Planning and Urban Development Committee Records

Paul Kraabel, a Republican, was appointed to Seattle City Council in 1975, filling a seat vacated by Bruce Chapman. Kraabel worked for 15 years as an electrical engineer with Boeing before joining the City Council. He was also elected to the State Legislature as a representative in 1971 and served for four years. Kraabel won the special election to complete the unexpired term for City Council and served four full terms, retiring at the end of 1991. He returned briefly to City Council in 1996 to fill a seat vacated by Tom Weeks, who resigned to work for the Seattle School District.

Kraabel was City Council President in 1980-1981 and again in 1990-1991. He chaired six different committees during his tenure: Planning and Urban Development (1975-1977, 1984-1989), Water and Waste Management (1978-1979), Labor (1980-1981, 1990-1991), Land Use (1982-1983), Public Safety (1984-1985), and Business (1990-1991). Kraabel's most significant accomplishments were in land use and planning. He defended regulations for houseboat rentals and worked for many years on the downtown land use plan. He was also active in the I-90 bridge planning, and worked to have only three lanes coming into Seattle.