has consulted.

We cannot continue to accept the unacceptable. Of the 370 shelter and housing providers in King County, just 1 meets all 5 of their minimum standards. This is not accountability. This is not compassion. This is not going to solve the problem.

As your Councilmember, I will work with my fellow legislators and the County to transition to a regional approach. I will fight for a customer-centric model that holds ineffective providers accountable and finally treats this crisis with urgency.

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.

Note: Tavel submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on October 23, 2019.

August 5 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a renter, public defender, entrepreneur, father of a student at Arbor Heights Elementary, and longtime West Seattle resident. I am devoted to making our community a better place for all.

I am involved across District 1 serving as the Vice President of the Morgan Community Association, hosting trivia at Talarico's for the past 11 years, and raising money for our local organizations such as Westside Baby, Westside Neighbors Network, and the West Seattle Helpline. Most importantly, I am in our community every day listening to the needs of our neighbors.

I have been a high school physics teacher, co-founded a video game and entertainment company, and for the last 15 years been a public defender and a trial lawyer. Additionally, I served as a Pro Tem Judge in King County District Court. In 2011, I served as a Court Appointed, Special Advocate for children for CASA of King County.

Seattle is at a major crossroads. The public continues to voice concerns about the lack of affordable housing, chronic public safety issues and a shortage of shelter options and services to help those who need assistance the most. City Government has missed opportunities to foster partnerships with businesses and organizations, allowing current problems to escalate.

As your City Council member for District 1, I will work with fellow Council members, City Departments, King County and State Government to improve the City's operations and galvanize efforts to serve the needs of the people to deliver better results to you.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will bring accountability, trust, and respect back to our City Council by listening to all voices across our district. We need to get back to the basics of governing and ensure we are delivering effective results.
My top issues are homelessness, public safety, and transportation. Our City must fund service providers that are proving effective results. We need a Councilmember that is supportive of our police department for them to enforce the laws of our City. The transportation projects in our City are over budget and behind schedule, we must hold our city departments accountable so our residents can move around faster.
I will listen to all voices while in office, not just a vocal minority. I will be in our community and have a district office so my office is easily accessible.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Homelessness

Affordability

Public Safety

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice Reform

Race and Social Justice
Environmental Sustainability
Education
Zoning and Land Use

Public Safety

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother, who obtained a PHD in physics during a time when it was primarily a male dominated world in Sciences.
E. Nathan Gates, law school professor, who challenged me to always be a critical thinker, never stop asking questions, and never assume you have the answers.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The West Wing, Seasons 1

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A vision for the future which can be effectively communicated and translated into a reality;

Provide good governance, effective solutions and respect for the public office, a person of ethics and character;
Must be willing to learn about the issues and not base decisions on preconceived ideas or ego;

Listen, conduct authentic outreach and engagement, collaborate and work with constituents, other elected officials and external agencies, deliver services effectively, efficiently, and equitably to the public - the 3 E's of Government.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a strong, effective leader. My background as a public defender has provided me with insights into the criminal justice system and my negotiation, collaboration and de-escalation skills reflect that experience. I have also been a Judge. I understand how to bring disparate parties together to work toward solution-based results. I understand business issues, having been a former owner of a retail store, a co-founder of video company, a Chief Creative Officer, and developed curricula for a national organization. I have been a volunteer with several community groups and organizations across District 1 and throughout Seattle. I have worked to raise millions of dollars to support nonprofit organizations. I have worked to improve community engagement and connections between neighborhoods and City Hall. I am pragmatic, rational and listen to all parties.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Uphold the City Charter, deliver effective governance, an understanding of a parliamentarian system and awareness of how the City operates and conducts business. Maintain balance and objectivity, foster and strengthen partnerships, be present and accessible, and a part of the community and culture of the District. Effective leadership, listening and problem-solving skills, the ability to work with and get along with others, an ability to advocate for and deliver results to my home District and across the City. Be an effective public speaker and have vision and patience.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Being an integral part of an organization which emphasizes social accountability and responsibility, and works to ensure an equitable and outstanding quality of life for all, where: basic human needs are not only met, but exceeded, no one sleeps outside, access to quality food sources is abundant, opportunities exist for all to be employed, receive an education and have access to healthcare and a carbon neutral City is realized. In the role of City Councilmember, I would like to leave the City of Seattle with the most effective tools, systems and programs available to provide meaningful intervention and results for ongoing critical issues, such as Homelessness, Public Safety and Affordability.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 5 years old in 1976 for the Bicentennial and have complete recall of the entire event. My fondest desire is to reach the Tricentennial at 105 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

