Tuesday brought a new year, three new Pierce County Council members and the same people to lead the group.
The County Council unanimously re-elected Joyce McDonald, R-Puyallup, as chairwoman for a second year. Rick Talbert, D-Tacoma, was re-elected vice chairman. The council also selected Stan Flemming, R-University Place, as executive pro tem. He would fill in for County Executive Pat McCarthy in the event of a major emergency.
The new council members are Doug Richardson, R-Lakewood, Jim McCune, R-Graham, and Connie Ladenburg, D-Tacoma.
The three were elected to four-year terms Nov. 6. McDonald was re-elected to her seat in the same election.
McDonald and the three newcomers were officially sworn in Tuesday prior to the council meeting.
The Republican majority on the council remains 5 to 2 – the same as last year. Three council members – Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, Roger Bush, R-Frederickson, and Tim Farrell, D-Tacoma – left office at the end of 2012 due to term limits.
As chairwoman, McDonald will manage the agenda for the council’s meetings. She earns the same annual salary as her six council colleagues: $107,602.
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.