Early East Pierce County election results for public safety building, city council
The city of Puyallup’s public safety building measure appears to have failed again, according to early election results Tuesday night. Renne Gilliam is leading the City Council at-large race. Dean Johnson is leading the race to represent District 2 on the City Council.
Election results for other East Pierce County races can be found on The News Tribune’s live results page.
Proposition No. 1 - Public Safety Facilities
According to the Pierce County Auditor’s Office, 3,204 votes (about 51.6 percent) so far are against Proposition No. 1 while 3,005 (about 48.4 percent) are for it. The measure needs 60 percent to pass. This would be the third time voters have rejected a proposal to fund the public safety building project.
City spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune via email Tuesday afternoon, before early results were released: “We are not providing comment today regarding the election results. It is too early in the process to do so. We will release a statement to the media later this week once most of the ballot results have been counted.”
Deputy Mayor Ned Witting, who was part of the “yes” campaign, told The News Tribune Tuesday night that he didn’t have anything to say about the early results, other than that voters were educated about the measure.
If approved, the city would build a new public safety building at 600 39th Ave. SE. It would house the police department and jail under one roof, and there would be a new police substation downtown.
The average owner of a $500,000 home would pay $15 per month for over 30 years in property taxes if the measure passes. The project costs $76 million — $20 million would come from the city in the form of councilmanic bonds and $56 million would come from property owners.
The “yes” campaign’s statement in the voters’ pamphlet said the city needs the new building because the current building has a sewer that backs up and a leaky roof. The city is outgrowing the old building, and this proposal is 30-percent less than the two previous public safety building proposals that failed, according to the campaign’s statement.
The “no” campaign’s statement in the voters’ pamphlet said that the building is too expensive, and that the city should focus on building a new police station instead of the jail portion of the project.
Puyallup City Council at-large position
Renne Gilliam is leading the Puyallup City Council at-large race with 3,086 votes (about 53.7 percent) while Shellie Willis has 2,632 votes (about 45.8 percent).
Willis told The News Tribune Tuesday night that she felt confident about the campaign she and her team ran. She said she was also grateful for the experience and opportunity to fight to represent the city.
Gilliam did not immediately respond to The News Tribune’s request for comment.
If voters elect Willis, she plans to expand support for small businesses, bring “good-paying jobs” and protect the city’s infrastructure and green spaces, according to her statement in the voters’ pamphlet.
Groups such as the 25th Legislative District Democrats and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility endorsed Willis. As of Nov. 7 she had raised $35,530 for her campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission’s website.
If elected, Gilliam plans to protect neighborhoods, green spaces, trails and parks. She also plans to support the local police, and avoid “divisive and contentious politics typically associated with Seattle,” according to her statement in the voters’ pamphlet.
Individuals such as Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier and state representatives Cyndy Jacobsen (R-Puyallup) and Kelly Chambers (R-Puyallup) endorsed Gilliam. As of Nov. 7, she had raised $21,415 for her campaign, according to the PDC’s website.
Puyallup City Council District No. 2, Position No. 1
Dean Johnson is leading the Puyallup City Council race to represent District 2 with 1,251 votes (about 56.8 percent) while Joe Colombo has 938 votes (about 42.6 percent).
Johnson did not immediately respond to The News Tribune’s request for comment
Colombo told The News Tribune Tuesday night that he felt “very hopeful” about the ballots that still have to be counted.
If voters elect Johnson, he will support the city’s police, according to his statement in the voters’ pamphlet. He also wrote that he believes voters, not the council, should decide on tax increases.
Johnson was first elected to the City Council in 2015. He was reelected in 2019, and he became the mayor in January 2022.
Groups such as the Puyallup Police Association and Teamsters 117 endorsed Johnson. As of Nov. 7, he had raised $99,545 for his campaign, according to the PDC’s website.
If elected, Colombo told The News Tribune he plans to establish an ethics commission to oversee council decisions. He said he also plans to help small businesses and provide more affordable housing.
This is Colombo’s second time running for a seat on the council. He lost in 2021 to council member Dennis King.
Groups such as the 25th Legislative District Democrats and the Pierce County Central Labor Council endorsed Colombo. As of Nov. 7 he had raised $24,064 for his campaign, according to the PDC’s website.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 8:19 PM.
