Published April 2 2025
Councilmember stepping down to focus on family; council to appoint new member for partial term
The City Council will soon have another open seat, after Councilmember John Stokes announced plans to resign during Tuesday's council meeting. Stokes said he would resign his Position 1 seat as of May 2 to move out of Bellevue and focus on his family.
“My intent when I ran for a fourth term on the amazing city council in this great city was to serve until the end of the term Dec. 31, 2027, but you know in life things change … I will be 88 then,” said Stokes at the meeting. “My delightful daughter Genevieve had a baby girl a little over a month ago and I decided to move to Ballard where she’s been living. I will miss Bellevue, its people, its places and most of all the people in this room and all the people I have known in 34 years of living in Bellevue.”
Councilmember Stokes has served on the council for 14 years, including as mayor in 2016 and 2017. He is a longtime supporter of education, the arts and the environment, serving as liaison to the Arts Commission, on the King County Eastrail Advisory Council, the Cascade Water Alliance and the King Conservation District Advisory Committee. He served on the Parks & Community Services Board prior to becoming a city councilmember.
Stokes also had volunteer involvement in local schools and cofounded Eastside Pathways, a collective-impact nonprofit working to ensure all children have the support they need to maximize their opportunities for productive, fulfilling lives.
“It’s hard when you’re a good leader to step down, and you certainly have a valid reason for doing that,” said Mayor Lynne Robinson after the announcement. “And so, we admire you and we’re very happy for you, but of course we’re going to miss you.”
After a brief discussion, councilmembers agreed to convene an executive session at their next meeting on April 15 to review four finalists who had recently been interviewed and considered for the Position 5 seat vacated by Councilmember Janice Zahn after she was appointed to serve in the 41st Legislative District.
That seat was filled by Claire Sumadiwirya, who was sworn in on the council Tuesday. The four remaining finalists from that process are Vishal Bhargava, Eric Drever, Diala Ezzeddine and Jaskaran Singh Sarao, who will all be considered for the Position 1 seat. The person selected to fill Stokes’ seat would serve a term ending after certification of the November General Election.
The ballot for the 2025 General Election will include Stokes’ Position 1 seat, the Position 5 seat, and Positions 2, 4 and 6, which were already up for re-election this year. The people elected to Positions 1 and 5 in this year’s November race would be sworn in once the election is certified by King County Elections and serve through the original term date for both positions of Dec. 31, 2027.
The Bellevue City Council is made up of seven members elected at large who serve staggered four-year terms. To serve on the council, members must live in Bellevue and be a registered voter. For more information, visit City Council.