Phone
+1 (949) 874-2907
Email
vishalforbellevue@outlook.com
Town where you live
Bellevue
Experience (300 characters max)
I serve on Bellevue’s Planning Commission and work as a Director Product Management, bringing expertise in urban planning, architecture, and business. With a proven track record of data-driven leadership and community service, I’m running to deliver inclusive, sustainable solutions for Bellevue.
Equity must be at the center of local governance. Bellevue is a diverse city, and we need policies that meet people where they are. That means engaging communities early, listening across language and cultural barriers, and allocating resources where the need is greatest. I will prioritize outreach to historically underrepresented groups and make decisions based on both data and lived experience. Whether addressing housing, public safety, or climate resilience, my goal is to ensure that every neighborhood—and every resident—has the opportunity to thrive.
I believe growth and environmental protection can and must go hand-in-hand. As a Planning Commissioner, I’ve advocated for policies that focus development near transit, reduce sprawl, and preserve green space. I support green building incentives, stronger tree canopy protections, and expanding access to clean energy. We must plan intentionally—balancing economic vitality with long-term environmental health. Bellevue’s natural beauty is part of what makes it special; protecting it while addressing our housing and transportation needs is a responsibility I take seriously.
As a Planning Commissioner, nonprofit founder, and Director of Product Management at Amazon, I bring a unique blend of public service, civic leadership, and innovation. My background in architecture, urban planning, and business has given me the tools to approach challenges holistically and pragmatically. On the Planning Commission, I’ve helped shape policies that support sustainable growth, housing affordability, and transit-oriented development. I’ve also led mental health advocacy efforts through the Beautiful Minds Foundation, which I co-founded. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to building a Bellevue that works for everyone.
Bellevue must approach homelessness as a housing and public health issue—not a criminal one. I support a housing-first model backed by wraparound services like mental health care, substance use treatment, and workforce support. As a Planning Commissioner, I’ve advocated for transit-accessible, affordable housing to reduce displacement and provide stability. We must also coordinate regionally to expand shelter capacity, invest in permanent supportive housing, and reduce barriers to accessing services. Homelessness is complex, but our response should be rooted in compassion, data, and long-term solutions—not quick fixes or punitive approaches.
My vision is a Bellevue that embraces innovation, prioritizes safety and affordability, fosters economic opportunity, and enhances the quality of life for every resident.
This means sustainable urban development, smart infrastructure investments, and policies that keep our communities safe and vibrant. It also means making Bellevue a leader in technological advancements that improve transportation, public safety, and environmental sustainability.
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Phone
(425) 247-0824
Email
paul@clarkforbellevue.com
Town where you live
Bellevue, WA
Experience (300 characters max)
Owner of a small technology business; author and instructor in the wireless communications field. Seven years serving in council-appointed positions relating to Police, Fire, and Parks.
I’ll keep an open door by posting regular office hours and appointment slots so residents can bring issues directly to me. At least monthly, I’ll send an email newsletter with Council updates and a link to an online comment form. I’ll allocate a budget for mail surveys to gather broad feedback on key topics. You’ll also find me at neighborhood association meetings, festivals, farmers markets, and business gatherings - listening and learning in person, just like I’ve been doing for years. You deserve to be heard and to see how your input shapes our city’s decisions.
Focusing new housing into our growth corridors, building densely near high-frequency transit and walkable streets, is the most important step we can take to protect our environment. Bellevue should also lead by example by protecting our tree canopy and expanding our parks and trails while also encouraging green building practices. We will invest in stormwater management, expand our urban forest and support low-impact development standards that reduce runoff and heat islands. We will partner with regional agencies to advance clean energy, promote recycling, and fund public transit options that lower emissions.
In 2016 I was appointed to Bellevue’s Civil Service Commission, which I later chaired, helping guide police and fire department policies. In 2018 I was appointed to the Parks and Community Services Board where I’m currently entering my 8th year of service, during which I served three years in leadership - as chair and vice chair. One of the board’s responsibilities is to recommend to the City Council master plans for new parks. During my service, this included projects such as Newport Hills Woodlawn Park, the northeast corner of Downtown Park, portions of Meydenbauer Park, and the upcoming Bellevue Airfield Park. I’m especially pleased to have worked with a team of incredible community leaders to ensure covered pickleball courts at Airfield Park. I have also graduated from Bellevue Essentials and the Police Community Academy to deepen my understanding of our city government and law enforcement operations.
