nwasianweekly.com
March 21, 2008

Patsy Bonincontri

Asian American female wins Bellevue City Council seat

By Eleanor Lee

Northwest Asian Weekly

Patsy Bonincontri was appointed to the Bellevue City Council March 24. A former member of Bellevue’s Planning Commission, she currently works for Puget Sound Energy as a project manager and serves on Sound Transit’s Citizen Oversight Panel. She is also a former architect and worked at the firm Mulvanny G2.

A Bellevue resident for the past 20 years, Bonicontri was raised in Hong Kong and lived in Japan. She studied architecture and graduated from the University of Southern California.

Bonicontri, who is of Chinese descent, is only the second minority to serve on Bellevue’s City Council — conrad Lee, who is also Chinese American, was thus far the only minority.

“This is a historical breakthrough for our city,” said Lee. “Government is finally catching up with reality. The Eastside, including Bellevue, has become very diverse and international. Over a third of its population was born outside of the country.”

Bonicontri told the Northwest Asian Weekly the day after the council’s decision, “I think in some respects it is groundbreaking to opt for change … and it is wonderful that it happens to reflect on the diversity of the city as well.” However, she said she also looked “forward to the day when race and gender in political office” would not be an issue at all.

Bonicontri was chosen from a pool of 21 applicants. She fills the seat left by former Councilwoman Connie Marshall, who resigned in January. Bonincontri will serve out Marshall’s term, which ends in January 2009.

The City Council altered its selection process of choosing a new council member this time around. Bonicontri explained: “The council decided on an open process that allows for members of the community to apply for the position. A departure from previous council’s choice of appointing a former council member to fill in till the next election, this process signals that the council is willing to seek out and develop future leaders. This certainly shows that opportunities abound for anyone with skills and dedication to serve and to mold the future.”

Eleanor Lee can be reached at e.lee@nwasianweekly.com

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