Pierce County Council race winner will determine its political makeup for years to come
Only one seat on the Pierce County Council is open this election, and depending on the winner, it will likely have lasting impacts on the political makeup of the council.
Currently the Pierce County Council has a razor-thin Democratic majority, and the Republican County Executive hasn’t been shy to flex his authority, most recently vetoing the formation of an equity committee that had previously passed at the council level narrowly along party lines with four members in favor and three against.
To override a veto the council needs a two-thirds majority vote, with at least five members voting in favor. Right now, the council has four Democrats and three Republicans.
Both District 2 candidates told the News Tribune this week they’d take a bipartisan approach to politics if elected to the council.
District 2 includes the communities of Puyallup, South Hill, Summit View, Sumner, Edgewood, Milton and Pacific. Find out more about how to vote and who’s on your ballot at https://www.piercecountywa.gov/328/Elections.
The District 2 councilor position is currently held by Paul Herrera, a Republican who was selected by the council to take over Hans Zeiger’s position when he resigned in August 2022 to take a job leading a nonprofit organization.
Herrera is running for the District 2 seat this November, as is Jamie Smith, a Democrat and local educator. Pierce County Council members serve four-year terms.
The News Tribune asked them questions about their priorities in office, why they think they’re the best person for the job and how they would balance priorities for District 2 and the county as a whole. Here’s what they said.
Paul Herrera
Herrera said via email that he has “real world, first-hand experience” in dealing with the root causes of issues in his community. In his 20 years as a police officer, Herrera was a school-resource officer, an undercover narcotics detective and a fish-and-wildlife officer. He’s also a 20-year U.S. Army veteran. Last year Herrera was state commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was the chair of the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Committee, a committee where he still serves. He was also a member of the Veterans Legislative Coalition for many years.
If elected, Herrera said public safety, homelessness, addiction, housing and jobs would be his top priorities in office. Herrera said he would improve public safety by supporting law enforcement, first responders and the court system.
“Public safety is a big issue in the county as a whole, and with my experience as a law enforcement officer I bring a unique perspective to the council,” Herrera said in the email. “I am also ‘cut from the cloth of service,’ meaning that I want to take care of people and listen to issues to help make Pierce County a better place to live and raise a family.”
When asked about how important party affiliation is to him, Herrera said, “My experience working with the Veterans Legislative Coalition gave me extensive experience in working across the aisle to get things done.”
In terms of balancing priorities in District 2 and the county as a whole, Herrera said, “Many of the issues like homelessness and addiction in my district overlap significantly with other districts, so it is imperative to me to work together with other council members to come up with common sense solutions to issues.”
Jamie Smith
Smith has been teaching history for 18 years at Rogers High School and Puyallup High School. She’s also coached cross country and track for 15 years and is a regional curriculum trainer for a national character-development program working with veterans and teachers nationwide. Within the Puyallup School District Smith has served on multiple committees to work on school safety, create new evaluation systems and advance curriculum and standards. She has also served as a building representative to the Puyallup Education Association for 17 years.
If elected, Smith said she would focus on reducing traffic, addressing crime by ensuring first responders work alongside mental health professionals and develop an affordable-housing plan that considers growth while maintaining the character of the community.
“Living and teaching in Pierce County I have seen party politics get in the way of finding solutions to the problems we face,” Smith said in an email to The News Tribune on Wednesday. “I choose to make my home in Pierce County because I love the quality of life it offers, from our parks, to people, to local businesses and community events. I am committed to making it an even safer and more vibrant place for the next generation.”
When asked how important party affiliation was to her, Smith said her parents and siblings’ spouses all have different political ideas and that working together across party lines is important to her.
“Being from a bi-partisan household, I know how to work across the aisle, listen and find solutions. Growing up I learned it’s about people over party. It’s about helping others and doing what is right, regardless of political affiliation,” Smith said in an email to the News Tribune Wednesday. “This job is about helping our community. It is not about helping only people of one party. It is about finding solutions, and our best solutions have come when parties work together, not against each other.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
