Meet the new City Council member for District 4, who replaces the late Catherine Ushka
The Tacoma City Council named its newest member on Tuesday evening: Sandesh Sadalge.
Council members voted 7-1 on a resolution appointing Sadalge to represent District 4. Council member Jamika Scott was the lone dissenter. The position had been vacant since the May 15 death of Catherine Ushka, who in 2022 announced her stage 3 cervical cancer diagnosis.
Twenty-three hopefuls vied for the position, including two who lived outside the District 4 boundaries and Rick Talbert, a former member of the Tacoma City and Pierce County councils, who submitted his application late.
Applications to fill the District 4 role opened June 6 and closed June 24. Six finalists were named during the July 2 City Council meeting, and interviews with those applicants were conducted the following week.
Council member Joe Bushnell said ahead of Tuesday’s vote that he has been “so impressed” by Sadalge’s involvement in the community.
“When your name does get brought up with folks in District 4, it comes with confidence. It comes with integrity,” Bushnell said.
Council member Sarah Rumbaugh said she appreciated the work Sadalge has done with the Planning Commission and in the McKinley neighborhood.
“I think that Catherine would be very happy to see you in this seat,” she said.
Sadalge’s term starts next Tuesday, July 23 and expires Dec. 31, 2025.
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 7:17 PM.
