Taking the oath of office Dec. 22, 2021 for SeaTac City Council are (from left to right) new councilmembers Jake Simpson, Mohammed Egal and Iris Guzmán. Photo courtesy City of SeaTac.

Last week on Dec. 22, 2021, newly-elected SeaTac City Councilmembers Iris Guzmán, Mohammed Egal and Jake Simpson were sworn in at City Hall by City Clerk Kristina Gregg.

On Nov 23, King County Elections certified Simpson as the winner for Council Position 2, Egal for Council Position 4 and Guzmán for Council Position 6.

As we previously reported, Simpson was already sworn in on Nov. 23 since he was replacing Stanley Tombs, appointed in June, 2020, and whose term ended with official certification of the Nov. 2 vote.

Here’s more from the City of SeaTac:

Guzmán has been a SeaTac resident since 2007 where she lives with her husband, Luis, her mother, Rosa, and their three cats. She has worked as a school social worker with the Highline Public Schools since the 2016/17 school year serving Tyee High School and Chinook Middle School. The school social worker was born and raised in East Los Angeles and has been socially and politically active since her high school days. After arriving in SeaTac, Guzmán became active in local politics.

Mohamed Egal lives in SeaTac with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Egal works as a King County Municipal Court Interpreter, assisting in the translations and interpretation of English materials to Somali. During the pandemic he worked with Northwest Harvest to serve meals to local seniors. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Agriculture from Somali National University and Senior Leadership Certificate from Washington LeadingAge Institute. He has over two decades of senior social services program management experiences including as a resident’s services coordinator in Community Life Foundation/SHAG, and Program Manager at the Somali Community Services of Seattle, a local nonprofit. Mohamed is a proud member of the SeaTac-Tukwila Rotary Club and volunteers to many Not-for-Profit local organizations and many other human services causes.

Simpson was born and raised in South King County. He attended Kentwood High School and Green River Community College. He lives in SeaTac with his wife and 5-year-old daughter. Currently, Simpson works as an organizer with SEIU 1199NW, the healthcare workers union. For more than a decade he worked at small businesses as a professional cook and began his organizing career with UNITE HERE Local 8 as a rank-and-file leader. In addition to his professional work experience, Simpson volunteers at local food banks, shelters, and elementary schools.

In November, three of the seven Council seats were on the General Election ballot. The City of SeaTac has seven Council Positions. Newly elected Councilmember Simpson is filling an unexpired term ending Dec. 31, 2021, and then again to fulfill his full-term Jan.1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2025. Councilmember Guzman and Egal will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2022, which runs through Dec. 31, 2025.

The City Councilmembers are the leaders and policy makers elected to represent the community and to concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to the needs and wishes of the residents and businesses. The SeaTac Council makes various policy, land use, and budget decisions for the City.

The City Council appoints a full-time City Manager to oversee the daily operations of the City and to advise, implement and administer the policies adopted by the City Council.