Mike Nelson chosen for seat on Edmonds City Council

EDMONDS — The Edmonds City Council has chosen Mike Nelson, a member of the city Planning Board, to fill an opening on the council.

The opening on the seven-member City Council was created when former member Strom Peterson was elected to the Legislature in November.

Nelson, 40, was selected on Tuesday from a group of 10 people who applied.

“I’m humbled and very honored by the selection,” he said. “I look forward to meeting with citizens, organizations, council members and the community at large.”

He will serve until the November general election. Nelson said he plans to run for election then.

Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, the council president, said there were a number of factors that led to Nelson’s selection. The winning candidate had to have support from four council members.

“We know of some of his work and we know he’s quite dedicated to the city,” Fraley-Monillas said. “He does his homework, studies up on the issues and is very much for transparency for cities.”

Nelson is a four-year Edmonds resident. Besides the Planning Board, he serves on the mayor’s Climate Protection Committee. Nelson has a law degree from Gonzaga University and serves as executive director of the SEIU’s Washington State Council, a labor group.

He and his wife, Erica Shelley Nelson, have been married for nine years. They have boys ages 6 and 2.

Nelson said he applied for the council job because he wants to make a difference in the lives of the next generation, with amenities such as good streets, sidewalks, parks and medical services.

He said it’s too early to know what recommendation he might support for solving downtown traffic bottlenecks where roads cross the railroad tracks at Dayton and Main streets.

Nelson said he hopes to find a way to bring more higher-paying jobs to the city. Eighty percent of people who live in Edmonds commute elsewhere to work, he said.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.