Indian American eyeing the seat on the Port of Seattle Commission

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Indian American Preeti Shridhar will be battling against Peter Steinbrueck on Nov. 7 for the open seat on the Port of Seattle Commission for Position 4, replacing the current president of the commission, Tom Albro.

Although the Seattle Times reports that both candidates agree on several issues, such as preserving industrial lands for blue-collar jobs, opposing Chris Hansen’s proposed NBA arena in Sodo and hiring a new executive director focused on public accountability to help avoid repeats of recent public-trust issues, Shridhar wants to do much more.

Shridhar is currently the deputy public affairs administrator for the city of Renton, Washington and has spent 25 years working for the cities of Seattle and Renton, specializing in public-affairs programs for the environment and economy and thus wants to encourage the use of biofuels for planes as more flights are added, so that there is a better environment for the people who live near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

She also wants to defend the tax funding that critically causes workforce development and is optimistic that the Port will still be able to generate “a strong source of funding” without raising the tax further as property values increase.

Shridhar told the Seattle Times that she believes she is the right choice for Position 4 of the Port of Seattle Commission as she is approachable and has an open-door policy, she also mentioned that decades ago she had made an effort to increase recycling in Seattle and wants to focus on inclusion “for all,” including help for lower-income workers and immigrants.

She has raised $35,000 so far from members of the local Indian-American community and has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal as well as the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington and the mayors of several South King County cities.

Shridhar is the only daughter of a business executive and a college professor, who came to the United States in 1986 and ended up settling in east King County while working for the cities of Seattle and Renton.

She has a B.A. in business administration from the College of St. Catherine and later received her MBA from the University of Minnesota, she also holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Bombay.