Puyallup is at an inflection point. What do council hopefuls say about growth?
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East Pierce County elections
These are the East Pierce County races we’re following for the Nov. 4, 2025 election.
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Puyallup is at an inflection point. What do council hopefuls say about growth?
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Voters this November decide who will lead the city of Puyallup.
Two incumbents on the city council are facing challengers and two fresh faces are vying for an open seat. Three spots on the seven-person council are included in this election:
- District 1: Mayor Jim Kastama, 66, is being challenged by former police officer Jeff Bennett, 53.
- District 2: Deputy Mayor Dennis King, 45, is running against the former chair of the city’s planning commission, Heather Schiller, 48.
- District 3: Mark Crosby, 60, and Lindsay Smolko, 47, are in a race for council member Julie Door’s seat. Door is not running for a fourth term because of Puyallup’s term limits, which limit service to three, four-year terms per council member.
Puyallup voters don’t directly vote for mayor or deputy mayor. Instead, voters elect a city council, and the council members take turns serving as mayor for two years. If reelected, Kastama and King will serve as city council members in 2026, not as mayor and deputy mayor.
Kastama told The News Tribune that Ned Witting – a council member representing District 3 whose term is up in 2027 – will serve as mayor starting in January. The council will then vote on a deputy mayor.
The local races come during an inflection point for the city and the council.
In June, Kastama and King were two of the “yes” votes in a polarizing 4-3 decision to pass the city’s proposed comprehensive plan with changes to language about equity, tribal history and climate change impacts.
Meanwhile, Puyallup is growing rapidly. This year, the council approved two major development projects in the downtown corridor: a five-story apartment building with 115 rental units at 115 Second St. and a mixed-use building with 138 apartments behind the Puyallup Public Library on the city’s former administrative office building (AOB) lot.
To find your council district, visit PuyallupWa.gov/631/City-Council.
District 1: Kastama and Bennett
Kastama was first elected to the council in 2017, and has been mayor since January 2024. He previously served as a Democrat representing Washington’s 25th Legislative District – which covers Puyallup and South Hill – in the state House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000 and in the state Senate from 2000 to 2012.
If reelected, this will be Kastama’s third and final term on the council.
Bennett was a police officer in the Puyallup Police Department for 23 years, retiring in 2022. Five of those years were spent as the department’s community outreach officer, during which he worked with unhoused populations. He now works in renewable energy.
Both men talked extensively about safety, crime, homelessness and the fallout from the changes made to the city’s proposed comprehensive plan.
Comprehensive plan
Puyallup’s comprehensive plan includes the city’s vision and plan for the next 20 years. Cities are required to have a comprehensive plan under Washington’s Growth Management Act.
This plan, when approved, will be in effect until 2044.
In July, the council approved the plan with changes to what the planning commission recommended, including:
- Replacing the word “equity” with “equality” in many sections, a language change that is at the heart of a national debate.
- Removing a policy that required the city to analyze climate change impacts of new construction.
- Changing a paragraph in the housing section of the plan that lists race as a barrier to housing equity.
- Changing a paragraph about the city’s history with the Puyallup Tribe. The change removes language implying the tribe was forced to leave its land.
Kastama, King and two other council members – Dean Johnson and Renne Gilliam – voted to approve the amended plan in a controversial 4-3 vote. Door, Witting and council member Lauren Adler voted against it.
After finalizing the changes, the city sent the plan to the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Washington State Department of Commerce for review. Robin Koskey, spokesperson for the PRSC, told The News Tribune in an email they are still reviewing the plan, and expect to complete the review in “the first part of 2026.”
Kastama said he stands by his “yes” vote, saying that he believes the changes to the comprehensive plan have been “completely mischaracterized.” He said the new language will prevent the city from facing the wrath of the Trump Administration and discards equity in favor of equality for all residents.
“We wanted to focus on people who were underserved and disadvantaged, and those are the terms that we used,” Kastama told The News Tribune. “We did not use racial preferences, we felt that was unconstitutional.”
Kastama maintains the comprehensive plan is still “extremely respectful” to the Puyallup Tribe, and says he has not received pushback from tribal members.
