New Opinion Editor joins The News Tribune. Tacoma, let’s talk
The end of 2020 didn’t seem like a great time for new beginnings. Still, that’s when I got to do something I’d dreamed about for years: I locked up my empty apartment and drove hundreds of miles with my family back to Tacoma, my hometown.
Not that I didn’t love Oakland, Calif., my home of more than 15 years by that point. But I found myself continually hyping the place where I lived my entire childhood to anyone who’d listen. Tacoma is like the Oakland of the Puget Sound region, I’d explain, before delving into the City of Destiny’s arts, industry, nature and, of course, grit.
Eventually, I talked myself into moving back.
While I was gone, I trained and worked as a journalist for more than 10 years. I continued that work from a small desk in my kitchen once I got back, finding ways to include people and places from the Pacific Northwest in my stories. Then I saw a new opportunity to serve my community.
It wasn’t in my original plan to join The News Tribune as Opinion Editor. Matt Driscoll, the last person to hold this post, was deeply admired in this community and remains irreplaceable. I only knew of him through his work, but I know the Tacoma region will continue to feel the loss and unfairness of his sudden passing last year.
I’m grateful for the example of civic engagement and good humor Matt set (“Old Uncle Hotdog,” indeed). As I take on this role, I hope to write about the region with an alchemy of love and critical thinking. Part of loving Tacoma is wanting more for it, and for me that means looking at the stuff that stirs up hometown pride, and the problems too.
I think that’s the point of an opinion columnist: to add the heart and convictions of the person writing into the process of gathering facts and interviewing the people central to an issue. Tacoma has plenty of heart, and I’m here to speak to that.
I’m also dedicated to taking on issues in good faith. To me, a good faith conversation means considering “both sides” of an issue, but it doesn’t mean assuming they’re always equally valid. You can expect me to look in good faith for what’s valid while pointing out what isn’t.
I’ll also own up right now to the fact that some of my most frequent opinions are, “It’s way more complicated than you think,” and, “Two things can be true at the same time.”
If you want to talk over anything you think deserves attention in the region, please send me a note. I’m eager to hear from you.
As for the paper’s editorials, including election endorsements, I’ll continue The News Tribune’s tradition of having one vote of many on a diverse editorial board. As before, editorials from the paper itself will synthesize the group’s consensus and won’t represent my voice alone.
I expect some readers to disagree with me much of the time, and all readers to disagree with me some of the time. That’s okay, and I hope we can all learn from each other.
It would be impossible for me to always have your opinion, but I am your opinion writer.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.