Sally Clark was appointed to City Council in 2006 to fill the vacancy created by Jim Compton’s resignation. She was subsequently elected to the position at the next special election. She went on to serve on Council until April 2015, when she stepped down to accept the position of director of regional and community relations at the University of Washington.

Prior to her terms as a Councilmember, Clark worked as a print journalist, and later in communications for the Chicken Soup Brigade. In 1997 she began working for City Councilmember Tina Podlodowski on issues including neighborhood development and public safety. When Podlodowski left office, Clark moved to the City's Department of Neighborhoods, where she worked as Neighborhood Development Manager for southeast Seattle. She later earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration at the University of Washington's Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, and then served as director of community resources at the Lifelong AIDS Alliance before joining City Council.

Clark worked on a range of issues during her terms, including land use, neighborhood planning, a minimum wage increase, zoning, and regulations for taxis and for-hire vehicles. Clark served as Council President from 2012 to 2013.