Bennett has condemned Kastama for his role in passing the changes. He said they made the city a less welcoming place, put Puyallup at risk of a lawsuit from the state and disregarded the voices of protesters at council meetings.
“People spoke about the current, original comprehensive plan being changed, and their desire to not have it changed, and then within minutes, they voted on it anyway,” Bennett said. “For the City of Puyallup to move to change things at the mere idea that somebody might have issue with us at the federal level, I think, is short-sighted. We share values as a city, the land of the generous people, and to delete all of that language shows that our city leadership does not even believe in our city.”
If voters elect Bennett, he said he would do his best to restore the language around diversity, equity and inclusion “and own that fully.”
Safety
A key issue for both Kastama and Bennett is crime and safety. Kastama said it was the reason he ran for city council in the first place.
“When I first ran, there were boarded up storefronts in Puyallup. The city council was ready to put 10 port-a-potties around the downtown core. They had already put in three, which attracted homelessness, crime, drug use,” Kastama said. “My wife said, ‘I want you to run and fight for this city, or we will move.’ I live in the very same house I grew up in, and I didn’t want to give it up.”
He then said he was proud of declining crime rates and helping the council hire 10 new police officers during his time there.
Bennett said his experience as a police officer makes him uniquely equipped to keep the city safe, and he would start by analyzing crime in city limits.
“Crime mapping will show us where to concentrate resources, and this strategy has proven to reduce incidents across the board,” Bennett wrote on his website.
Homelessness
Bennett said his experience as the community outreach officer for the Puyallup Police Department gives him a wealth of knowledge on homelessness. The News Tribune went on a ridealong with Bennett in 2016. Bennett visited homeless encampments and gave those living there resources while upholding laws against public camping.
“While it’s really cool to have been given that responsibility, it was also extremely frustrating to do a job in our town that was not, at the time, supported by many members of the council,” Bennett said. “It was a political hot potato for everybody, except the one guy that was trying to get it done. I had a ton of help from other government agencies as well as non-government organizations.”
As a result of his experiences, Bennett believes the key to addressing homelessness is to invest in housing and have a concrete, “city-created, council-created” plan.
Kastama said there are many resources across the city for the unhoused, and that he believes the key to tackling homelessness is to also address the root causes.
“I believe the housing-first model has been demonstrated to fail,” Kastama said. “I believe that we need to combine housing with mental health and substance abuse counseling and services and they must be coupled together.”
Like Bennett, Kastama believes that increasing the number of houses will cause prices to go down. He also wants to see more condominiums and homeownership opportunities in Puyallup.
The Puyallup Police Department has endorsed Kastama, something that Bennett shrugs off.
“In my years as a police officer, some of the strongest relationships I have are cops I worked with for decades,” Bennett said. “If you think that they are in Jeff Bennett’s sheet of music with politics, you are wrong.”
Bennett accused Kastama of harassing him during his time with the department.
“Kastama committed to literally following me into encampments to take pictures of me and post them online, to a Facebook group that his supporters created dedicated entirely to trashing Puyallup PD’s homelessness response and harassing myself and others,” Bennett wrote on his website. “He would get in his car and follow me site to site, always with a camera in hand ready to ‘catch me’ doing the exact work our police department assigned me to do.”
When The News Tribune asked Bennett about this, he simply said he stood by what he wrote in the post. Kastama said the allegations are “absolutely false.”
“I didn’t know who he was until he filed [to run] and showed up for a council meeting. Someone pointed him out to me,” Kastama said. “That is a pretty absurd allegation.”
The News Tribune asked Kastama how he feels about the Puyallup Police Department creating a community outreach officer position, and if he feels that’s the right approach to addressing homelessness. He said he was unaware that PPD had made those changes at the time.
“All I saw were the effects in my neighborhood,” Kastama said. “I had drug use, I had needles being thrown over the fence from a park into neighbors’ yards, I had a guy cooking meth in his truck. I wasn’t aware of that process taking place.”
Kastama then said that since he joined the council in 2017 and has become aware of the department creating the position, he supports it.
