Before Jan Drago was elected to the City Council in 1993, she was a respected community activist with a reputation for results. Drago moved to Seattle in 1980 and opened four Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Shoppes, learning first hand how difficult it can be a successful small business owner in Seattle. As an independent business owner, Jan knows you cannot spend revenues that you do not have.

A winner of the Mayor's Small Business Award, she knows how to make hard business decisions, conduct visionary strategic planning, and manage effectively. As a downtown resident and business owner, Jan established herself as a dedicated and effective organizer on behalf of homeless, housing, and public safety issues.

A graduate of Douglass College at Rutgers University with a B.A. in Psychology, Jan was a Head Start Teacher in New Brunswick, New Jersey and also founded and coached girls' soccer teams as well as established a volunteer fire company. Jan's energy and discipline has also enabled her to complete three triathlons.

One aspect of Jan's experience stands out - her tireless efforts to provide safe streets and secure neighborhoods in Seattle as a leader in community crime prevention. She has been actively involved in several organizations dedicated to preventing crime and decreasing drug-related activity. A strong supporter of foot patrol officers, bicycle patrols, and community police teams in the neighborhoods, Jan knows it takes commitment, personal involvement, and common sense to get the job done.

For the efforts above, Jan was awarded Seattle's First Citizen's Award from Mayor Charley Royer as well as the Neighborhood Partnership Award from the First Avenue Association. But Jan did not stop there. Jan ran and was elected to the Seattle City Council in 1993 and after a series of neighborhood forums, she implemented small business owners' recommendations that included:

• Led Council efforts to implement one-stop permitting to simplify and speed up the processing of building permits.
• Fixed collection and disbursement of Business Improvement Area revenues.
• Made sure all businesses are paying their fair share of taxes and that they have obtained all required licenses.

As chair of the very first Council Committee to deal directly with business issues, Jan took a leading role on a number of economic development projects that, in only three years, dramatically reversed the serious economic down-turn of the early 1990's that threatened the economic stability of Seattle:

• Led the City's participation in the expansion of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The expansion of the Convention Center was a key condition for the redevelopment of the old Frederick and Nelson Building into a thriving retail center.
• Led City Council approval of a municipally owned garage as the City's contribution to downtown retail core revitalization. The garage, which was a key component of the $400 million investment in the downtown retail core, has more than paid for its annual operating and debt costs with parking revenues.

This turnaround to economic prosperity has insured a steady stream of millions of dollars of tax revenues into the City's general fund to pay for neighborhood infrastructure and services.

After only two years on the City Council, Jan was elected by her colleagues to be the president of the Seattle City Council. As Council President, Jan presided over a number of changes to open up the Council and to make it more accessible to the average Seattle resident. Jan proved to be a listener and problem-solver. Her experience and respect of her colleagues allowed her to:

• Create off-leash areas for dog owners to exercise their dogs legally in desingated areas.
• Cleaned up and re-regulated the City's Taxi industry.
• Drafted and implemented the first laws to regulate the horse-draw carriage industry to ensure safety of the animals and visitors to the City.

Jan recognizes the importance of strong labor-management relations. As chair of the Labor Relations Policy Committee, Jan brought labor and management together in an effort which resulted in the signing of an historic Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Coalition of City Labor Unions. When the City decided to privatize the management of its public golf courses, Jan worked with labor representatives, golf enthusiasts, and City staff to develop a unique plan through which City employees would continue to provide maintenance of the courses under private management.

Jan's Resume