| Heidi Wills | |
| Office: | Member of the Seattle City Council, Position 7 |
| Term Start: | January 10, 2000 |
| Term End: | January 5, 2004 |
| Predecessor: | Tina Podlodowski |
| Successor: | David Della |
| Birth Date: | 1968 |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Spouse: | Kobi Yamada |
| Residence: | Edmonds, Washington |
| Alma Mater: | University of Washington (BA) |
Heidi Wills is an American former politician who was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2000 to 2004. In 2019, she ran for city council in District 7 but lost in the general election.
Wills earned her bachelor's degree in history of science, technology, and medicine from the University of Washington.[1] From 1990 to 1991, she was the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington, where she implemented the implement the U-PASS as a replacement for the UW's struggling transportation program, which provided unlimited rides on regional public transit.[2]
After graduating from UW, Wills worked as an aide to King County Executive Ron Sims.[1]
In May 1999, Seattle city councilmember Tina Podlodowski announced she would not seek reelection for Position 7.[3] Wills ran for the open seat against five other candidates. In the September primary election, she came in second with 38% of the vote, with former councilmember Charlie Chong coming in first with 40%.[4] Wills outraised Chung and all other candidates that cycle.[5] In the general election, Wills defeated Chung, 55% to 45%.[6]
While in office, Wills was chair of the Energy and Environmental Policy Committee and vice-chair for the Housing, Human Services, Education, and Civil Rights Committee and the Transportation Committee.[1]
While chair of the Energy Committee, Wills oversaw increases to Seattle City Light utility bills for top energy users[7] to discourage high energy usage.[8] Mayor Greg Nickels was against the "third tier" increases, stating the increases would effect low-income individuals, even though the majority of "third tier users" were not low income.[9] Wills would successfully pass the rate increases for high energy users,[8] with exemptions for low-income users.[7] She later contacted the Seattle Ethics and Elections director over potential ethics violations regarding a letter Nickels sent to Seattle City Light customers disparaging the rate "third tier."[8]
Wills' Energy committee also ushered a bill that would keep a surcharge, averaging $23 a month, for an extra two years to pay down City Light debt.[10] Wills stated, "We're in unprecedented circumstances".[10]
Wills voted to repeal the teen dance ordinance and promised to keep the poster ban repeal.[9] Wills also sponsored legislation to switch green traffic lights to LED bulbs, saving the city millions in money and energy.[11]
Former Washington state governor Albert Rosellini assisted the Colacurcios family by lobbying six members of the Seattle City Council and raising funds for three of the politicians.[12] In June 2003, James Bush, a reporter for the North Seattle Sun, reported city council members Judy Nicastro, Jim Compton and Heidi Wills received a combined $36,000 worth of campaign donations from the Colacurcio family and their business associates.[13] On June 16, 2003, in a 5–4 vote, the council approved the parking zoning changes allowing them to use their existing land for parking requested by the Colacurcios.[13] Nicastro, Compton, and Wills all voted in favor on the expansion.[13]
All councilmember returned the money, and Wills paid a $1,500 fine to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.[14]
Wills ran for reelection against three challengers. In the primary election, Wills placed first with 44% of the vote, and David Della, a director at United Way of King County, came in second with 34%.[15] Della blamed Willis for the rate increases by releasing flyers and billboards of people yelling at their utility bills.[16] Wills's campaign outraised Della's, fundraising over $250,000 and breaking the record $198,000 she raised in the 1999 election.[17] Della defeated Willis in the general election, 65,324 votes (54%) to 55,620 (46%).[18]
In April 2019, councilmember Mike O'Brien announced that he would not seek reelection for District 6, the fourth council member that cycle to decline running.[19] Wills announced she would run for the open seat focusing her campaign on bring city hall "back to basics".[20] Thirteen candidates ran in the primary, the most of any race that year. Wills came in second, with 21%, with Dan Strauss, former legislative aid to Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, coming in first with 34%.[21]
Wills faced a finance complaint over the amount of in-kind donations an event space gave to Wills during an October fundraiser.[22]
The election gained national attention after Amazon spent nearly $1.5 million on campaign contributions to Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, which supported Wills.[23]
In the general election, Willis lost to Straus, 44% to 56%.[24]
Wills married author Kobi Yamada in 2002 while she was in office.[1] They have two children.[25]