The News Tribune Ed Board: Our endorsement in Pierce County Council District 2 | Opinion
The Pierce County Council is a body divided — for better or worse.
With a razor-thin Democratic majority, the council’s recent attempt to establish an official equity commission — which was passed along party lines, 4-3, only to be vetoed by Republican Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier — serves as a prime example of the perils of partisanship.
Equally true? Pierce County is just as divided as its elected council, so perhaps the ever-present tension is only fitting.
It’s amid this backdrop that voters in Pierce County District 2 will cast their ballots in the coming weeks. In a suburban and rural district stretching from Milton and Edgewood to the depths of South Hill, it’s no surprise that electoral results have trended right of late, most recently with the election of Republican Hans Zeiger to the Pierce County Council District 2 seat in 2020.
In 2022, Zeiger resigned to take a job leading a nonprofit organization. Ten days later, Puyallup’s Paul Herrera, a local law enforcement officer and military veteran, was appointed to fill the vacancy through a vote of the County Council. Now it’s time to see where voters stand.
Herrera’s appointment could be validated.
Or, District 2 residents could buck recent voting trends and elect Jamie Smith, a local educator and Democrat whose name should be familiar, considering her previous runs for state House.
During election endorsement season, it’s not The News Tribune Editorial Board’s job to predict the outcome of local races. Our duty is to weigh candidates as best we can and, as a collective body, provide a transparent recommendation to voters about who we think is the best fit for the job — and why.
Smith earned our strong endorsement this year — as she has several times in the past.
Given her knack for tackling difficult issues with a pragmatic, open mind, we’re confident she would bring a skill set and bipartisan energy to the council that would serve her district (and Pierce County) well.
Smith, who teaches social studies at Rogers High School, will tell you she’s from a family with a strong public service streak. Her dad was a teacher. Her mom was a nurse. Her brother and several of her cousins are cops. Her dedication to making a difference is one of the reasons she became an educator and coach, she told The News Tribune Editorial Board earlier this year.
During an endorsement interview in July, Smith described similar motivations for running.
“Service has been a family trait. I went into education because I know education is what got my family out of poverty … and I wanted to be able to give back,” Smith said. “I see in my students so many of the issues that I’ve seen within my own family, and they need those opportunities as well. They need a good education, they need jobs … they need good transportation.”
Smith is more than a feel-good story, however. If anything, her wonkish attention to detail and untapped policy chops are what ultimately won over The News Tribune Editorial Board.
Asked about how she’d work to address Pierce County’s affordable housing crisis, Smith offered more than soundbites, listing big-picture items and pragmatic steps the county could take now to quickly increase the supply of multi-family housing and single-family housing.
Smith’s good ideas included a detailed analysis of how red tape could be cut and how local tax policy could be adjusted so that the construction of smaller, more affordable housing becomes more appealing to private developers.
Smith also displayed a keen understanding of the importance of public safety, and the challenges facing local law enforcement, particularly at a time when property crime is on the rise and morale within the ranks is low.
Coming from a family full of police officers, Smith said being a cop has never been more challenging.
She also maintained that safe, healthy communities depend on the service and protection local law enforcement provides, a sentiment we suspect voters across the political spectrum will agree with.
Smith’s family background, coupled with her honest, open recognition of the need to improve the way we police, would be a benefit to the council and the county.
“It takes time — and it’s hard,” Smith said of the important process of changing police culture and the need to recruit and retain more qualified law enforcement officers. “I have family members who have been in law enforcement for a decade who are looking at leaving, and they’ve loved it. But there’s too much on their plate right now, and they’re getting attacked too much.
“We need to work on recruitment, and we need a police force that looks like our community,” Smith told The News Tribune Editorial Board.
“We have to get (good cops), and we have to find a sustainable way to keep them.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Smith clearly has everything it takes to be a successful local elected leader.
In our view, she deserves your vote — and has earned the chance to represent District 2.
Herrera, who has served on the Pierce County Council since being appointed to the position in August 2022, failed to attend The News Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsement meeting – which had been rescheduled at his request to a date all parties agreed upon.
Several subsequent attempts to reach Herrera were unsuccessful.
We do not endorse candidates who decline to meet with us.
News Tribune election endorsements reflect the views of our Editorial Board and are written by opinion editor Matt Driscoll. Other board members are: Stephanie Pedersen, News Tribune president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; Amanda Figueroa, community representative; Kent Hojem, community representative; and Pamela Transue, a community representative who serves during election season. In certain cases, Editorial Board members with conflicts of interest may abstain from participating in specific endorsement decisions. The Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom and does not influence the work of news reporting and editing staffs. We do not endorse any candidates who do not interview with us. We do not endorse in uncontested races. For questions, email matt.driscoll@thenewstribune.com.
This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 5:00 AM.