By Miki Mullor
Editor

Sid Gupta initially asked to be appointed to the Sammamish City Council in 2022 despite having no documented work experience or higher education. Now, the councilmember is running to keep his seat, which he later won in a quiet election cycle in 2023, raising questions about how someone with no professional background came to hold public office.

SAMMAMISH — It remains a mystery how Sid Gupta, a man with no documented work history, no college degree and no visible professional background, came to hold a seat on the Sammamish City Council. Now, the councilmember is running for election to keep that seat he won in the quiet 2023 election.

Gupta initially tried to get appointed by the council in June 2022 to fill a midterm vacancy after submitting an application that highlighted years of volunteer activity but showed no employment or educational credentials.

In his cover letter to the city clerk, Gupta described himself as a “community-minded activist” and pointed to his long involvement on the Parks and Recreation Commission and with local environmental volunteer groups . The letter contained no reference to any job or formal education beyond volunteer experience.

The résumé he submitted as part of that application confirms the same gap. Every listing is unpaid civic or environmental service — Sammamish Friends, City of Sammamish Parks Commission, Washington Native Plant Society and Seattle Tilth — with no employment listed anywhere. It notes only “undergraduate studies in political science” at the University of Tulsa, without mention of a degree.

Gupta’s financial disclosures with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission show a similar pattern. In filings from 2022, 2023 and 2024 — 114507, 117201 and 125733 — he reports no employment, no income and no assets other than a small personal bank account. The forms remain virtually unchanged year after year.

His campaign website, sidforsammamish.com, provides no résumé, biography or statement of priorities. Gupta also has no LinkedIn profile or professional presence online, making it difficult for voters to verify any personal or occupational background.

The Sammamish Comment reached out to Gupta by email seeking clarification on his career and education. As of publication, he did not respond.

Gupta’s 2022 appointment attempt came after a brief interview process conducted by the council to fill a vacancy. Three years later, he is asking Sammamish voters to grant him a full four-year term. With no job history, no degree and no declared income or property, Gupta’s rise from volunteer to city councilmember — and now to candidate for re-election — remains one of the most puzzling stories in local politics.

Editor’s note: This report is based on public records, including Sid Gupta’s 2022 council-appointment application, résumé and cover letter, and his financial-affairs statements filed with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. The candidate did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Correction: the story was updated to reflect that Gupta ran as in incumbent in 2023 and won his seat in that COVID 19 era quiet election cycle.