Lakewood City Council member leaving his seat early
A Lakewood City Council member is ending his second term a year early after seven years in office.
At-Large council member John Simpson, 68, is moving from Lakewood, which disqualifies him from serving as a City Council member.
He is moving to Lacey with his wife and son.
Simpson serves on the Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board and as an alternate at the Pierce County Regional Council.
Simpson began his political career as a year-long interim replacement for former Lakewood council member Doug Richardson in 2003. He won the at-large position in 2013 and again in 2017. His term ends Dec 2021.
Simpson said he is most proud of Lakewood’s Rental Housing Safety Program, which requires rental properties to be inspected by the city.
“He will be sorely missed. He does his homework, and he has got a good sense of humor,” Mayor Don Anderson told The News Tribune. “He is quite the opposite of a self-promoting politician.”
Simpson retired from the Air Force after 21 years as a major. He worked 25 years at Pierce College, where he was a history professor who also taught a few photojournalism classes.
Lakewood’s mayor affectionately referred to Simpson as “The Professor” because he is always correcting grammar on legislation.
Simpson began writing for the Ranger newspaper in 1992 and continued until this March. His military reporting sent him overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2005 and 2012, he was deployed seven times with troops from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and once with the Washington National Guard.
Simpson said he did his best to spend time listening to citizens and researching issues before a vote.
“My time on the dais was always composed of doing what is best for Lakewood’s citizens while working with some of the finest people I have ever met in my life,” he said in an email.
The City Council has 90 days from vacancy to appoint an interim replacement to fill out the remainder of his term. If it does not fill the seat, the Pierce County Council has the authority to select an interim.
Simpson’s resignation is effective on Dec. 31.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 5:15 AM.
