Preceded by Jim Compton Succeeded by John Okamoto | Spouse(s) Liz Ford Name Sally Clark | |
 | ||
Occupation Seattle City Councilmember (Position 9) Education John F. Kennedy School of Government Residence Seattle, Washington, United States | ||
Sally J. Clark served as a member of the Seattle City Council. Appointed to fill the vacant seat formerly occupied by Jim Compton in January 2006, she was elected to a one-year term in November 2006, a four-year term in 2007, and a second four-year term in 2011. Prior to her resignation (effective April 12, 2015) Clark served as the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Housing Affordability, Human Services, and Economic Resiliency. Clark also served as the Chair of the Select Committee on Minimum Wage and Income Inequality and the Chair of the Select Committee on Taxi, For-Hire, and Limousine Regulations. Clark was additionally a member of the Council’s Energy Committee and Education and Governance Committee.
During her time on Council, Sally has served as the Council President and as the Chair of the Committee on the Built Environment.
A graduate of the University of Washington (BAs in Political Science and Spanish, and an MPA from the UW’s Evans School of Public Affairs), Clark started her career as a print journalist.
Councilmember Clark’s career includes work with Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods, the Metropolitan King County Council, Northwest Association for Housing Affordability, and Lifelong AIDS Alliance.
Sally is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s summer program for Senior Executives in State & Local Government, attending as a Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute Bohnett Fellow. She is a 2013-2014 Aspen Rodel Fellow.
Sally and her partner live in the Brighton neighborhood of Southeast Seattle near Seward Park.
Controversy
After a controversial vote on ride-share start-ups, Sally Clark earned reputation by some as shill for the Seattle Taxi lobby. She spearheaded a vote unpopular with 48% of residents of the city of Seattle, but favored by Taxi industry members. The vote intended to limit the ability of popular ride share companies to operate, by capping the number of drivers they could employ at any time. The movement, led by Sally passed the Seattle city council 6-3 on March 17.