Four years ago, Michael Bush had his last name legally changed to Delavar.
The Washougal City Councilman recently explained that he and his wife Katja decided to change their last name because of plans to travel to Iran in 2007. The trip — to see some of Katja’s extended relatives in Tehran — did not occur, but the name change remained.
“Traveling with that last name [Bush] could have been difficult, since President Bush had declared Iran as the ‘axis of evil,'” Delavar said Thursday. “The name change was known when I ran for Congress. Delavar is a rare Persian name.
“It’s a non-issue,” he added. “I was not a public person when we chose to change our names.”
In 2008, Delavar lost his bid for the Third District Congressional seat to then-incumbent Brian Baird.
Delavar, a pilot with Horizon Airlines, has served on the Washougal City Council since 2009.
