Community Volunteer Bruce Bassett
to Run for Mercer Island City Council

Now a stay-at-home dad on Mercer Island, Bassett aspires to ‘making a difference’ in the community. He has coached his children’s soccer teams as well acting as treasurer for the Mercer Island Soccer Association, which supports adult soccer on the island. Last year he led the successful effort to convince the city council and school board to upgrade the Islander Middle School dirt field to a turf surface.

“Bruce did his homework on that field project,” Council member Dan Grausz noted, “he listened to our financial concerns and worked with the Parks and Recreation Department to develop a funding approach that worked for everyone, as evidenced by an unanimous council vote. I believe he would be an asset to this council.”

Bassett serves on the Open Space Conservancy Trust Board, which manages Pioneer Park. He has a keen interest in environmental issues and would like to build on the sustainability work that the current city council has begun.

Bassett is currently the Mercer Island leader of the father-son program known as Y-Adventure Guides. The program has a rich 50 year history on the island. Next month a record 300 fathers and sons will gather for a spring campout under Bassett’s leadership. His organizational efforts in the program were recognized recently when the Lakeheights YMCA named him a ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for family programs.

Bassett has a solid record of academic and business achievement. He grew up in the Olympia area then headed east for college where he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College in 1983. His degree in Engineering Science led to a job with Intel Corp. in California. Five years later, he earned a masters degree from the University of Michigan and returned to California to work for Raychem Corp. In 1991, he jumped into the entrepreneurial waters and starting his own business building virtual reality hardware. “As a business owner,” he said “I was able to put together a smart team of people who delivered products on time and under budget. We were consistently profitable because we worked hard and never got fancy with the finances. That’s the kind of experience I will bring to City Council.”

Looking forward to a role on City Council, Bassett would like to see the city and school district build a stronger working relationship. He is a proponent of the Communities that Care project that addresses risky youth behavior. He serves on the Mercer Island School District Key Communicator council and volunteers in numerous ways in the schools—recently leading Lakeridge students in a playground map painting project.

Perhaps most importantly, Bassett believes City Council has the responsibility to engage the community in a process of long term vision creation and sound decision making. Bassett is intrigued to address the question “As transportation alternatives change and population grows, what do we want our community to be?” Bassett believes he brings the skills and practical experience to make a positive difference as we look to the future.

Just days after deciding to run, supporters have lined up for Bassett. Early endorsements include: Senator Brian Weinstein, City Councilman Dan Grausz, School Board President Leslie Ferrell, School Board member John DeVleming and former School Board member Ken Glass.