Tacoma council District 5 race gets outside interest. Here’s Q&A with candidates

The race for the District 5 seat on Tacoma’s City Council is unlike any other this year.

Featuring incumbent Joe Bushnell and newcomer Zev Cook, the race appeared to capture the attention of people both within Tacoma and outside it. A political action committee largely funded by donors from other cities in Western Washington sank tens of thousands of dollars into attack advertisements against Cook.

Called Washingtonians for a Brighter Future, the PAC has spent roughly $20,000 on text messages and mailers urging voters to support Bushnell and oppose Cook. The PAC seeks to prevent candidates who are “anti-Israel” from being elected to public office, and its co-chair criticized Cook’s “rhetoric against Zionism” in an interview with The News Tribune earlier this year. Cook said in July that she wasn’t surprised to see such opposition to her campaign and felt it was the result of her vocal support for Palestine.

Politically, Bushnell is closer to center-left. He has the endorsement of outgoing Mayor Victoria Woodards, several council members and Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello. Cook is endorsed by groups like the Tacoma and Pierce County Democratic Socialists of America and unions like United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367.

Though Bushnell earned 53% of the vote in the primary compared to Cook’s 33%, Cook had outraised Bushnell by about $10,000 as of Oct. 4, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.

The News Tribune sent all candidates for City Council and mayor the same 10 questions to respond to in the same time frame.

Here’s what Bushnell and Cook told The News Tribune:

What’s your full name and age?

Zev Rose Cook, 26 years old

Chanjolee “Joe” Bushnell, 35 years old

How long have you lived in Tacoma?

Bushnell: I was born and raised in Tacoma and have lived here my whole life except while serving in the Marines.

Cook: I’ve lived in Tacoma for 8 years

What is your favorite restaurant in Tacoma?

Cook: My favorite restaurant in Tacoma is Harbor City

Bushnell: Happy Asian Fastfood, Chinese and Cambodian, 1901 S. 72nd St, Tacoma. Come for the Chinese, stay for the Cambodian food. The only Cambodian restaurant in Tacoma!

Why do you want to be a City Council member?

Bushnell: It’s an honor of a lifetime serving as your City Councilmember. I feel driven to serve to ensure that every Tacoman feels that they have a voice on City Council. As the child of a refugee, I’m the first Cambodian-American Councilmember in our State’s history. I served our country as a U.S. Marine Corps Combat Veteran in Afghanistan. And I’ve done everything I can to serve our community here locally, including previously as chair of the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council and working as a substitute teacher for Tacoma Public Schools to help address the teacher shortage.

I’m running for re-election because while we’ve made significant progress on many of the biggest challenges facing our community, there’s still much more to do. We must continue building on what’s been shown to work, even if it’s not attention-grabbing.

Cook: Motivated by my Jewish values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), I originally got involved with community organizing in Tacoma in 2018, mostly around issues of housing and homelessness. I spent 5 years working in the field, including as a shelter manager and case worker, and the experience taught me how much needed to change at the policy level to be able to tackle these issues in our community. Since then, I’ve served in the leadership of multiple progressive campaigns, and today I am running for public office to help win a local government, economy and democracy that works for working people. I was proud to help pass Tacoma’s Tenants Bill of Rights in 2023, a crucial step toward protecting renters from the worst effects of the housing crisis. Unfortunately, at the end of this year, our City Council, which unanimously opposed these protections, will regain the power to weaken or repeal them. We need a strong, working-class voice on the council to defend hard-won rights and expand protections for working people, including this year’s Workers Bill of Rights initiative to raise Tacoma’s minimum wage. But this moment demands more than just good legislators, we need organizers. We need leaders who will work side by side with our communities to build and defend a movement that puts the needs of working people first. That is the kind of representative and organizer I will be as a member of our city council.

If elected, what issues would be your top priority?

