Pete von Reichbauer

Who is Pete von Reichbauer?

Peter G. "Pete" von Reichbauer is a member of the nonpartisan King County Council, representing District 7, a 124-square-mile region of South King County which includes all of the cities of Algona and Federal Way, the entire King County portions of Auburn, Milton, and Pacific and large unincorporated areas. Prior to his election to the Council, von Reichbauer served as a Washington State Senator for the 30th Legislative District between 1973 and 1993.

In addition to his service as an elected official, von Reichbauer played a key role in keeping the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. In late 1995, then-Seahawks owner Ken Behring told von Reichbauer privately that he wanted to sell the team and asked von Reichbauer to gauge interest in potential buyers. But publicly, Behring insisted he would not sell the team and began the process of moving the team to Los Angeles. By early 1996, von Reichbauer had identified Microsoft co-founder and Seattle-area resident Paul Allen as a potential buyer of the team. Von Reichbauer met with Allen's inner circle and convinced Allen that Behring was sincere about selling the team.