2 long-time locals vying for seat on Puyallup City Council. The election is Nov. 2
The Puyallup City Council will have a new face in the chamber soon. Voters will decide next week if they want Joe Colombo or Dennis King, both long-time residents, to fill that seat.
Puyallup has a population of over 43,000 people. There are about 27,200 registered voters in the city as of Oct. 1, according to the Secretary of State’s website. The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Joe Colombo works in the information technology department for the Liberty Mutual insurance company. This is the first time he is running for public office, which is a huge learning curve, he said.
“Puyallup helped raise me, and I’m very much of the mindset that people need to give back to their community,” Colombo said. “This was a way that I could give back … and make sure Puyallup continues to head in the right direction.”
The City Council is starting to make “great headway” on certain issues in the city, especially when it comes to topics such as homelessness and affordable housing, he said. He wants to continue moving forward and be a part of that progress if elected.
Colombo is currently a member of the city’s Design Review & Historic Preservation Board. He is also a former member of the Puyallup Kiwanis Club. Before the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced, he would dress up as Santa Claus and volunteer at Northwest Santa.
Colombo’s skill set is unique because he works in IT, he said. He knows how to take large projects and chop them down to digestible chunks. With this skill, he would be able to help the council tackle things “incrementally,” he said.
One of Colombo’s plans for the city is to establish an ethics commission. This commission would be made up of citizens who would give feedback on whether decisions made by the city are ethical, he said.
“I returned to the city to raise my daughter, and I really want to invest my time and my energy into continuing to make it a great city that people want to come to,” Colombo said. “Serving the public is just part of my DNA.”
Colombo has spent about 80 percent of his life in Puyallup, he said. He first moved to town in the early 1980s when his father was stationed at the McChord Air Force base, now Joint Base Lewis-McChord. After graduating college, he returned to town in 2001.
Colombo is endorsed by groups such as the Pierce County Young Democrats, Indivisible Tacoma and Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Groups such as the Washington Education Association and WA-25 Legislative District Democrats have contributed funds to his campaign.
Editor’s note: This candidate responded to The News Tribune’s questions via email.
Dennis King is a licensed realtor and operates the KING Family Fun Center at 1113 N. Meridian Ave. in Puyallup with his wife. He is also a member of the Puyallup Kiwanis Club and the city’s Civil Service Commission.
“Community service has always been in my blood,” King said.
This is King’s first time running for a City Council position. He wrote that he and his wife spoke about the possibility of him being a part of the council and thought about it for two weeks.
“We realized it was time to step up for our community to ensure we continue to build Puyallup up and bring people together,” King said. “I met with many community leaders and citizens who gave guidance, wisdom, and great inspiration.”
King wrote that he thinks it is important to continue giving law enforcement the tools necessary for them to keep the city safe.
One of King’s goals, if elected, is to bring affordable real estate options to the city to help with the “housing shortage” as well as those who are “priced out of the market,” according to his email.
Another goal he has is to create a homeless service accountability commission in the city. His email said he wants local homeless service providers held accountable for the people they serve and to make sure those people are being well taken care of.
“I want to bring more Puyallup-style collaboration and consensus-building to our City Council,” King said. “I want to work with every person on our council and those who work for the city.”
King said he has lived in Puyallup for more than 35 years.
King is endorsed by groups such as the Puyallup Police Association, Tacoma-Pierce County Association of Realtors and Master Builders Association of Pierce County. Groups such as the Pierce County Republican Party and Vista Properties, LLC have contributed funds to his campaign.