Cook: I’m running on three core priorities: raising the minimum wage, taxing the rich and building permanently affordable social housing. Everyone in Tacoma deserves a life of dignity and a living wage that will contribute to an overall stronger local economy. Right now, our city is also suffering under an austerity budget, with various programs seeing cuts and critical services like our fire department and roads being severely underfunded. Council has tried to raise revenue by attempting to pass sales tax increases, and Tacoma voters have said no because the tax burden on working families is already too high. We need to fight for a progressive tax structure that will have everyone paying their fair share and allow us to fully fund critical services without increasing the burden on working families. The housing crisis is another core issue for our community, with an increasing lack of supply and affordable options. To start tackling this issue, we need to create a public social housing developer to expand permanently affordable housing stock in Tacoma, with rents capped at one-third of income. Overall, this is a policy vision focused on making life better for Tacoma’s working people, creating safer neighborhoods with a true sense of stability and dignity for all.

Bushnell: Since taking office, my top priority has been public safety. We’ve hired over 30 officers and reduced response times by 22 minutes, but more must be done to make sure every neighborhood feels safe. We need to continue supporting this work by filling vacant positions, recruiting more officers from the community and improving trust through the community liaison officer program.

To tackle affordability, we’ve passed historic housing measures including Home in Tacoma 2 and strengthened tenant protections, these measures are working, but it takes time to see their full effects. Meanwhile housing costs are still too high, and homeownership is out of reach for too many. We must also fix our city’s crumbling streets without raising taxes on seniors and working families, because people in Tacoma are already at their limit. In addition to lowering costs, we need to be raising wages. I support raising the minimum wage and am working to bring more well-paying jobs to Tacoma. I will continue advocating for small businesses to build a strong and resilient local economy. We need economic growth that benefits all Tacomans, not just the few.

Tacoma’s 311 line has received hundreds of thousands of inquiries since its genesis over 10 years ago. Today, it receives inquiries that largely fall in the following categories: abandoned vehicles on the street, people living on public property in a motorhome or vehicle and illegal dumping on public property. What would be your plan to address those issues?

Bushnell: I’ve been fulling invested in making sure our 311 system is able to meet the needs of the community including the introduction of a new reporting system called See Click Fix, that makes it easier to report issues either by phone, online or through an app. This new system also gives the community updates on those issues. We do need to continue educating the public on the use of 311 and improve code enforcement processes so that the city is more responsive to quickly addressing abandoned vehicles and getting support to people living on public property in a motorhome. I’m currently working with my colleagues to overhaul our code enforcement policies so that the city has flexibility in addressing properties.

I’ve also championed the creation of the Tidy Up Tacoma program which has seen significant success in addressing illegal dumping and massive amounts of litter throughout the city. We’ve added a lot of trash bins throughout the city and have been able to support community groups and residents with litter pick up supplies to keep our community clean. Our 311 system is a great tool for reporting potholes, graffiti, out traffic lights and so much more. We rely on our community to report these issues so they can get addressed.

Cook: Over the past year, Tacoma has lost hundreds of shelter beds while spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on buying boulders and renting fences. We need to reinvest in keeping shelter beds open with cost-saving, low-barrier options, as well as opening new options for permanently supportive housing. To address call volumes, Tacoma should fully fund Tacoma’s crisis response team (HOPE Team) with independent dispatch capable of meaningfully and safely addressing mental health calls. Additionally, we can help stem the flow of individuals entering homelessness by defending and actively enforcing renter protections to help keep people in their homes. On the whole, our city has abdicated its responsibility toward addressing these basic issues by advancing failed policies like a street camping ban instead of attacking root causes. As a member of our Council, I will be focused on addressing root causes like the housing crisis and poverty conditions rather than only treating symptoms.

Are you in favor or against the workers bill of rights?

Cook: I fully support the Workers Bill of Rights initiative and serve on the campaign’s organizing committee.

Bushnell: I absolutely support raising the minimum wage.

Do you believe the workers bill of rights belongs on the November ballot this year?

Bushnell: Without getting into pending litigation about the ballot measure placement, I will say that I’m fully committed to passing a minimum wage increase on Council. This is what our community needs.

