Marilyn Strickland is bringing a long to-do list with her to the office of Tacoma mayor.
Fresh off her still unofficial but inevitable election over architect Jim Merritt, the two-year Tacoma city councilwoman is forming an impressive, if daunting, agenda for when she assumes the city’s top elected office in January.
Among other things, Strickland said, she’ll work with the business community to form a revenue-neutral plan to reduce the city’s business and occupation tax as a way to foster economic growth and retain businesses.
Strickland also intends to form a mayoral task force on education, seeking ways the city can help win more public education dollars and increase student achievement.
“I have big plans,” Strickland said Monday.
Strickland’s agenda-setting came just hours before the Pierce County Auditor’s Office released more ballot counts Monday evening showing she picked up 10 more net votes and now leads by 1,100 votes, with likely few ballots remaining.
The initially tight mayor’s race, which had Merritt chipping Strickland’s razor-thin lead to just 117 votes after Wednesday’s counts, changed course swiftly and surely as the week wore on.
During a telephone interview Sunday, Merritt said he doesn’t really get why a concession is necessary.
“I don’t understand conceding or not conceding,” he said. “If you count the votes and it seems like there’s absolutely no question, then it’s a done deal. But I like to play the game out. That’s my competitive nature.”
“Our hope is obviously diminished,” Merritt added. “Obviously, it’s going Marilyn’s way. And great for her, I’m happy for her. She worked hard and deserves it. I congratulate her.”
Both camps say they’re unsure why ballot trends surged suddenly toward Strickland in the later vote tallies. Both sides said they will seek to analyze the trends as the county releases more voting abstracts. Strickland said she saved most of the $150,000 or so in her campaign’s war chest until the end, pumping it into a final flurry of direct-mailers, TV commercials and print ads. But likewise, Merritt’s campaign spent tens of thousands on advertisements at the end, too.
“I honestly thought Jim Merritt was going to win,” said Mayor Bill Baarsma, who endorsed Strickland. “That was my sense. But I knew what Marilyn’s game plan was and that it could get her elected.”
Merritt, 62, said he intends to carry on his campaign in another way: seeking to land one of the two vacancies about to emerge on the Tacoma City Council.
With Councilwoman Julie Anderson winning election and heading to the Pierce County Auditor’s Office later this month, and Strickland vacating her council seat for the mayor’s office in January, jockeying already is under way to fill their unexpired terms, each with about two years remaining.
“I wouldn’t have thought about this last week,” Merritt said. “But as I look at it now … I’ve asked myself, why did I do this? I did this to help and contribute and make our city a better place.”
“If that’s the end result,” Merritt added, “I think I can still help and be of value.”
City spokesman Rob McNair-Huff said Monday that the city has yet to begin accepting applications, with the council expected to talk publicly about the appointment process on Nov. 17.
Several names of would-be appointees already have emerged. Current council members Rick Talbert and Connie Ladenburg – both now finishing their second terms, with two years of council eligibility remaining – have expressed interest. Other names bandied include architect David Boe, commercial real estate agent Morgan Alexander and recent City Council candidates Keven Rojecki and Beckie Summers Kirby, among others.
“I know people are lobbying like crazy,” said Baarsma, who added he has no interest in either vacancy.
Strickland, 47, said the appointment issues are but one among a host of matters she expects to pursue in the coming weeks. Leading off her list: figuring out how to fill a projected $9 million hole in the city budget.
“That’s the top of the agenda,” she said. “We need to fill that gap while at the same time maintaining our funding for public safety.”
Lewis Kamb: 253-597-8542
BALLOT WATCH – TACOMA MAYOR
Another day of ballot counting in what’s now the inevitable election of frontrunner Marilyn Strickland saw her widening her lead again over Jim Merritt.
Results as of 5 p.m. Monday
Strickland18,823 51.37 percent
Merritt17,723 48.37 percent
Margin as of Saturday:Strickland +1,090
Margin as of Monday:Strickland +1,100
Ballots counted Monday:1,060
Total ballots counted so far:36,639
Estimated ballots to be counted: Elections officials cannot readily say how many more Tacoma ballots remain uncounted. In the 2005 mayor’s race, more than 39,000 ballots were tallied. In 2007, a year without a mayor’s race, city races drew more than 33,000 ballots.
Next results due: 5 p.m. today.
