4630-00. Virginia Galle

Virginia Galle served two terms on City Council between 1981 and 1989. The daughter of career Salvation Army officers, she was a librarian and high school English teacher in the Midwest before moving to Seattle. Influenced by the women’s movement, in 1965 Galle went back to school to earn a master’s degree at the University of Washington’s Graduate School of Public Affairs, writing her thesis on King County’s home-rule charter. She began working in the City of Seattle’s new Citizens Service Bureau, an agency which served as a resource for information and a clearinghouse for complaints about the city. Galle worked her way up through the ranks to become the head of the agency. In 1973, she became the first woman department head in Seattle city government when she was appointed director of the Department of Licenses and Consumer Affairs. She eventually was fired from that position by Mayor Wes Uhlman after her aggressive pursuit of companies she perceived to be swindling the public. She served as executive director of the Girl Scouts Totem Council from 1977 until she resigned in 1981 to run for a City Council seat vacated by Randy Revelle. While on the Council, Galle chaired the City Operations and Utilities (1982-1983), Environmental Management (1984-1987), and Finance and Personnel (1988-1989) committees. In 1987, she testified before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on municipal solid waste issues. She lost her seat to Tom Weeks in the 1989 election. After leaving the Council, Galle worked as a consultant and remained active in community affairs.