“I think it’s a great idea to have a community resource officer,” Kastama said. “We have a person who does that today that I’m very supportive of. I see tangible effects in the community, we try to get people the resources that they need. That was not prevalent at the time.”
Other issues
- Traffic: Kastama says he is proud of the city’s traffic calming program, which goes into each individual neighborhood and identifies the best approach for that area. He said he supports adding more crosswalks and speed bumps to tackle speeding. Bennett said he would support traffic circles and would look into reducing wait times at traffic lights.
- Infrastructure and parking: Kastama mentioned the two major downtown developments the city approved this year, and said the council has secured 800 Sound Transit parking spots downtown. Bennett wrote on his website that he believes the city is missing out on “some big opportunities” such as an outdoor swimming pool, a grocer, and “a trolley bus transporting residents from the downtown train station to River Road businesses, the Rec Center, out to Stewart’s Crossing and Farm 12, between city parks and the South Hill business district.”
- Downtown: Kastama said a big priority of his is to continue revitalizing downtown. He also wants to reduce noise from the trains, saying the council just got a report back and “we are looking at realistically turning Puyallup into a train quiet zone within a year.”
- City positions: Bennett said he would like to create a youth advisory group and fill the city’s economic development director vacancy. The previous director was Meredith Neal, who left in May to serve the same role for the City of Federal Way.
You can learn more about the candidates in the Pierce County Voter’s Guide or on their websites, votersforjimkastama.com and puyallupjeff.com.
District 2: King and Schiller
King was elected to the council in 2021 and became deputy mayor in January 2024. If reelected, this will be his second term on the council. He is a real estate agent and in 2007, he became the owner of his family business, Skate Tiffany’s – a roller skating and family fun center.
When The News Tribune asked King why he is running again, he said it’s because he wants to keep making the city a better place.
“It is something that I have a deep passion for: our city,” King said. “It is something that has been instilled in me and our family for over 50 years, being in this community.”
Schiller works in the insurance claims industry, and served on the city’s planning commission from 2021 to 2025. She became the chair of the commission in 2023. The planning commission handles zoning, land use regulations – and proposed changes to the comprehensive plan. There are seven members appointed by the council, and each member serves a four-year term.
When The News Tribune asked Schiller why she is running for city council, she said her decision was inspired by her time on the planning commission – and the fallout from changes the council made to the comprehensive plan that she helped put together.
“What we did on the planning commission would be flowing up to the city council to make the ultimate decision, and I really saw, kind of a shift in our current council,” Schiller said. “The council didn’t take into consideration citizens when they’re making input on decisions, and things that impact our community.”
Voters will either reelect King, who voted to approve the amended plan, or replace him with Schiller, the former chair who oversaw the creation of the original plan.
Both candidates also addressed development and infrastructure.
Comprehensive plan
The News Tribune asked Schiller why she is no longer on the planning commission. She said she doesn’t know.
“I was chair when the review recommended the comprehensive plan update to the city council,” Schiller said. “When my term was up, I reapplied because I really enjoyed it and I had the same kind of interview with different city council members this time around and I was not appointed. I was not given any kind of reasoning for why I was unappointed.”
She added that she supports the members of the current commission, saying they are “fantastic.”
The planning commission worked on the comprehensive plan for 18 months and included community input from surveys, advisory groups and participation at events like the farmer’s market, Schiller said, and the planning commission included language around equity because it was required at the state level.
“Not only do I agree with [the planning commission’s recommendations] from a perspective of having an accurate history reflected in our comprehensive plan, but also including much-needed diversity and equity language that’s also required by the state,” Schiller said. “I was also disappointed because there was a lot of work and effort that was put into it and it felt like all of that was undermined without much community input.”
King told The News Tribune he stands by his vote.
“The fact of the matter is, we were able to pass the comprehensive plan in such a way that it actually increased opportunities to anyone and everyone equally,” King said.
King said his experience in real estate also informed his decision, saying the original equity language wouldn’t have been solid.
