Former Burien mayor launches Congressional bid

In 1992, Arun Jhaveri was elected as the first mayor of Burien, a city that then had a population of around 30,000.

Almost 25 years later, he is taking aim at a higher political office and the chance to represent at least 20 times as many people.

In early February, Jhaveri joined the race to replace Jim McDermott in the House of Representatives from the 7th Congressional District.

“I have been very politically active — not in terms of party politics — but at the local and community levels,” he said, “because I believe in giving back to the community.”

By entering the race, he joins an increasingly crowded field that includes Metropolitan King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, state Sen. Pramila Jayapal, state Rep. Brady Walkinshaw, longtime community activist Donovan Rivers and businessman Jeff Stilwell.

The top two vote getters in the Aug. 2 primary will advance to the general election.

‘My second home’

While he wasn’t quite sure at first about running for the position, Jhaveri came to the conclusion that the challenges of a campaign are something he welcomed.

“I should try and try hard and see what happens,” he said.

Jhaveri said he’s particularly well qualified for the role, citing not only his mayoral stint from 1992 to 1998 but his time in the federal government: first with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an engineering project manager, and later with the Department of Energy as a regional technology manager.

“If you look at the current House of Representatives…only a handful of them have either degrees or expertise in science, engineering, technology and innovation,” he said.

His experience in those fields, he said, would allow him to significantly contribute in Congress in sponsoring or co-sponsoring new legislation that deals with those issues. That and his leadership qualities and commitment to consensus building through communication, cooperation and coordination are what he believes sets him apart from the other candidates.

“I have mutual respect for other people’s views, and I work as part of a team,” said Jhaveri, who received his doctoral degree in education leadership from Seattle University. “And that’s what we need in the U.S. Congress.”

With his federal government work, he’s also become familiar with Washington, D.C., and said there wouldn’t be a logistical learning curve.

“It’s almost like my second home,” he said, “so I know the culture; I know the area quite well.”

Consensus building

If elected, Jhaveri said one of his primary issues would be making sure the country addresses climate change.

“That will be one of my priorities,” he said. “To make sure that we, as a country, take a leadership role in trying to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Beyond that, he also said he recognizes homelessness, affordable housing, mental health and education as other key issues on the minds of 7th District voters.

On education in particular, Jhaveri mentioned that he had previously proposed renaming the “STEM” acronym (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to “ESTEEM,” to include energy and the environment.

“I think all of these [issues] are interconnected,” he said.

And while he said Jim McDermott has done an “exceptional” job in Congress, he’s heard from some that the position needs more of a centrist.

“I do think the time has come to move a little bit to the center and get a consensus-building approach so that we can get things done and implemented,” he said.

The former Boeing engineer also said he plans on running his campaign at a very grassroots level and does not plan to receive contributions from large donors.

“I believe in individual donors and people who will support me based on my qualifications, rather than how much money I collect as part of the campaign,” he said.

In the coming days, Jhaveri will launch a campaign website, but to contact him in the meantime, email arunjhaveriHOME@q.com.

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