Norm Rice

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Norm Rice

Norman B. Rice, born May 4, 1943 in Denver, Colorado, was the 49th mayor of Seattle, Washington, serving two terms. Rice was Seattle's first and only African-American mayor.

Rice received his college education at the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree in communications and a Masters of Public Administration. Rice holds honorary degrees from Seattle University, the University of Puget Sound, and Whitman College. Before entering City government, he worked as a reporter at KOMO-TV News and KIXI radio, served as Assistant Director of the Seattle Urban League, was Executive Assistant and Director of Government Services for the Puget Sound Council of Governments, and was employed as the Manager of Corporate Contributions and Social Policy at Rainier National Bank.

Rice was first elected to the Seattle City Council in 1978 (to fill a vacancy) and reelected in 1979, 1983 and 1987, serving eleven years in all. He served as chair of the Energy and Finance and Budget Committees, and was Council President for one term. Rice facilitated the development of more equitable cost allocation and rate design procedures for Seattle City Light as part of his work on the Energy Committee. His accomplishments on the Finance and Budget Committee included the passage of the Women and Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance and the elimination of City investments in firms doing business in South Africa. Rice also worked to improve public safety in Seattle and advocated for the use of local funds to improve conditions for disadvantaged Seattle citizens.

He ran for mayor in 1985, but lost to the popular Charles Royer. Rice ran again in 1989 amongst a crowded field after frontrunner city attorney Doug Jewett supported an anti-desegregation school busing initiative. Rice won handily against Jewett, 99,699 to 75,446. He was easily re-elected in 1993. In 1996 he ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor and was defeated by then-King County Executive Gary Locke in 1996.

Rice's second term as mayor term expired in 1997. He held the job during the technology boom of the 1990s and was largely responsible for the rejuvenation of Seattle's downtown. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Rice made a guest appearance as himself on a 1997 episode of Frasier entitled "The 1000th Show."

After serving in Seattle City government for 19 years, Rice was president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle from 1998 to 2004. He is today Vice Chairman of Capital Access LLC, an investment bank specializing in municipal, energy and philanthropic finance. He is also a visiting professor at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. Recently, many Seattleites including Mayor Greg Nickels have proposed that Rice be appointed superintendent of the Seattle Public Schools, but the school board has declined to offer him the position.

Rice is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.