Policy Council

The Eastside’s hub for local, state and federal advocacy.

Mission & Scope

The Bellevue Chamber’s Policy Council is the Eastside’s hub for local, state, and federal advocacy.

Council members come from a wide range of industries and bring deep experience in land use, transportation, affordable housing, taxation, public safety, and the broader economy. Together, they set the Chamber’s policy direction, decide when to lean in on an issue, and coordinate with our subcommittees (PLUSH, Transportation, and the Bellevue Mobility Coalition) to turn strategy into action.

Voting members of the Policy Council are appointed to two‑year terms. Any Chamber member at the Advocate level or above is eligible to serve on an advocacy subcommittee; those groups are open to qualified members by interest and expertise.

The Policy Council oversees the Chamber’s letters, testimony, and coalition work at City Hall, in Olympia, and in Washington, D.C., from housing and transportation investments to tax policy, public safety, and the safety net.

Policy Council meetings pair real-world operator insight with timely data. In 2025, members worked through election dynamics and budget math, refined EKCC’s positions on taxes and housing, urged near-term mobility improvements and supported a federal agenda that speeds delivery for transportation and housing projects. On public safety, the council’s letter to City Council helped focus attention on repeat theft sentencing. On economic competitiveness, the council continues to brief employers on revenue proposals and regulatory changes so they can prepare early and engage constructively.

11

Signature advocacy events each year.

50+

Committee meetings annually

65+

Advocacy letters submitted

31

Employers represented

What We’ve Done

2025

State tax opposition and BudgetBreakdown.org

During the 2025 legislative session, the Policy Council led the Chamber’s work to oppose new and increased business taxes, including a proposed state payroll tax that would have added significant ongoing costs for employers. Working with partners, the Council coordinated joint letters and policy statements, helped launch BudgetBreakdown.org to highlight unsustainable state spending growth. These efforts helped prevent the payroll tax from passing reinforcing that tax changes must support jobs.

2025

Mandatory minimums for repeat theft

The Policy Council formally urged Bellevue City Council to adopt Ordinance 25-588, which established mandatory minimum sentences for repeat theft offenses. When Council later voted 6 to 1 to direct staff to draft the ordinance, the Chamber highlighted how business input, ViBe polling, and regional best practices shaped a balanced response to retail theft and chronic offenders, framing the ordinance as a tool to support a safe and predictable environment for residents, workers, and employers.

2025

Sessions on budget, trade, crime and road-usage charges

In 2025, Policy Council meetings focused on state budget choices, crime, rent control, and transportation funding tools. Budget negotiations, trade policy, and crime dominated the discussion as members assessed how decisions on revenues and sentencing in Olympia would affect the local economy. Another 2025 meeting examined road-usage charges and rent control, with the Chamber’s Olympia lobbyist briefing members on evolving proposals and their potential impact on Eastside employers and residents.

October 8, 2025

Election update and 2025 state agenda

At an October 8, 2025 Policy Council meeting, the Chamber hosted Paul Graves, President of Enterprise Washington, for an election update. Council members reviewed the East King Chambers Coalition’s 2025 state agenda and previewed federal priorities, focusing on how the election could shape state policy on taxes, spending, public safety, housing, energy, and transportation.

2025

Provider spotlights and safety-net focus

Policy Council meetings also featured briefings with PorchLight and Plymouth Housing, bringing homelessness and supportive-housing providers into the conversation. These discussions connected land-use and funding decisions to on-the-ground service work and reinforced that public safety and livability required both accountability and a functioning safety net.

2024

Preparing for the 2025 legislative session

The Policy Council met to prepare for the 2024 election and the 2025 legislative session. Members heard from voter-behavior experts, City officials, and Chamber advocacy staff about the likely policy landscape, then walked through Chamber priorities on taxes, public safety, housing, and transportation. These discussions informed both the Chamber’s state-session strategy and the EKCC’s 2025 policy platform, ensuring that Eastside employers spoke with a coordinated voice in Olympia.

2024

Renewal Food Bank tour

Under the Policy Council’s umbrella, the Chamber continued to highlight the social infrastructure that supported a strong economy. Councilmembers toured Renewal Food Bank, spotlighting food security as a key element of community resilience and giving the organization a platform with the business community.

2023

Bellevue budget negotiations, transit safety and tax structure

The Policy Council worked with Chamber leadership to advocate for a budget that prioritized public safety, fiscal responsibility and competitiveness. The Chamber supported adding 23 full-time officers to the Police Department’s Transit Division to strengthen safety in transit corridors and business districts as the region grew. The Council also worked with City leaders to adjust a proposed Business and Occupation tax structure so it did not disproportionately affect Bellevue’s technology sector.

2023

Bellevue Parks Levy and Livability Bellevue PAC

The Policy Council helped shape the Chamber’s support for the Bellevue Parks Levy that went before voters in 2023. Through the Livability Bellevue PAC, the Chamber commissioned polling on parks, growth, and costs, and crafted a levy strategy that balanced growth and quality of life, emphasizing how parks, trails, and open space support employers’ ability to attract talent. The PAC also helped shape the levy’s financial mechanism and allocation so the measure would be financially responsible.

2022

Washington, D.C. Fly-In launch

In 2022, the Chamber launched its annual D.C. Fly-In, with Policy Council leadership helping to shape the agenda. The Fly-In brought Eastside business, civic, and nonprofit leaders to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal agencies. It elevated local priorities on housing, transportation, infrastructure, trade, and workforce, and led to direct requests from federal delegation staff. The Fly-In also helped solidify the Chamber as a key partner for the City of Bellevue on federal strategy.