“As a real estate agent, I fully understand this when it comes to housing laws as well, and this kind of coincides right there with it,” King said. “And this particular document, were it in my day job, there would be a lot of people that would be raising some serious eyebrows because we want to be able to be equal to everyone – and that’s what we’re able to do with the passing of this new comprehensive language.”
Like Kastama, King reiterated that the city has a great relationship with the Puyallup Tribe and has not received any negative feedback from them about the changes.
The News Tribune asked Schiller if she agrees with Bennett about bringing the original language back to the comprehensive plan. She said she would if possible, but is unsure if it’s possible to make those changes before the state’s deadline.
“If we do have the ability to do that in that timeframe, that is something that I think we need to do,” Schiller said.
The News Tribune reached out to Katie Baker, the city’s planning manager, to ask when the state deadline was. She said the deadline was Dec. 31, 2024. The News Tribune asked Baker if there was an extension, since the city council didn’t finalize the plan until July 2025. She said there was no formal extension, but that the city has kept in regular contact with regional and state authorities about its plan.
Development and infrastructure
King, like Kastama, said he is proud of the work the city has done to bring more development to Puyallup. For instance, he brought up the proposed AOB lot development and mixed-use development that is planned for the city’s Cornforth-Campbell Property on 115 Second St. downtown. The development will have a mix of apartment units and for-sale townhomes.
“We’ve been able to bring numerous developers back to Puyallup simply by streamlining our permitting process,” King said.
When it comes to infrastructure, he said he was pleased with the Meeker Festival Street and improvements made to the 5th Avenue Northwest project, which widened streets, added parking and bike lanes, improved street lighting and added accessible curb ramps.
King also said he would work with Puyallup’s congressional representatives to bring more parking to the city.
Schiller said that, if elected, she would prioritize infrastructure before adding new developments.
“I think what is very important and what has been lacking is we seem to have development first and then the infrastructure to support it,” Schiller said. “And it should be the other way around.”
She brought up the city’s work on the Cornforth Campbell and AOB lot properties as an example.
“There’s not been any infrastructure planning around that prior to those developments happening, so there were a lot of citizens at the senior center who were very upset about parking and what were they going to do in the interim before things were built,” Schiller said. “And it’s like the city council was like, ‘OK, we’ll figure it out now,’ but it shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be a before thought.”
Schiller said she would fight for more sidewalks and bike lanes, and wants to see if it’s possible to use the Transportation Benefit District – a sales tax that funds transportation projects – to make these a reality.
“I’d like to see more parks. We do have a great park system,” Schiller said. “... As a planning commission, we talked about a park within a 10-minute walk of every house in Puyallup.”
Other priorities
- Homelessness: King pointed to the city’s hotel pilot project, which provides temporary emergency housing for unhoused people. He then said that he supports “hands-up” solutions that help people rebuild their lives. He pointed to a tiny home project in Spanaway as a step in the right direction. Schiller said homelessness is never a “one-size-fits-all” issue and that there are many reasons someone could be unhoused. She wants to bring more homeownership opportunities to Puyallup besides condominiums and single-family homes, have the city partner with other entities to tackle the problem, and bring showers to the New Hope Center to help unhoused residents clean themselves before going to job interviews.
- Traffic: King said he wants to widen Shaw Road, a common bottleneck, and work with state and federal partners to increase the width of state Route 512.
- Economic development: King said he is proud of the progress the city has made in revitalizing downtown, and called himself a “huge advocate for small businesses.” Schiller said she would be interested in bringing back pandemic-era incentives to get people to shop at local stores, such as cutting 30% of the customer’s bill and having the city reimburse the restaurant as part of the program. Like Bennett, she wants the city to add an economic development position to its staff.
To learn more about the candidates, check out the Pierce County Voter’s Guide or their websites, denniskingwa.com and friendsofheatherschiller.com.
District 3: Crosby and Smolko
For 20 years, Mark Crosby and his father worked together at the Simpson Tacoma Kraft Paper Mill. When his father passed away and the mill shut down, it inspired Crosby to chart a new course. Today, Crosby is the founder of Cruise Puyallup – an annual classic car event – and is dipping his toe into the world of local politics.