Cook: After we collected 10,000 signatures to place the initiative on the ballot, the Council moved to try and prevent it from seeing the ballot at all. After taking the city to court, the judge ruled that the initiative be placed on a February ballot, calling the Council’s move “arbitrary and capricious.” Regardless of where you land on raising the minimum wage, all Tacomans should be deeply concerned by this attempt at voter suppression. As a Council representative, I will support the democratic process and will never stand in the way of Tacoma voters getting to make real choices about the future of our city.

If elected, what specific actions would you take to address the following issues: housing and homelessness, Tacoma’s budget deficit and public safety.

Cook: We need to address the housing crisis by building affordable housing. Currently, our only strategy for addressing this issue has been handing out tax breaks to developers to include some affordable units that go back to market rate after the incentive is finished. Instead of spending massively on corporate handouts that leave us with no long-term gains, we need to get hands-on with building permanently affordable social housing that will continue to benefit our community for the long haul. We also need to get serious about opening new options for transitional housing and low-barrier sites to address street homelessness. To make this possible and reverse cuts to other critical services, we have to put an end to austerity budgets in Tacoma. It’s time to start working toward building a progressive tax structure in Tacoma and fighting for the same at the state level to lift the heavy tax burden on working families and make sure that everyone is paying their fair share. We also need to invest in programs like a fully funded crisis response team and case managers in our schools to help address gun violence. I believe that by addressing these issues and investing in real solutions that target root causes, we can build a better Tacoma for everyone.

Bushnell: We’ve already taken several key steps to address housing affordability that I referenced above. The zoning policy changes are making it easier for people to build more houses across the city at all price levels. We’ve also expanded the opportunity for ADUs. These measures will over time make housing more affordable to buy, while the tenant protections already in place are intended to stabilize costs for those currently renting. I’ll continue looking for opportunities to directly support affordable housing construction.

We need to confront homelessness with urgency by expanding shelter options and demanding real investment from the State and County in mental health and addiction services. Tacoma simply cannot continue to provide most of the services for Pierce County without greater financial support from these higher levels of government.

We’ve already made a significant round of cuts to balance the budget, and in addressing future deficits, I’ll continue to prioritize core services that the public expects from us including public safety.

In terms of public safety, this is the area where I feel we’ve made the most direct progress on the ground. By reducing response times by 22 minutes, that means that we’re saving lives and preventing escalation or further crime in real time. It’s also an absolutely essential step in restoring public trust and confidence in our police force. Everyone deserves a fast, effective and just response when they call 911.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Cook: As a candidate, my background is defined by having been a union member, a working-class activist and a community organizer. This year, I’m proud to be running for City Council as a democratic socialist to take on corporate interests and build a better city for Tacoma’s working people. Our campaign has faced strong opposition, with an outside PAC and an AIPAC affiliate spending $20,000 on attack ads against us. As a political organizer, my experience is in taking on major corporate interests and winning on progressive issues. I believe strongly in the power of working people standing together and look forward to continuing to organize alongside the community and union movement to advance working-class priorities as a member of our City Council. You can learn more and get in touch with the campaign at zevfortacoma.com.

Bushnell: I work hard for our community, and I show up. It’s vital to me that I hear from everyone so that can I make the best decisions I can on behalf of our residents. I represent our city both locally, regionally and nationally to make sure our communities voices are heard.

I’m proud to say that I’ve earned the trust and endorsement of not only many local leaders but also labor organizations and other groups including Mayor Victoria Woodards, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, 29th LD State Senator Steve Conway, 29th LD State Representative Sharlett Mena, Former 29th LD State Representative Steve Kirby, Former 29th LD State Senator Rosa Franklin, 27th LD House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 483, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 117, Tacoma Police Union Local 6, South Sound Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, Pierce County Central Labor Council, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates – Washington, Humane Voters of Washington and of course the Tacoma News Tribune Editorial Board.

There’s many more to list and more information can be found on my website at joebushnell.com

Isha Trivedi

The News Tribune

Isha Trivedi covers city hall and education in Tacoma for The News Tribune. She has previously worked at The Mercury News, the Palo Alto Weekly, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She grew up in San Jose, California and graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism and anthropology from the George Washington University. She is a proud alumna of The GW Hatchet, her alma mater’s independent student newspaper, and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for her work with the publication.