Tacoma voters will elect at least three new faces to City Council come November
Filing week for the 2021 election cycle came to a close last week with 13 people vying for seats — or to keep their seats — on Tacoma City Council.
This year, five City Council seats are up for grabs: Districts 2, 4, 5, 6 and the mayor’s position. There are nine seats on Tacoma City Council, including the mayor.
At least three of those seats will go to new faces, as their incumbents are either term limited or did not file for re-election.
Races with three or more people will appear on the primary election ballots on Aug. 3. The top two candidates with the most votes will appear on the general election ballot in November.
Council member Robert Thoms, who represents Northeast Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma and parts of downtown Tacoma for District 2, is term limited. Sarah Rumbaugh and Kelly Blucher have filed to campaign for District 2.
Rumbaugh serves on the City of Tacoma Human Rights Commission, the board of Associated Ministries of Pierce County and as a board member at Temple Beth El. Previously, she worked as a city planner for the City of Kent.
Blucher is a children’s and homelessness advocate and currently works as the community engagement and outreach manager for Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier region. She’s also a co-founder of Hire 253, which helps employ people experiencing homelessness.
In District 5, which primarily represents South Tacoma and South End neighborhoods, Council member Chris Beale did not file for re-election. Beale was elected in 2017. Three candidates are campaigning for the seat: Anne Artman, Joe Bushnell and Treyvon Dunbar.
Artman founded the Tacoma Recover Center in 2014, which works with veterans who have experienced homelessness, addiction and other mental health challenges. For the past 20 years, she’s served at the Multicultural Children and Family Hope Center.
Bushnell is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and works as local government affairs coordinator in Pierce County for the Washington Hospitality Association. He also serves on the Tacoma Public Utilities board and is board chair of the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council.
Dunbar serves as the sergeant at arms for the 29th Legislative District and as a state committee member for Pierce County Democratic Central Committee. He also serves on the executive board of the South End Neighborhood Council and Pierce County Young Democrats.
In District 6, an at-large position, City Council member Lillian Hunter confirmed to The News Tribune prior to filing week that she would not be running this year and did not file for re-election. Kiara Daniels and Brett Johnson filed to campaign for the seat.
Daniels, born and raised in Tacoma, is the business and community development coordinator for Spaceworks Tacoma, a program of the Tacoma/Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, where she works to secure space and resources for Black businesses in Tacoma’s Hilltop.
Johnson, also born and raised in Tacoma, is a veteran and small business owner of custom-made furniture company Wane + Flitch in Southeast Tacoma.
In District 4, which represents Eastside Tacoma and parts of the South End, incumbent Council member Catherine Ushka is running for reelection and faces two opponents: Nolan Hibbard-Pelly and Israel James McKinney.
In the same boat is Mayor Victoria Woodards, who is running for reelection against two opponents, Jamika Scott and Steve Haverly.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