“He liked the politician stuff,” Crosby said about his father. “I wanted to run because I care deeply about Puyallup and I want to make sure our city continues to move in a positive direction.”
His opponent, Lindsay Smolko, said she had a lot of anxiety and couldn’t sleep after president Donald Trump was sworn in for a second time on Jan. 20. One day, she was listening to a podcast from Georgia politician and activist, Stacey Abrams, and Abrams said something that changed everything for Smolko: “Solving the problems in our current administration and in our culture is going to require everyday citizens stepping up and being willing to govern.”
Smolko – a teacher who has taught in the Bethel School District and Fife Public Schools – saw an opening on the council, and decided to take the leap.
“I thought, ‘OK, it’s going to be me, let’s do this, we’ll do this as I go,’” Smolko said.
Crosby and Smolko are competing for the seat of Julie Door, whose third term will wrap up in January. The News Tribune reached out to Door and asked if she had endorsed either candidate. Door – who became the executive director of the Puyallup Main Street Association in August – said she will not be endorsing any candidate because of her job at the nonprofit.
Comprehensive plan
Door, unlike Kastama and King, voted “no” to the changes made to the comprehensive plan. The two people hoping to fill her shoes have contrasting views on the matter.
“I’m not much of a diversity, equity and inclusion [supporter], it kind of divides us,” Crosby told The News Tribune when asked how he felt about the council changing equity language in the plan. “I believe in equal opportunity for everyone and if one certain person needs help, then that’s what community is all about.”
Smolko, on the other hand, echoed Bennett and Schiller’s concerns about how the changes will impact Puyallup’s diversity.
“They are simply bending the knee to executive orders which are not only a violation of constitutional rights, but a violation of human rights,” Smolko said. “I want Puyallup to be a place that celebrates its diversity, sees it as a strength, not as a weakness – and understands that equity and equality are two different things, and that both are required in order for it to be a full balance in a just society.”
Like Bennett and Schiller, Smolko said that if she is elected, she will work as hard as possible to restore the original comprehensive plan.
Infrastructure and traffic
A top priority of Crosby’s would be implementing more street lighting, crosswalks and outreach programs.
He also said he would prioritize widening Shaw and River Roads.
“We can’t afford to keep putting off major road and infrastructure projects. Roads like Shaw Road and River Road have been delayed for years,” Crosby wrote in a follow-up email to The News Tribune. “I want to make sure projects are properly funded, scheduled, and completed so people can actually see progress.”
Smolko said she would focus on adding sidewalks to increase Puyallup’s walkability, and work to make its infrastructure more wheelchair accessible.
When it comes to traffic, she also said she wants to widen Shaw Road. In the long-term, she would also like to see more roundabouts, to keep traffic flowing, and more medians for safety – especially by Meridian and coming off of state Route 512.
“People by and large are very polite, very patient, but they shouldn’t have to be. We should do something with medians that last a little longer, so people don’t cut over so soon, and putting a turn lane somewhere sooner,” Smolko said. “That scares me every single day when I go home.”
Other issues
- Homelessness: Crosby said he wants to see more affordable housing, and would support local nonprofits who can help the unhoused thrive and get into housing programs. Smolko said she wants to ensure unhoused populations have “an invitation to the table” and create more opportunities for the city to work with homeless people directly and have their voices included in potential solutions. She also said she wants to increase access to affordable shelters and health care for families.
- Local businesses: Crosby said he would “do whatever it takes” to support local businesses, such as increasing parking, streamlining permits and engaging in promotional opportunities.
- Community input: Smolko said she would work to create more opportunities for the public to have their voices heard, such as a youth advisory board or “older adult conference.”
You can learn more about the candidates in the Pierce County Voter’s Guide. Crosby has a Facebook page, “Mark Crosby for Puyallup City Council - Dist. 3” and Smolko has a website, friendsoflindsay.com.
Ballots are sent Oct. 17 and must be postmarked by Nov. 4 or returned to a drop box by 8 p.m. that night. Visit PierceCountyWa.gov/Elections for more information.
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