Bellevue must combine shelter and recovery services with enforcement of our no-camping policies. I will protect funding for low-barrier shelters and onsite addiction and mental health treatment so individuals can find stability. I will also make certain that the police department has sufficient staffing to ensure a safe and stable environment around our shelters and nearby neighborhoods. When public safety is at risk, I will support accountability measures for repeat offenders. By coordinating with nonprofits and neighboring jurisdictions we can help people off the street and into lasting recovery.
I envision a Bellevue that remains safe, prosperous and true to its “city in a park” identity. We will meet growth targets by directing new housing and infrastructure to transit-rich corridors, preserving our single-family neighborhoods and natural beauty. With disciplined budgets, smart transportation investments and support for local businesses, we will expand economic opportunity, enhance parks and maintain the high quality of life that makes Bellevue a community where families and businesses thrive.
Phone
6025508243
Email
nichkt@gmail.com
Town where you live
Bellevue
Experience (300 characters max)
First-time candidate. Bellevue Diversity Advisory Network volunteer. Experience with housing affordability, worker issues, and community organizing.
I believe government works best when it actively seeks out community voices, especially those traditionally excluded from decision-making.
My approach centers on direct community engagement through multiple channels: multilingual outreach, weekend meetings for working families, online forums for broader participation, and partnerships with community organizations already serving residents. I'll establish regular office hours in different neighborhoods and maintain an open-door policy.
I'll champion participatory budgeting, allowing residents to directly decide how portions of the city budget are spent. My proposed student scholarship program exemplifies this: young people proposing city improvements, ensuring the next generation has a real voice in governance.
And to maintain accountability, I'll report back regularly through newsletters, social media, and community meetings, ensuring transparency rather than keeping things behind closed doors and unrecorded "executive sessions".
True environmental progress requires partnership with the communities most impacted by pollution and displacement instead of top-down solutions. We need participatory climate planning that centers frontline voices, and green job pipelines that lift up working families rather than displacing them.
The fundamental truth is this: Sustainability without equity does not and has never worked.
I believe climate solutions must reduce inequality to be enduring.
We need policies that simultaneously slash carbon emissions and broaden prosperity. A green roof on a corporate building does little good if the people under it can't afford to live in the city where they work. A new bike lane is just pavement unless it connects to housing that someone can rent without needing three roommates. Real solutions: community solar co-ops, unionized building retrofits, transit-oriented social housing, are those that cool the planet while warming the economy for working people.
My public service has always been about bringing people together to solve real problems in our community. I volunteer with the Bellevue Diversity Advisory Network and serve on the Bellevue Police Diversity Council, working to ensure our city truly represents and serves everyone who calls it home.
When anti-Asian attacks surged during COVID, I didn't wait for someone else to act. I organized a working group of over 100 people, partnering with nonprofits and community organizations to protect and support our neighbors when they needed it most. That's what public service means to me - mobilizing people power when our community faces challenges.
This experience taught me that real change happens when we organize from the ground up, bringing together diverse voices to tackle problems that government alone can't solve. Whether it's addressing crimes or making housing affordable, I believe in building coalitions that put working people first. That's the approach I'll bring to the city.
We need both reactive aid and systemic reform.
Temporary beds in shelters alone won't solve this crisis, we need prevention through economic justice. To me, what that means is:
1) Strong tenant protections (just-cause eviction laws, emergency rental assistance during crises like wildfire or mass layoffs)
2) Living wages tied to housing costs (Bellevue has a lower minimum wage than Burien, Tukwila, Renton and even unincorporated King County)
3) Apprenticeship programs with union pipelines and support in fields with family-sustaining careers.
I believe affordability is twofold: Housing must be treated as housing, not an asset class for investors and opportunities to earn good wages must be created and plentiful. My believed solution to homelessness is implementing pathways to stable, living-wage jobs alongside providing people homes at rent-able or purchasable prices achievable with those wages.
Housing should serve people, not portfolios. Until it does, we will have homelessness
I envision a Bellevue that works for the people who make it run. Where the people that work here can afford to raise families without crushing financial stress or giving up dreams of homeownership. A city that lowers costs for working people wherever it can by taking back our services from profiteering private equity and abusive staffing firms. Where light rail and buses connect everyone to opportunity, not just luxury condos to downtown offices. A city where young families can plant roots in affordable homes, and workers can train for union careers that actually pay the bills. This future demands policies with heart: banning predatory practices that prey on working families, taxing vacant properties to fund child care, and treating housing as homes first, not investments.
I know this won’t happen overnight, but each step toward affordability, accessibility, and dignity makes us more human . That’s the Bellevue worth fighting for, where people don’t just survive, but live.
