This month we are excited to have Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien as our guest–fresh off the successful passage of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reform. In his seven years on city council, Mike has been a champion for environmental and social justice causes including work to ban plastic bags, create a public financing system for local elections, give Uber drivers the right to collective bargain, create stable living options for people living in vehicles and without shelter, find alternatives to incarcerating our kids, and prevent Shell Oil from establishing their Arctic drilling fleet in Seattle.

Mike originally got involved in local politics through the Sierra Club, where he has been a volunteer for 15 years and is currently serving on the Board of Directors. O’Brien is retiring from city council and a new councilmember will be taking over his seat after this fall’s election. He will be talking about his time on the council, what he hopes to accomplish with his remaining time, and taking your questions.

The Urbanist’s monthly meetup is free, all ages, and open to everyone. Come by if you want to meet other people who care about our city, network, or hear from an inspirational speaker at a local establishment. You can find us in the lower room, and our guest speaker starts at 6:30pm.

We will be at the Panama Hotel Coffee and Tea House in the Chinatown/International District again. They have coffee, tea, beer and wine, and food available. They are also a cool independent cafe in a wonderful historic building in one of Seattle’s great urban neighborhoods. We hope you can join us!

Article Author

Patrick grew up across the Puget Sound from Seattle and used to skip school to come hang out in the city. He is an designer at a small architecture firm with a strong focus on urban infill housing. He is passionate about design, housing affordability, biking, and what makes cities so magical. He works to advocate for abundant and diverse housing options and for a city that is a joy for people on bikes and foot. He and his family live in the Othello neighborhood.