‘Unacceptable.’ For Tacoma, a difficult State of the City address for a difficult time
It became apparent, early on, that this would be a drastically different speech than Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards is accustomed to delivering. For good reason.
On Thursday, Woodards presented her annual State of the City address from City Council chambers, though even as the city attempts to emerge from COVID, most of the audience remained virtual. It marked Woodards’ fifth State of the City as mayor. Her first, not long after taking office in 2018, was a celebration of sorts, held at her alma mater of Lincoln High School, complete with the school’s renowned drumline. The next year saw Woodards move her speech to the University of Puget Sound. The pandemic turned her third and fourth into re-imagined, remote affairs.
Regardless of venue or format, however, each of Woodards’ previous State of the City addresses have largely been reflections of her personality and leadership style — focusing on the city’s accomplishments and spreading the credit beyond her office. Woodards prefers to anchor herself to what’s possible when Tacoma works in unison, not dwell on the obstacles that stand in our way, and her public remarks typically follow suit.
But this year — with so many challenges currently facing the city, from troubling increases in crime to the continued emergency of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing — there was simply no avoiding it.
The people of Tacoma had every right to demand a frank assessment of where things stand, good, bad and ugly. They also deserved answers.
For a mayor now into her second term, it was a difficult speech for a difficult time in Tacoma’s history.
Fair or not, there’s also little question that whether the city rises to the challenges Woodards laid bare will ultimately define her legacy as a leader.
Crime and eroding public safety garnered specific, prolonged attention from the mayor, as it should have. Woodards promised to fill the 50 fully funded vacancies on the Tacoma Police force, and rattled off a string of troubling statistics — from stark spikes in assaults, vandalism and property destruction to increases in arson and homicides — telling those watching at home that the current state of public safety in Tacoma is ‘unacceptable.” She wasn’t wrong.
Later, Woodards spoke of the city’s homelessness crisis, and the related affordable housing shortage. While the debate surrounding homelessness can often be divisive, the mayor sought to remind those on every side of the issue that there are people — and our neighbors — at the heart of the problem. We owe them solutions that provide health and dignity, she said.
While few would argue with that assessment, specifics on how Tacoma will achieve these worthwhile objectives remained scant at times and likely unsatisfying to some, often pointing to the challenges (and perhaps battles) ahead. One of the biggest obstacles, the mayor said, will be continuing to find neighborhoods willing to welcome supervised shelters, which, despite the success of the city’s tiny home villages and the Dome District stability site, shows few signs of getting easier.
To close Thursday night’s address, Woodards returned to a tone of optimism that has so far defined her time in office, even as the city she leads has navigated unprecedented hardships, from the toll of COVID-19 to a national reckoning of racism that’s reverberated profoundly right here at home.
She urged residents of Tacoma to stay engaged, stay active and step up in ways big and small, promising that we’re better when we sing together, and every voice is necessary.
“While tonight’s speech didn’t include a lot of flashy promises that we could easily and immediately solve the pressing issues facing our community, I delivered what I vowed I would do in my opening: A candid talk about what is before us, and our path forward,” Woodards said.
Her daunting job now is the same as it’s been since the beginning:
Helping Tacoma find that path, together.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