2022-2025

Federal advocacy focus areas

From 2022–2025, Policy Council federal advocacy prioritized: funding the Affordable Connectivity Program for digital equity/broadband; expanding LIHTC and the Section 8 Choice in Affordable Housing Act; workforce/education upskilling, retraining, and STEAM pipelines; updated Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement; broader access to TIFIA loans and infrastructure banks; stable USMCA trade; and permitting and surface-transportation reforms benefiting Eastside projects.

2022

Nonprofit and community investments

Policy Council helped elevate nonprofit funding priorities in Washington, D.C. by advocating directly to Senator Patty Murray on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue when key funding sources were at risk. The Chamber organized storytelling and outreach that highlighted the organization’s community impact and made the case for continued federal support for youth programs.

2021-2026

Building strategic relationships with City stakeholders

Since 2021, the Policy Council and Chamber leadership have built relationships with all seven Bellevue City Councilmembers, serving as a consistent, trusted voice for business during major decisions. They also engaged boards and commissions, supporting pro-business appointments to influence policy early, and maintained strong ties with the City Manager’s Office, including during the City Manager selection, to keep competitiveness and employer needs central.

2021

East King Chambers Coalition leadership

The Policy Council strengthened the Chamber’s leadership in the East King Chambers Coalition, uniting 11 Eastside chambers to align legislative priorities. The Coalition hosts annual kickoff and wrap-up events, an Olympia lobbying day with Eastside lawmakers, and a shared legislative agenda adopted by each chamber. This coordination amplifies Eastside employers’ voice on transportation, taxation, housing, public safety, and more, multiplying Policy Council impact.

2021

Polling and public opinion groundwork

Early polling work, followed later by the Chamber’s annual ViBe Check Polling, gave the Policy Council a clearer picture of how residents thought about housing, transportation, taxation, and public safety. The Council used this data to show how often business-community positions aligned with voters, to shape talking points and testimony at City Hall and in Olympia, and to guide where the Chamber deployed limited advocacy time and resources.

2021-2026

Supporting ViBe Check Polling

The Policy Council supported the Chamber’s ViBe Check Polling, an annual voter-insight survey that measured public sentiment on top regional issues. Polling results underpinned many Council positions and letters by grounding advocacy in clear, current voter data.

2021-2025

Backing safety-net and community assets

Throughout 2021 to 2025, the Policy Council backed key safety-net and community partners, including Renewal Food Bank, PorchLight, Plymouth Housing, and the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue. This work helped ensure that economic-development advocacy remained connected to a functioning social safety net and overall community resilience.

2021-2025

Keeping the focus on implementation

The Council also kept a strong focus on implementation. Through letters, briefings, and coalition work, it helped ensure that state and federal programs, from broadband and housing tools to infrastructure bills, translated into real projects and investments on the Eastside rather than remaining only on paper.

State tax opposition and BudgetBreakdown.org

Mandatory minimums for repeat theft

Sessions on budget, trade, crime and road-usage charges

Election update and 2025 state agenda

Provider spotlights and safety-net focus

Preparing for the 2025 legislative session

Renewal Food Bank tour

Bellevue budget negotiations, transit safety and tax structure

Bellevue Parks Levy and Livability Bellevue PAC

Washington, D.C. Fly-In launch

Federal advocacy focus areas

Nonprofit and community investments

Building strategic relationships with City stakeholders

East King Chambers Coalition leadership

Polling and public opinion groundwork

Supporting ViBe Check Polling

Backing safety-net and community assets

Keeping the focus on implementation

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“INSERT QUOTE FROM POLICY COUNCIL"Policy Council Leadership

What We’re Working On

Bellevue Chamber CEO, Joe Fain, being interviewed on the Chamber's policy efforts (Left), and Jodie Alberts shares eastside housing needs with Representative Suzan DelBene, on the Chamber's annual DC Fly-in (Right).

The Policy Council continues to work on several initiatives that will shape growth in Bellevue over the next few years:

Budget and revenue proposals
The council is reviewing operating, transportation and revenue packages debated in Olympia, tracking items such as changes to property-tax growth limits and other statewide tax proposals, and refining business impacts for EKCC policy papers.

Public safety
In September 2025 the council wrote the Bellevue City Council urging mandatory minimum sentences for repeat theft. City Council subsequently voted 6-1 to advance stricter sentencing. The council continues to monitor implementation and community-court outcomes.

Transportation and micromobility
Ahead of the City’s July 2025 discussion, the council sent a letter encouraging expanded micromobility options, including scooters, to strengthen first- and last-mile connections.

Federal preview and permitting
The council’s federal preview prioritizes faster permitting, targeted housing tools like expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and a workable national AI framework that enables public-sector innovation and workforce upskilling.

Committee in Action

Bellevue Chamber CEO, Joe Fain along with Councilmember Neiuwenhuis, Mayor Robinson, City Manager Diane Carlson and Deputy City Manager Genesee Adkins attend a microsoft policy briefing

Policy Council members (left to right) Randi Brazen, Shannon Boldiszar, and Karen Doherty attend a breakfast briefing during the Chamber's annual DC Fly-in

Policy Council Chair, Kristi Tripple (Rowley Properties) leads council conversation

Juliana Roe (T-Mobile) attending a policy council happy hour

Amazon's Pearl Leung discusses housing provided by Porchlight and Plymouth Housing

News & Updates

Resources & Letters

Policy Council Directory

Click here to view all of the members of our Policy Council.

Want to Join Policy Council?

Apply to Join

Eligibility: Advocate‑level members and above may join this committee and must be appointed by the Council.