Norman was a former TV news reporter and had previously served as a member of the Puget Sound Council of Governments and was a community relations executive for Rainier Bank

Norm Rice devoted much of his first term to strengthening city support for Seattle Public Schools, promoting human rights, and to revitalizing the downtown economy.

He won easy re-election in 1993, but his second term became entangled in controversies over comprehensive planning, the Seattle Commons, budget cuts, and other issues.

Rice was defeated by then-King County Executive Gary Locke for the Democratic nomination for Governor in September 1996.

Before the end of his term, Rice was considered a likely nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, but declined to pursue the appointment.

In 1998, he was named president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle. His wife, Constance Rice, is a respected educator and former vice-chancellor of the Seattle Community College system.