Here’s who filed to run for Tacoma City Council as of Friday’s deadline
With four of the Tacoma City Council’s nine seats up for election this year, 14 candidates have jumped into the race ahead of the Aug. 5 primary.
District 2, currently represented by Sarah Rumbaugh; District 4, currently represented by Sandesh Sadalge; District 5, currently represented by Joe Bushnell; and at-large Position 6, currently filled by deputy mayor Kiara Daniels, are up for election this year. All incumbent candidates but Daniels have filed paperwork to run for re-election.
With the close of the candidate-filing period on May 9 at 5 p.m., here’s who is running.
Council District 2
Sarah Rumbaugh
Rumbaugh has held the District 2 seat after she was first elected in 2021. If re-elected, this would be Rumbaugh’s second term. Her priorities, according to her website, include housing and homelessness, safety and domestic violence. By the end of the filing period, Rumbaugh had raised $21,743.17and spent $9,599.52, according to public disclosures.
Ben Lackey
Lackey did not appear to have a campaign website by the close of the filing period. He also had not raised any funds for his campaign, according to public data.
Council District 4
Sandesh Sadalge
Sadalge has held the District 4 seat since last July after he was appointed to fill the seat following council member Catherine Ushka’s death in 2024. After just under a year on the job, Sadalge is running for election to hold the seat for his first full term. Sadalge’s priorities include affordable housing, crime prevention and supporting small businesses. He had raised $15,990 and spent $2,913.72 by the end of the filing period, according to public disclosures.
Silong Chhun
A potential newcomer to the council, Chhun recently served as a communications specialist at Washington State’s Office of Equity, according to his campaign website. His priorities include protecting immigrant communities, affordable housing and increasing economic opportunity, his website reads. He raised $20,442.91 and spent $9,767.22 for his campaign as of the close of the filing period, according to public disclosures.
Israel James McKinney
McKinney, who unsuccessfully ran for the District 4 seat against Catherine Ushka in 2021, did not appear to have a campaign website by the filing deadline. He also did not appear to have raised or spent any funds on his campaign according to public disclosures.
Council District 5
Joe Bushnell
Bushnell has represented District 5 since he was first elected in 2021 and has worked as the local government affairs coordinator for the Washington Hospitality Association in addition to spending about a decade in the Marine Corps. His priorities include housing affordability, public safety and jobs, according to his website. He had raised $13,570.20 and spent $6,221.29 on his campaign, according to public disclosures.
Zev Cook
Cook is a community organizer and the co-founder of Tacoma for All, according to her website. Her priorities include raising the minimum wage, building more affordable housing and taxing big businesses over working people, according to her website. She had raised $33,522.15 and spent $10,347.37 for her campaign, according to public disclosures, almost double compared to her opponent.
Brandon A. Vollmer
Vollmer did not appear to have a campaign website by the filing deadline. His priorities, according to his X profile, include repairing damaged and broken infrastructure in the South End and lowering taxes. He did not report raising or spending any money for his campaign by the filing deadline, according to public disclosures.
At-large Position 6
Krista Perez
Perez is a small-business owner and community leader, according to her campaign website. Her priorities for the at-large council position include supporting local businesses, increasing access to affordable housing and a thriving economy, her website reads. Perez had raised $13,068.92 and spent $2,043.92 for her campaign by the filing deadline, according to public disclosures. Deputy Mayor Daniels, who currently occupies the Position 6 seat, has not filed paperwork to run for re-election and endorsed Perez, according to her website.
Latasha Palmer
Palmer is a small-business owner according to her Linkedin profile and touts her membership in the city’s 2024 Charter Review Committee and the Aya Community Land Trust on her campaign website. Her priorities include housing security, safety and economic security, according to her website. Palmer raised $12,167.22 and spent $11,524.22 on her campaign by the filing deadline, according to public disclosures.
Hunter D. Henderson
Henderson is a transportation planner for the Washington State Department of Transportation and has served Pierce County Parks and Recreation as an AmeriCorps member, according to his website. His priorities include improving the city’s roads, sustainable energy and environmental justice. Henderson reported raising and spending zero dollars by the end of the candidate filing period, according to public disclosures.
Jessica Johnston
Johnston is the property manager for the KSP Building in Hilltop and a city-appointed leader for the Hilltop Business Improvement Area, according to her website. Her priorities include transparent government, addressing homelessness and public safety. Johnston had not reported spending or raising any funds according to public disclosures.
Todd Briske
Briske, who unsuccessfully ran for the at-large Position 8 which was up for election in 2023, did not state his background or priorities on his campaign website. He also had not reported spending or raising any funds for his campaign by the filing deadline, according to public disclosures.
Lindsay Willis
Willis has worked as a fire inspector and is a lifelong government employee, according to her website. Her priorities include addressing climate change, addressing the city’s budget and transparency from the city council. She has raised $950 and spent $594.86 for her campaign, according to public disclosures.
