Biography for Bruce Laing 
Bruce Laing was born in Seattle on August 17, 1932, son of Robert and Bertha (Huber)
Laing. He had two sisters, Kathryn and Elizabeth, and a brother, Robert. He attended
Seattle University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, and the University
of Washington, where he received a Masters of Urban Planning. He married Brigid
Flood and they had three children: Jim, Colleen, and Greg. 
After working as a professional planner for engineering, planning, and development
firms and with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, he served as
chief zoning and subdivision examiner for King County from 1970-1979. In 1975, he
received the Outstanding Public Employee award from the Municipal League of King
County. 
Elected to the King County Council in 1979, he went to work on a number of land-use
and infrastructure issues. He served on the Metro Council, overseeing the bus and
sewage systems of King County, and on the Executive Board of the Puget Sound
Council of Governments, a regional planning body. 
When he decided not to run for reelection in 1995, a Seattle Times editorial hailed his
"legacy of competence" and "civility." The Times continued, "Bruce Laing walks away
from a council job with no heir apparent for his role of most valuable player." 
Not content to sit on the sidelines, in 1998, Laing continued his public service as
Endangered Species Act adviser to the county, with a focus on the potential listing of
the Puget Sound Chinook. On November 1, 2003, then-Governor Gary Locke appointed
him to the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board. His term ended
in August, 2006.