Campaigns for 2015 city council seats are already starting to pop up, if you haven't noticed. And while we've been hearing from a few candidates who definitely plan to file for their district council seats, we also heard this week from someone who's considering—but equivocating about—a potential run.

"Friends and Frenemies," began an e-mail from parks nerd/advocate and Democratic activist Michael Maddux. "As many of you know, I have been contemplating whether to jump into the race for Seattle City Council, District 4." He goes on to list a few different reasons to run and not to run.

In the pro column: His "long track record of working with people that have differing views" and "hammering out ideas that are results-oriented," an ability to "work well with all sides of development disputes," "a perspective focused on regular folks in the city" as a renter/parent/bike commuter, and the "energy" necessary to run a good campaign and do good work.

On the con side: "My unease challenging incumbent Democratic women who are doing a good job." He's talking about Jean Godden, the current council member filed for the District 4 race. (District 4 covers a section of the city northeast of the Ship Canal, from the U-District to Wallingford, Ravenna, Wedgwood.) More on that in a second, but to continued with Maddux's concerns: nasty campaigning and its impact on his young daughter, the potential that he could "do more damage" in his current political circles (or even by looking for a seat on the oversight committee of the new parks district), "a penchant for thinking out loud (with f-bombs to match)" and a "lack of communicating with an eye on political expediency."

He asks the group he e-mailed for "honest feedback" about whether or not he should run—thought it's certainly no secret he's been considering a run in his district. So I called him up to see what was up. What's his concern about challenging Godden? What's the feedback been so far?

Maddux says Godden is good "on some of the issues I care most about, especially parks," citing her support for the parks-district-creating Prop 1 measure, though he disagrees with some of her other votes (the only one he specifically cites was the 2010 aggressive pan handling ordinance).

He says he'd "consider it rude, to say the least, to turn around and run" against someone who's already representing the issues he cares about. "In Jean Godden’s case, I don’t think she’s doing a terrible job."

I pointed out that not doing a terrible job isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. But he says he's been impressed with Godden's focus on gender pay equity—during the minimum wage debate and outside of it—and says after her last close election, it seems like "she's been hitting the trail hard."

"As the parent of an 11-year-old girl, the last thing I want to teach her is that men should step in when women are already doing a good job... When you have an effective and a very good incumbent, and a female one, I think that’s good for our kids to look up to."

However, he adds, though Godden has said she'll run and has begun fundraising, he's "heard from folks close to her" that she might not end up running. In which case he may well be ready to step in.

What's the feedback from friends and associates been like? "I would say that the response seems to be positive," he answers. Regardless, he says, "I’m gonna make a decision by October 17."