Rob Saka Announces Run for Seattle City Council

by the Emerald Team

Rob Saka may be a first-time Seattle City Council candidate, but the West Seattle resident is no stranger to Seattle politics. Over the past five years, Saka has served as a King County Charter Review Commissioner, a member of the Seattle Police Chief Search Committee, and a member of the King County Districting Committee. Prior to that, Saka served as a board member of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and as the former vice president of the Loren Miller Bar Association, a civil rights organization composed of Black attorneys in the state. 

However, it’s his lived experience outside of the civic realm that he says best suits him to replace Lisa Herbold as District 1’s (West Seattle/South Park) City Council representative after she announced she wouldn’t seek reelection. Raised in Minnesota by a single father who is a Nigerian immigrant, Saka says the financial, educational, and social hardships he overcame growing up, including time in the foster care system, make him uniquely qualified to bring nuanced solutions to the complex problems Seattle currently faces with homelessness, housing affordability, economic opportunity, displacement, and gun violence.

Currently an attorney for Meta’s (formerly Facebook) Reality Labs division, Saka says a major goal is to normalize tough, complex conversations in Seattle City Hall, which he sees as devoid of them. The Emerald spoke with Saka just prior to his official candidate announcement on Tuesday. 

This is a part of Emerald’s recurring long-form interview series of candidates running for local office. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

South Seattle Emerald: Why did you decide to run for City Council, and what in your background do you feel qualifies you for the position?

Rob Saka: I’m running because I have three kids in Seattle Public Schools, and I want to make sure that this city is the best that it can be for them and…