High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Joseph Brian "Joe" Szwaja (born October 10, 1956) is a Seattle public school teacher and political activist. Formerly a Madison, Wisconsin City Council member, he unsuccessfully ran in 2000 for a seat in the United States Congress in his current home of Washington`s 7th congressional district as a Green Party candidate. In 2007, he again ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Seattle City Council against incumbent Jean Godden.