David Bloom has spent more than 30 years in the trenches of local activism, fighting the good fight on issues ranging from racial justice to homelessness to gay and lesbian rights. For all the candidates who boast about their "outsider" status and "real-world experience," Bloom actually is an outsider, and he actually does have real-world experience—from working (with now-King County Council member Larry Gossett) against redlining in the ’70s to leading the fight for Seattle’s first housing levy in the ’80s, to his longtime leadership role on the Church Council of Greater Seattle.

A co-founder of the Seattle Displacement Coalition (which fights against demolition of affordable housing), Bloom translates his strength—advocacy for low-income housing—into a citywide agenda, arguing that the city has mismanaged its resources by spending money on megaprojects like the $200 million Mercer fix instead of focusing on basics like bus service, trees, and sidewalks.

Unlike many of his Lesser Seattle compatriots, Bloom is nuanced about polarizing issues including density ("I am not ipso facto opposed to density, but I am opposed to allowing growth that results in the loss of low-income housing"), transportation (Bloom opposed the decision to allocate bus hours to the South Lake Union streetcar) and homelessness (he says that if the city doesn't go beyond the goals of the 2002 housing levy, "we'll be static or or in negative territory" once the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness expires in 2014.

Bloom (unlike his Displacement Coalition cohort John Fox) has also shown a willingness to compromise with political opponents, winning important concessions on low-income housing during the downtown Convention Center battle of the 1980s, and brokering an agreement with the city council that created 170 new shelter beds in 2001.

On many issues, Bloom aligns with the council's resident lefty, Nick Licata, raising the question: Do we need another Nick? PubliCola thinks we do. Although we certainly don't align with Licata or Bloom on every issue, the council would benefit from another passionate, effective advocate for low-income and working people.

Bloom's two main opponents, Dorsol Plants and Sally Bagshaw, each have their appeal. Bagshaw, a former prosecutor and civic activist with Allied Arts, has a wide range of work and life experiences; Plants is a fresh-faced, idealistic newcomer who's shown an impressive ability to get up to speed quickly on city issues. However, Bagshaw's ties to corporate donors and Republican officials gave us pause.  Plants, meanwhile, seems less qualified than Bloom for this important position.

PubliCola picks David Bloom.