Indian American Satwinder Kaur Elected President of Kent City Council in Washington State
- First elected to the city council in 2017, she was re-elected to another four-year council term in 2021 when she ran unopposed.
Kent councilmember Satwinder Kaur was last week elected the new president of the city council in Washington. In her seventh year on council, the Indian American moved into the two-year position at the Feb. 6 meeting. She replaces councilmember Bill Boyce, who served as president the last two years.
The council president works closely with the mayor to see what kind of support the council will give to issues and proposals, according to the city website. The council president also serves as the official spokesperson for the council.
Kaur was first elected to the city council in 2017 when she defeated Paul Addis. She was re-elected to another four-year council term in 2021 when she ran unopposed. She narrowly lost to Claudia Kauffman, of Kent, in the August 2022 Democratic primary race for the District 47 Senate seat. She worked as an executive assistant with the City Council in 2012 and 2013.
A lifelong resident of Kent and a graduate of Kentridge High School, she decided to run for a seat on the city council “to be a voice for the people who are not at the table,” according to her website. She sees her role on the council as “a great learning opportunity and a chance to bring a fresh set of eyes to the city’s problems,” the website adds. “I want to bring new perspectives that may not have been considered before.”
In addition to associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees and certifications in Six Sigma and Lean Management, she has served as an intern in the mayor’s office.
She lives in Kent with her husband, and their two children. A
Among her favorite things to do in the city are “hiking, trying cuisine from different countries, participating in the Adopt-a-Street program with the Sikh community, witnessing volunteer contributions from different people and organizations, helping others, and seeing that different places of worship in the city are open to supporting all human beings,” her website says. “I love the amazing people we have in Kent. It is a caring community where people care about their neighbors,” she says. “They choose Kent – the biggest city in South King County – to be their home.”