It’s not unusual for students to ask Lawrence Goldman why he’s so dressed up for class, but his answer often takes them by surprise.
Goldman, a teaching professor of chemistry at the University of Washington, often goes directly from work to meetings for his other position: city council member and council vice chair for Lake Forest Park, a suburb of Seattle. He’s been a council member since 2022 and is currently serving his second term, which runs through 2029.
Science came naturally to Goldman. He decided to major in chemistry during an Advanced Placement class in high school and chose to teach as a postdoctoral scholar, but his venture into civics was “more serendipitous.” When a friend on the council first approached him with the idea in April 2021, Goldman all but scoffed.
“That’s not my personality,” he said. “I’m not the most gregarious person. I tend to be much more analytical, so I wouldn’t have envisioned myself being a politician. I also think there is a stereotype that you have to have studied political science or you have to be a lawyer to be in politics. I’m a chemistry teacher.”
But Goldman’s friend insisted he only needed to be passionate about the community to be an effective council member. A month later, he decided to run. In order to run for office in Lake Forest Park, a person must only be a registered voter of the city and have lived there at least one year.
“I think my friend was completely correct in that each council member brings a different scope,” Goldman said. “I really took that to heart. Some people are more experienced in land use while others know construction design or finances or can analyze data.”
Lake Forest Park covers an area of 3.4 miles in King County. The city has an estimated population of 13,630 as of the 2020 Census. More than 18% of the population is aged 65 and over, while 21% of the population is 21 and under.
Goldman’s focus is on environmental issues and public transit. Lake Forest Park tends to be car-centric, Goldman said, so his goal is to make it easier for people to bike or walk to transit. He doesn’t own a car, so he commutes to work at the UW by bus.
“There is no reason to be pigeonholed,” Goldman said. “There is no reason for people to think, ‘Oh, I’m in science and you’re in politics and those two things are totally separate.’ Scientific literacy is critical for the general population.”
Goldman has also found overlap in the skills he uses for his two roles. While professors teach individually, they collaborate on topics like course ideas, textbooks and changing the curriculum.
There is no reason to be pigeonholed. There is no reason for people to think, ‘Oh, I’m in science and you’re in politics and those two things are totally separate.’ Scientific literacy is critical for the general population.
“A lot of the decisions in the chemistry department are made through mutual consensus,” Goldman said. “I bring that mindset to the city council. There will be some disagreements, but it’s the same process of: Where does everyone start from? What are we already in agreement on? What do we need to reach an agreement?”
Sitting on the council has also given Goldman a more complete understanding of what it takes to manage a budget, which has helped him grasp the operational and capital expenses in the chemistry department and the College of Arts & Sciences.
By sharing about his path with students, Goldman hopes to illuminate career options outside the traditional chemistry track. Many graduates remain in academia or pursue pre-med or similar paths, but there is a lot of middle ground, Goldman said. Students could consider going into law or using their chemistry knowledge to become a professional consultant.
“There are a lot of alternative approaches,” Goldman said. “And having politicians who are knowledgeable about science will make any science-related legislation that much more effective. I want to encourage people not to separate science from politics.”
As for Goldman, his political ambitions end here. You won’t see him campaigning for any county or state posts.
“You wouldn’t be the first person to ask,” Goldman said. “Honestly, it took a bit of arm-twisting to get me to run in the first place. This is not a stepping stone. I’m happy in my own little quiet neck of the woods.”
For more information, contact Goldman at goldmanl@uw.edu.