4 Pierce County Council seats are up for grabs. Here’s what early election returns show
Early results are in for the 2024 Pierce County Council races in the general election. It looks like there will be some new faces on the council next year.
With 708 of 732 precincts reporting as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, Republican Paul Herrera (District 2), Republican Amy Cruver (District 3), Democrat Rosie Ayala (District 4) and Democrat Jani Hitchen (District 6) were leading in their races for a four-year term.
Hitchen’s win would mean Democrats would hold onto the slim political majority they had this session.
As of Tuesday night current council chair and Democrat Ryan Mello took the lead in the Pierce County Executive race, with 51.24% of the vote and 708 precincts reporting. As head of the executive branch of county government, the executive has the power to veto policy decisions voted on by the seven-member Pierce County Council. In order to override a veto, the council needs a supermajority vote, or at least five members to vote in favor.
Each county council member represents about 131,500 people and members made on average $134,967 in 2023.
District 2
Republican Paul Herrera is the current Pierce County Council member representing District 2 since he was appointed in 2022. He won 57.20% of the vote as of Wednesday’s tally. Democrat challenger Davida Haygood earned 42.74% of the tally as of 8 p.m.
Herrera previously served as a police sergeant for the Puyallup Tribe for over 20 years and worked as director of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement in addition to assignments as a school resource officer, Pierce County Gang Task Force, swift-water rescue technician and training in group crisis Intervention, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet. Herrera serves on the Governors Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee, Veterans Legislative Coalition and previously served on the Pierce County Equity Review Board, Pierce County Veterans Advisory Board and the Pierce County Law & Justice Review Board.
Haygood is an educator, community organizer and activist with a master’s degree in Early Education and Special Education and a BA in Business Management, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet. She ran on a platform of commitment to social justice and the desire to create policies that meet the needs of diverse children and families in Pierce County. Haygood founded the Two-Way Racial Healing Project nonprofit that holds space to discuss social justice and systemic racism, among other topics and is an associate professor at Pierce College.
District 2 includes the communities of Edgewood, Milton, Pacific, Puyallup, South Hill, Summit View and Sumner.
District 3
Republican Amy Cruver has served as the District 3 member since 2020. She won 63.69% of the vote as of Wednesday’s tally. Democrat John M. Linboe received 36.18% of the vote.
Cruver served as then-state Rep. Jim McCune’s assistant in 2005 and later served as his assistant on the Pierce County Council. She’s a member of the Farm Bureau, Back Country Horsemen, Support Services for South Pierce Fire & Rescue District 17, Eatonville Business Association, Graham Business Association, Citizen’s Alliance for Property Rights, Citizens United for Responsible Education, Upper Nisqually Sportsman’s Club, Fair Foundation Rainier Club and Center for Self Governance, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet.
Linboe serves as a fire commissioner for South Pierce Fire & Rescue and as a director for Washington State Fire Commissioners Association, Position 7, which covers both Pierce and Thurston counties. He manages a show-quality sheep and pig farm and volunteers as the market sale manager for both the Pierce County Fair and Pierce County Fair Foundation. He also served on the Machinest Lodge 289 Executive Board, the Pierce County Labor Council, State Labor Council Economic Development and Transportation Committee, Workforce Development Committee and Pierce County Fair Board, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet.
District 3 includes Ashford, Eatonville, Elbe, Elk Plain, Frederickson, Graham, Harts Lake, Lacamas, McKenna, Roy and Spanaway.
District 4
Democrat newcomer Rosie Ayala won with 69.63% of the vote as of Wednesday’s tally. She defeated Democrat Rodney Robinson, who earned 27.91% of the vote.
Ayala replaces current council chair Mello, who ran for county executive this year.
In addition to her elected role with the Metro Parks Tacoma Board of Commissioners, Ayala serves as the director of Operations for Foundation for Tacoma Students and serves on the American Leadership Forum board. Ayala is the vice-chair of the Tacoma/Pierce County Joint Municipal Action Committee, was the senior director of education for Peace Community Center from 2017-2020 and served as the chair of the Tacoma Arts Commission, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet.
Robinson serves as the director of the Campaign to End and Prevent Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in Pierce County and has other experience in nonprofit management and human services. He was regional director of Treehouse, a program manager for the Metropolitan Development Council and a housing case manager, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet. According to his LinkedIn, he is the owner of small business consultant organization Outside Perspective LLC.
District 4 includes Fircrest, parts of Tacoma (like Central Tacoma, Downtown, Hilltop and South Tacoma), as well as University Place.
District 6
Democratic incumbent Jani Hitchen managed to stave off a challenge from Republican Loujanna “LJ” Rohrer after initially losing to Rohrer in the primary. Hitchen received 52.23% of the vote as Wednesday’s tally while Rohrer received 47.635% of the vote.
Prior to becoming a Council member, Hitchen worked in several Pierce County school districts as a biology, physical science, physics, technology education and leadership teacher, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet. She serves as chair of Tacoma Pierce County Board of Health and was involved with the WA State Public Health Advisory Board and the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force.
Rohrer is a twice elected school board director in the Steilacoom Historical School District and works as a senior legislative assistant for the Washington State House of Representatives. She was a Pierce County Council assistant, initiated the WyldLife (Young Life) program at Pioneer Middle School and currently serves in leadership roles in Steilacoom Kiwanis and the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association, according to the Pierce County Voter’s Pamphlet.
District 6 includes the communities of DuPont, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Lakewood, Parkland, Steilacoom, Anderson Island and Ketron Island.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:23 PM.
