Former President of the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce Joan Probala has announced that she will run for the Issaquah City Council, after filing King County Elections last Wednesday.

“This campaign is official now that I’ve filed, but I’ve been out knocking on doors for awhile now,” she wrote in a press release late last week. “It’s energizing to be out on the campaign trail and hearing voters’ concerns and ideas for the city. I’ve had fun meeting new people and old friends as I’ve walked the neighborhoods.”

Describing herself as an “Issaquah leader and community activist,” Probala wrote that she hoped to use her experience in business and city government to prioritize spending at a time when city budgets were taking a hit.

This will be the South Cove resident’s first run for elected office.

Probala is a member of the city Planning Policy Commission and the Arts Commission.

“I want the budget projections to be made conservatively, recognizing that, as the economy recovers, local governments may be the last to feel that recovery,” she wrote.

Probala hopes to advocate for enhancing the downtown core.

“We can’t let downtown die off. Keeping downtown viable is crucial to maintaining Issaquah’s feel and identity,” she wrote, adding that new aesthetic features, and pedestrian-friendly planning, would help Front Street attract diners and shoppers.

Probala wrote that she will seek to reform the permitting process to spur new investment in downtown and help businesses survive.

“The current permitting process is too long and too costly. The city must keep the process uniform, quick, and affordable to support economic development,” she wrote.