Rice, Norman B. (Norman Blann), 1943-

Norman Blann Rice (born May 4, 1943) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the 49th Mayor of Seattle, Washington, the first African American to hold the office, from 1990 to 1998.

Born in Denver, Colorado, he graduated from Manual High School there before attending the University of Colorado at Boulder for two years, dropping out and working as a hospital orderly, a meter reader and an engineer’s assistant. Rice moved to Seattle in 1969 and restarted his education at Highline Community College, receiving his A.A. degree in 1970. Then, he attended the University of Washington through the Economic Opportunity Program (EOP). By 1972, Rice had earned his B.A. degree in communications and, in 1974, his M.A. degree in public administration at the University of Washington. After graduating, Rice worked as a reporter at KOMO-TV News and KIXI Radio, served as Assistant Director of the Seattle Urban League, was Executive Assistant and Director of Government Services for the Puget Sound Council of Governments and was employed as the Manager of Corporate Contributions and Social Policy at Rainier National Bank.

Rice was first elected to the Seattle City Council in 1978 to fill a vacancy. He was reelected in 1979, 1983 and 1987, serving eleven years in all. He served as chairs of the Energy, Finance, and Budget committees, and was Council President for one term. Rice facilitated the development of more equitable cost allocation and rate design procedures for Seattle City Light as part of his work on the Energy Committee. His accomplishments on the Finance and Budget Committee included the passage of the Women and Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance, and from 1982 to 1987, the elimination of City investments in firms doing business in apartheid-era South Africa. He ran for mayor in 1985, but lost to Charles Royer. Rice ran again in 1989 in a crowded field and won 99,699 to 75,446. He was re-elected in 1993. As mayor, he revitalized Seattle’s dying downtown area, led a comprehensive growth management effort in neighborhood planning, strengthened Seattle’s public schools, and championed crime prevention efforts that helped Seattle’s crime rate drop to a 16-year low.

After leaving office, Rice served as CEO and then president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle from 1998 to 2004. In June 2009, Rice was named CEO of the non-profit Seattle Foundation, serving in that post until December, 2013. In December 2010, he was nominated as one of 30 members for a two-year appointment in the White House Council for Community Solutions, created by Executive Order of President Barack Obama. Rice continues his commitment to fostering the development of vibrant, diverse, self-sustaining communities through the many boards and committees he serves on.