At 13, I was the Baseball Card Expert at Iron Vic's, a baseball card comic book shop in Poughkeepsie. I was paid $3.00 per hour.

What happened on your most awkward date?

I had gone out for drinks with a girl and as we left Salty's and were walking along the water, we stopped to view the city. While talking, I asked if I could kiss her and she said no. After we stared at the cityscape for a bit, I said well, that was awkward.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

Veteran's Day, as my mom's dad, who I miss love dearly, was a WW2 vet and my relationship with him has had special meaning since his passing. Additionally, when I was 10 years old, my parents did not allow me to go trick or treating, (at the time razor blades in candy was a big scare). A couple of days later, my parents told me they felt badly about not allowing me to go out on Halloween. They took me shopping, (warning me in advance I would not get a pet and was not going to summer camp), and I was allowed to choose anything I wanted, which was a Coleco Vision game. The clerk asked me if it was my birthday and I replied, no it's Veteran's Day.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 42. It is wildly imaginative, humorous and irreverent.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Hawkeye Pierce

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

It is a small plastic replica of beige 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, from Aunt Ida, when she got the car. I was living with her and my grandparents when she passed away. She gave it to me when I was 1 and still have it.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Weight Control

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Green sheets which are part of the budget process

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The ability to understand and navigate City budgets and the legislative process and deliver effective governance and leadership. An understanding of the City’s organizational structure/charter, with excellent collaboration, communication, negotiation and advocacy skills. The office holder must be respectful, trustworthy, inclusive, sensitive, and believe in authentic community building/engagement and a bottom up, grassroots system. He/she must prioritize and implement the consistent use of the Race

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

Legislative powers

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Experience in government and politics may be beneficial to provide an awareness of how our municipality operates. The democratic process fosters and includes all who are drawn to public service, including people who may not have worked in government or politics.

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.

Note: Tavel submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on August 5, 2019.

External links

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Candidate

Seattle City Council District 1

Personal

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 King County Elections, "2014 General election candidates," accessed October 9, 2014
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2019
↑ philliptavel.nationbuilder.com, "About," accessed July 21, 2015
↑ City of Seattle, "Law, Rules and Information for Filers," accessed September 19, 2014
↑ City of Seattle, "Seattle City Council Districts," accessed December 31, 2014
↑ King County Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed August 12, 2015
↑ West Seattle Herald, "Amanda Helmick drops out of District 1 City Council race," May 20, 2015

[candidate-1] 1.0 ^1.1 King County Elections, "2014 General election candidates," accessed October 9, 2014

[bio-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2019

[3] philliptavel.nationbuilder.com, "About," accessed July 21, 2015

[4] City of Seattle, "Law, Rules and Information for Filers," accessed September 19, 2014

[5] City of Seattle, "Seattle City Council Districts," accessed December 31, 2014

[6] King County Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed August 12, 2015

[7] West Seattle Herald, "Amanda Helmick drops out of District 1 City Council race," May 20, 2015

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Phillip Tavel

Contents

Biography

Elections

2023

General election

General election for Seattle City Council District 1

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council District 1

2019

General election

General election for Seattle City Council District 1

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council District 1

2015

2014

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

2019

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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