Council races: 2 out, 1 in, 1 on the fence

Published 2:00 pm Saturday, February 3, 2007

Knobloch to seek a third term, Tooloee and Scales to bow out, Llewellyn undecided.

One is in it to win it, two are headed for the locker room, and another is eyeing his girl in the stands.

Four city councilors up for reelection this fall have stated their intentions for the upcoming race.

Bill Knobloch announced this week that he will seek a third term in office, while Nezam Tooloee and Bob Scales said they will not seek reelection. Councilman Jim Llewellyn says the state of his love life will likely dictate the future of his political career.

Knobloch sparked early interest in the ‘07 race when he sent out a mass email stating his campaign plan.

“For the past five years, my experience as a City Council member has been exciting, educational and daunting,” Knobloch said Tuesday. “My intention is to continue serving the public benefit on issues that affect residents of my district and the island as a whole.”

Knobloch, who represents the Central Ward, said a new filing deadline for public office spurred his early announcement.

Both Tooloee and Scales said they were one-termers from the start.

“I was very clear from day one that I view this as community service,” said Tooloee, who fills an at-large council seat. “I don’t think professional politicians in local government are a good thing. I’ll gracefully bow out and let another qualified person from a different walk of life fill that role.”

Scales also said an infusion of new blood is good for the council’s health.

“If you always have the same people, nothing’s ever going to change,” said the North Ward councilor. “And change is always a good thing.”

While Scales never planned to seek a second term, he said the daily grind of a cross-sound commute and responsibilities to his family made that easy to stick to.

“I’ve been doing this almost four years,” he said. “I’m the only council member that works a 9 to 5 job, commuting to Seattle, and I’ve got a family as well. It’s hard to juggle all these things.”

Llewellyn, who represents the South Ward, said he he’s leaning toward not running, but that depends on how deeply Cupid’s arrow has pierced his municipal armor.

“A this point, I’m not running,” he said. “But I could change my mind. I’ve begun a relationship, and I think it’s a good one. It’s reasonable to think it’s long-term. But you never know with relationships. If I chose not to run, it’s to have more time for my personal life. If I choose to run it’s because I have more time.

“Whatever I do, I should have my heart in it.”