The Bellevue City Council elected Mo Malakoutian as the city’s new mayor on January 6, 2026, with Dave Hamilton selected as deputy mayor for the 2026–2027 term. Malakoutian, who has served on the council since 2024, succeeds Lynne Robinson, who held the mayor’s office for several years. Malakoutian will lead the council over the next two years.
Malakoutian was first elected to the Bellevue City Council in November 2023 and began his four-year term in 2024. His fellow councilmembers selected him as deputy mayor for 2024 and 2025 before electing him mayor in January 2026. His stated priorities include affordable housing, public safety, transportation, sustainability, and equity.
Before joining the council, Malakoutian served on Bellevue’s Planning Commission from 2018 to 2023, including a term as chair. He moved to Bellevue in 2013 after immigrating to the United States from Iran in 2008 to pursue a doctorate in structural engineering at the University of Washington.
He also holds an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. His professional background spans more than 20 years across engineering, construction, academia, and the technology sector. He currently serves as executive director of the University of Washington Consulting and Business Development Center.
Malakoutian succeeds Lynne Robinson, whose tenure marked a milestone in the city’s leadership history. In January 2024, Robinson secured her third consecutive term as mayor, becoming the first councilmember in Bellevue’s 71-year history to achieve that distinction.
She was first elected to the City Council in 2014 and previously served as deputy mayor in 2018 and 2019, followed by mayoral terms beginning in 2020 and 2022. Before joining the council, Robinson served on the Parks & Community Services Board, where she was chair from 2011 to 2013.
