Woodards leads in race for Tacoma mayor, early election results show
Victoria Woodards is leading in the race for Tacoma mayor, according to General Election results dropped Tuesday evening.
Woodards was ahead of Steve Haverly with 57.78 percent of the votes, or 12,285 votes.
Haverly had 41.73 percent of the votes, or 8,871 votes.
There were more votes left to count as of Tuesday. The next round of results are scheduled to drop 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Woodards said in a statement on Tuesday that she was grateful for the results.
“I am grateful to Tacomans for their confidence in my leadership and will not fail them in our mission to build a more resilient equitable economy, end the crisis of gun violence on our streets, and tackle our toughest challenges like homelessness. Together, we will transform Tacoma into the City of Destiny we know in our hearts it can be,” she said.
Woodards, 56, sought re-election as Tacoma’s mayor after first being elected to the position in 2017. Previously, she served as a Tacoma City Council member from 2009 to 2016. Woodards is a three-year U.S. Army veteran who graduated from Lincoln High School and currently resides in the South End.
Haverly, 53, works in construction management and previously owned a video production company. If elected, it would be his first time holding public office. Haverly graduated from Stadium High School and now lives in the West End.
Haverly has run a more grassroots campaign, while Woodards garnered major endorsements and campaign donations from numerous businesses, unions and elected officials.
Both Haverly and Woodards have spoken on major issues facing Tacoma, including homelessness and housing, public safety and police reform and climate change, but their views on how to tackle those issues vary.
Woodards has been mostly supportive of the city’s Home in Tacoma plan, which aims to expand housing options amid a hot market, while Haverly has been more critical of the plan, worrying that existing neighborhoods would be affected by over-development.
Both Haverly and Woodards have advocated for more resources and shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Haverly supports a ban on camping on public property. Woodards believes a camping ban would need to be a part of the city’s plan to address homelessness but not until there is accessible shelter to all, in order to comply with a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that says cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough homeless shelter beds available for their homeless population.
Both candidates have been vocal in wanting to address the rise of violent crime in Tacoma and have been supportive of a strategy that takes the burden off police by diverting certain calls to a crisis response team.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 8:16 PM.
