John James announced last week that he will run again for the Sammamish City Council.

James, who was a first-time candidate in the last election, was narrowly defeated in a race against Nancy Whitten.

In a press release issued last week, James said he is running again because he desires to improve the quality of life for residents.

“Sammamish is a wonderful place to live, but we do not have enough facilities for our youth and teens and other members of our community. I plan to work diligently to make Sammamish a better place to live.”

James said he would be running for position No. 1, following Kathy Huckabay’s announcement that she would not seek re-election.

“I’m going to run another positive campaign,” James told The Reporter on Wednesday.

James wrote that, as the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Co-Chairperson, he had advocated a comprehensive approach to providing more amenities for the city.

He supported the Parks Bond that received over 50 percent of the vote on last November’s ballot.

The Sammamish resident has identified two other critical issues that he intends to address on the campaign trail and once elected to the Council: roads and transportation, and making sure Sammamish lives within its means.

James is a family member of the PTSA for Blackwell Elementary, Inglewood Junior High and Eastlake High School. He is also a past member of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce.

He currently serves as a community councilor for King County.