Daniel Aaron Strauss (born April 12, 1986) is an American politician who serves on the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-lar ...

from District 6. A native of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, he previously worked as an aide to local politicians, including Seattle councilmember

Sally Bagshaw Sally G. Bagshaw is an American politician and former member of the Seattle City Council. She was first elected in 2009 after winning in the nonpartisan primary election and defeating David Bloom in the general election with 69 percent of the vot ...

Early life and career

Strauss was born in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to a Jewish family of

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

s and graduated from

Nathan Hale High School Nathan Hale High School may refer to: * Nathan Hale High School (Oklahoma), United States * Nathan Hale High School (Washington), United States * Nathan Hale High School (Wisconsin), United States * Nathan Hale-Ray High School, Connecticut ...

. He participated in the

Northwest Youth Corps The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

and local

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

groups in high school and the

National Civilian Community Corps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), or AmeriCorps NCCC is an AmeriCorps program that engages 18- to 24-year-olds in team-based national and community service in the United States. Under the CARES act, however, the maximum age of entry is 26. ...

in college. Strauss graduated with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

, where he was elected student body president, and a

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 2012. As a graduate student, he also worked as a policy intern for Oregon state representative

Nancy Nathanson Nancy Nathanson (born 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is a Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing the 13th district. Nathanson attended Northwestern University, and later the University of Oregon where she received a Bac ...

. After graduating from college, Strauss returned to Seattle and worked as an aide to several local politicians. He was part of the campaign team for Snohomish County councilman

Dave Somers David J. Somers (born 1953) is an American politician and fisheries biologist serving as the Snohomish County Executive, an office he has held since 2016. Somers previously served on the Snohomish County Council, representing the 5th district in t ...

during his 2013 reelection. He then worked as a legislative assistant for State Senator David Frockt. Strauss worked for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility during their successful campaign on Initiative 1491, which expanded gun safety protections. From 2017 to 2019, he served as a legislative assistant to Seattle councilmember

Political career

Strauss announced his candidacy for the District 6 seat in February 2019, shortly before incumbent councilmember Mike O'Brien announced that he would not seek re-election. He finished first out of 13 candidates in the primary election, with 34 percent of the vote, and advanced to the general election alongside former city councilmember Heidi Wills. Strauss was endorsed by the

King County Labor Council The Martin Luther King. Jr. County Labor Council, AFL–CIO, (MLKCLC) is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington. The MLKCLC is affiliated with the national AFL–CIO, the central labor organization in the United States, w ...

and '' The Stranger'', while Wills earned the support of the

Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is a private, membership-based organization that represents economic development and the economic interests of its corporate members in the metro region of Seattle, Washington. Its members include most ...

and

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

. He won 55.65 percent of the vote and was sworn in on December 22, 2019, at a ceremony at the Ballard Centennial Bell Tower. Strauss is the chair of the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee.

Electoral history

2019 election

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Dan Living people Politicians from Seattle Seattle City Council members Jewish American people in Washington (state) politics Whittier College alumni University of Oregon alumni 21st-century American politicians 1986 births 21st-century American Jews