Special to the Reporter

Mercer Island City Councilmember Jake Jacobson has announced his candidacy for re-election to city council Position No. 7. With his council experience and more than four decades of experience as a lawyer and construction executive, he brings a wealth of both knowledge and experience to the city council.

Since he took office in January 2020, Jacobson has been instrumental in addressing and resolving issues critical to the city’s core businesses, such as public safety, parks and recreation operations and future planning, utility services, roads/streets, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services and financial management.

His ability to work collaboratively with his council colleagues is demonstrated by the endorsements of his re-election candidacy by Mayor Salim Nice, Deputy Mayor Dave Rosenbaum and councilmembers Lisa Anderl and Wendy Weiker. Mayor Nice praised Jacobson’s superior analytical skills, which have been valuable to the city council for the past three-and-a-half years.

When Jacobson ran for the council four years ago, he pledged to act in the best interests of Mercer Island first and foremost. He has delivered on this promise in numerous ways, such as advocating for the appointment of Jessi Bon as the city manager in 2020 and supporting the recently enacted parks levy to fund parks and recreation operations and maintenance for the next 16 years, and public safety.

He has also been a consistent financial supporter and advocate for Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, supported the city’s efforts to address and enhance the reliability of its utility systems and roads, and participated in the development of the PROS (Parks, Recreation and Open Space) Plan as the council liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission.

As a member of the council’s Sustainability Subcommittee, Jacobson was involved in developing the city’s recently enacted Climate Action Plan. Furthermore, he has pledged to support city action should the Legislature fail to address drug possession and the Blake decision before July 1.

Jacobson stated, “I am committed to act in the best interests of Mercer Island in the next four years if re-elected. That includes public safety, our parks, our utility infrastructure, the city’s fiscal sustainability, and the continued provision of cost-effective services to all residents.”