Raised in the Midwest by parents who are both educators, Ragheb credits his upbringing with instilling a strong work ethic, respect for environmental stewardship, respect for others, and an appreciation for excellent public schools.

Personal views aside, he believes it is a City Councilmember’s job to listen to and represent their constituents, and thus Adam pledges to hear every island resident who wishes to be heard, even in the cases where their personal beliefs may differ from his.

I support our Jewish community and will work toward making Mercer Island’s public sphere safe and welcoming to all. I pledge to publicly condemn antisemitic acts and rhetoric in our Island community.

Informing the Community: Futurewise and “State Regulations Superseding the City’s Authority”

We are not at risk of "state regulations superseding the City's authority" full stop. The only way this could have happened was if our City Council did not adopt interim regulations by July 1 of this year to become compliant with HB1110, which our council did on March 12, 2025.

The big issues in this election are 1) what happens moving forward in regards to density and 2) the actions our Council will take in response to the Futurewise lawsuit ruling. I've been clear on my stance for #1, and below are my ideas for #2.

Most of the claims brought forth against the City by Futurewise were rejected. Three that were ruled in favor of Futurewise include that:

- The city needs to adopt additional code in the Town Center to encourage the generation of affordable housing at the Extremely Low (0%-30% AMI), Very Low (30%-50% AMI), Low (50%-80% AMI), and Moderate (80%-120% AMI) income bands where AMI refers to the Area Median Income for King County ($146,500 for a household, not individual)

- Develop a subarea plan for the area around the Sound Transit light rail station (the comp plan had area plans for the Town Center and the rest of the island)

- Because the Council upzoned the Town Center to meet GMA zoning capacity mandates (added 2 additional stories of height in some parts if affordable unit percentage goes from 10% to 15%), anti-displacement measures need to be identified

Our Council has until July 31, 2026 to become compliant with progress reports due in Jan and Feb 2026.

My entire 2.5 years on Planning Commission were spent working on the Comp Plan, so I’ll be able to hit the ground running on this tight timeline for fixing quite complex problems.

Subarea Plan: I think the subarea plan is a straightforward task and we should minimize changes to the neighborhoods north of the light rail station. Off-street parking cannot be required within 1/2 mile walking of the light rail station unless a certified study demonstrates that removing off-street parking will be significantly less safe for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists. I would advocate for commissioning such a study.

Anti-Displacement: Anti-displacement measures could include long warning periods of lease non-renewal by a landlord and landlord-funded partial moving assistance for renters in buildings that will be redeveloped in the Town Center due to the upzoning.

Affordable Housing: For encouraging the construction of affordable housing, I think a fee in lieu in the Town Center is the best bet. This fee would likely be directed to ARCH in order to fund housing construction off island where money can go to a higher quantity of units instead of purchasing MI’s ‘expensive dirt' similar to a comment about land prices that I recall Councilmember Reynolds making. This also would provide the benefit of being able to locate the affordable housing near preexisting services which are essential for residents at the bottom end of that income band.