Sammamish Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo announced his candidacy for the Washington State Legislature Thursday, three months into his second term on City Council.

“The families of this district need new leadership that listens and works on their behalf,” Valderrama-Aramayo said in a press release. “Our current representative has disregarded citizens’ voices on a range of key issues. Whether it’s improving transportation, giving disadvantaged kids school choices or demanding accountability from state government, he’s been on the wrong side every time.”

Valderrama-Aramayo, a Republican, announced he’s running for the 45th District House of Representatives, Position No. 1, currently held by Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland), who was first elected in 2007.

Goodman has not announced whether or not he will run for re-election. Goodman has not responded to the Reporter’s request for comment.

Valderrama-Aramayo, first elected to the Sammamish City Council in 2011, was re-elected to office with more than 80 percent approval. He ran essentially unopposed, as his opponent dropped out of the November 2015 race after the deadline to remove his name from the ballot.

If Valderrama-Aramayo is elected to office, he has the option to stay on as a Sammamish council member.

“I’d like to stay here in Sammamish,” he told the Reporter.

He said while citizens have been telling him for years to run for the state Legislature, he’s only seriously considered it in the last few months.

He said he hears many of the same issues Sammamish residents face other 45th District residents face too.

The 45th District includes parts or all of the cities of Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, Duvall and Sammamish.