Early election results are in for Puyallup City Council, other East Pierce races
Tonight, voters will decide the fate of several key races across East Pierce County.
Some of the most notable races are those for the Puyallup City Council. Two incumbents are fighting to keep their seats from challengers, while two new candidates are battling to fill an open seat.
- 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.
Early results Tuesday night show Jim Kastama is leading with 910 votes (52.78%) in District 1. Jeff Bennett has 810 votes (46.98%). Dennis King is ahead in District 2 with 1,120 votes (51.03%). Heather Schiller has 1,073 votes (48.8%). In the race to fill Door’s shoes, Lindsay Smolko is ahead with 995 votes (52.76%). Mark Crosby has 886 votes (46.98%).
The Pierce County Auditor’s Office will post the next batch of results at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The results will be certified on Nov. 25.
“I just want to thank the people of Puyallup for what looks, at this point, like a vote of confidence to return me to my position,” Kastama told The News Tribune Tuesday night. “I can’t thank them enough and I think at this point, it’s time to just keep moving forward. It’s important that we make this a safe community and that we be in charge of our own destiny.”
Kastama’s challenger, Bennett, declined to comment Tuesday night.
King said that he was excited about the results and was grateful for promising results about his re-election.
“It was a great race and I’m thankful for the trust the public has in me, and I’m looking forward to representing the people of District 2 for another four years,” King told The News Tribune Tuesday night. “I appreciate all their support and well wishes and am looking forward to keeping Puyallup safe, strong and vibrant.”
Schiller said that she is remaining cautiously optimistic.
“I’m trailing, I think, by 47 votes so to me that’s really essentially almost a tie,” Schiller told The News Tribune Tuesday night. “I really appreciate all the support. Going against an incumbent in Washington state is not easy. The fact that I am so close in numbers to him, especially since I am somebody that is an unknown that went up for this position, I am very excited for the numbers we have at this point and the turnout.”
Smolko said that while she is anxious about the other two races and is hoping for Bennett and Schiller to win, she is excited about the outcome of her own race.
“I’m very honored and excited and hopeful for the opportunity to protect Puyallup’s people, to protect our land, to return to being the land of the welcoming people and really honor that,” Smolko said. “That’s a huge blessing for sure, and an opportunity that I take very seriously.”
The News Tribune was not immediately able to reach Crosby Tuesday night.
Puyallup voters don’t directly vote for a mayor or deputy mayor. Instead, they elect a city council and the councilors take turns serving as mayor during two-year terms. If re-elected, Kastama and King will serve on the council in 2026, not in their current positions as mayor and deputy mayor.
This has been a busy year for the Puyallup City Council – in June, the council made a polarizing decision to pass the city’s proposed comprehensive plan with changes to language about equity, tribal history and climate change impacts.
Meanwhile, Puyallup is facing major growth. 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.
Residents can find their council district by visiting PuyallupWa.gov/631/City-Council.
Also in Puyallup, two seats are open on the school board. Incumbent David Berg is facing challenger William Rowland, while two new faces – Ellen Aronson and Melissa Bedford – are in a battle for a seat currently held by president Maddie Names. The district is facing overcrowding, and failed to pass a bond twice this year, once in February and again in April.
Several other cities across East Pierce County will also see new mayors and city councils. In Orting, candidates Scott Drennen and Chris Moore are vying to replace current mayor Josh Penner – a heated race after Moore was the subject of a council ethics complaint in September. In a Facebook post today, Penner announced that he plans to resign a month before the new mayor would normally take office. Bonney Lake, Sumner and Milton will also see an influx of new city leaders.
Puyallup City Council early election results
District 1
Jim Kastama: 910 votes, 52.78%
Jeff Bennett: 810 votes, 46.98%
District 2
Dennis King: 1,120 votes, 51.03%
Heather Schiller: 1,073 votes, 48.88%
District 3
Mark Crosby: 886 votes, 46.98%
Lindsay Smolko: 995 votes, 52.76%
Puyallup School Board early election results
Position 1
Melissa Bedford: 8,002 votes (52.44%)
Ellen Aronson: 7,148 votes (46.84%)
Position 4
David Berg: 9,650 votes (63.33%)
William Rowland: 5,523 votes (36.25%)
East Pierce mayor races early election results
Orting mayor
Chris Moore: 618 votes (46.15%)
Scott Drennen: 713 votes (53.25%)
Sumner mayor
Bill Pugh: 624 votes (49.10%)
Carla Bowman: 643 votes (50.59%)
Milton mayor
Bruce White: 418 votes (56.26%)
Steve Whittaker: 316 votes (42.53%)
The News Tribune has live results for other East Pierce races here.
News Tribune archives contributed to this story.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments from candidates.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 8:26 PM.
