The News Tribune endorsement: Our pick in Tacoma City Council District 3

The race to represent District 3 on the Tacoma City Council, which includes Hilltop, Central Tacoma and parts of the South End, will appear on primary ballots.

It promises to be a doozy.

In total, five candidates are seeking to replace current council member Keith Blocker, who has served for the last eight years and is term-limited this time around. In late June, The News Tribune Editorial Board interviewed four of them. Sheldon Greyell declined the invitation; by rule, we do not endorse candidates who don’t meet with us.

The District 3 race was the toughest decision we faced as an Editorial Board this year, by far. There are six members on the board during endorsement season, and no candidate walked away with clear, overwhelming support. All of them bring different strengths and potential weaknesses, and even choosing our top two — which is the compromise we ultimately settled on, at least for now — required multiple discussions and impassioned debates.

For the Aug. 1 primary, we’re endorsing local attorney Chris Van Vechten and local community activist Jamika Scott. Both have run for office before — Van Vechten for Tacoma School Board and Scott for mayor — and both clearly demonstrated the ability and acumen to succeed Blocker and assume the weighty responsibility of representing a district that’s historically been underserved and overlooked.

They’re very different candidates. But each of them possesses qualities, attributes and perspectives that would serve District 3 well if given the opportunity, provided they’re able to grow into the role and master the art of constructive compromise.

For many Tacoma residents, Scott, 36, rose to local prominence in the aftermath of the police killing of Manuel Ellis. Through the Tacoma Action Collective, which she co-founded, Scott has been a vocal critic of the excessive use of force by local law enforcement, emerging as a strong and respected proponent of long-overdue police reform. But her local advocacy around issues of race and equity date back much further. In 2015, Scott, who grew up on Hilltop, was instrumental in the Tacoma Action Collective’s “Stop Erasing Black People” campaign, which confronted the lack of Black representation in Tacoma Art Museum’s “Art AIDS America” exhibit. She has also worked on the ground level to help local residents experiencing homelessness, and has served as a tutor and mentor at Peace Community Center.

As an Editorial Board, we were impressed by Scott’s conviction and her dedication to working on behalf of populations that have historically been ignored. There’s little doubt that the Tacoma City Council could use more of that, and Scott’s inclusion in difficult policy decisions would be an improvement over the status quo. Any lingering hesitation we harbor regarding her candidacy is largely related to Scott’s ability to work collaboratively and constructively with other members of the council when decisions don’t go her way, which remains an unknown. At the same time, we also believe that injecting a bit of tension in council deliberations wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Scott told The News Tribune Editorial Board she’s running for Tacoma City Council for the same reason that’s inspired all of her work in the community she grew up in: to make change.

“I know what it feels like to be failed by a system that should be there to help people when they are down and to cheer them on when they are thriving,” Scott said. “I’ve worked for years on the edges of this system, and I have tried in many ways to have access to the seats that are needed to change and address the issues that we are facing here. And I’ve done all of that in the face of a system that wants me to do nothing more than shut up. I’ll never be quiet about Tacoma. My action has shown that I will never be quiet about Tacoma.”

Van Vechten, who will be 39 in September, is a local defense attorney who attended the University of Puget Sound, and like many before decided to call Tacoma home after graduation. Married and raising a 7-year-old daughter, Van Vechten bought a home on Hilltop and practices law nearby. His involvement in local politics traces back to his time working as a staffer for longtime Tacoma State Representative Dennis Flannigan. After earning a law degree, Van Vechten worked for the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office and later the Lakewood City Attorney’s Office before changing teams and going into criminal defense.

One of Van Vechten’s most appealing attributes is the perspective he’d bring to policy decisions related to responding to increases in both low-level crimes and violent offenses. At a time when many progressives struggle to articulate an approach that acknowledges both the need to address underlying systemic causes and swiftly respond to the negative impacts on the community, Van Vechten’s take is refreshing, marrying his experience working within a flawed criminal justice system and the legitimate concerns he hears from voters on the campaign trail.

As with Scott, our co-endorsement of Van Vechten doesn’t arrive without reservations. He displays no lack of confidence, and you can tell. While he regularly provides well-thought-out answers and unique solutions, we’re unsure if he’s the best fit to represent the district. Some humility and constructive self doubt might go a long way, particularly as a white candidate running to represent an area of Tacoma with a significant number of historically disenfranchised voters of color.

“I’m in this race at the request of my community because the biggest issues facing our city today are crime, homelessness and housing affordability,” Van Vechten told The News Tribune Editorial Board. “Moving the needle on those issues is going to require frontline professional experience that’s grounded in both compassion and common sense.”

Frazier, 57, did not earn our endorsement, but he did earn the Editorial Board’s respect and admiration. A first-time candidate, he’s a local homeowner, state employee and union leader who clearly has good ideas and energy to offer. We hope he runs again in the future, and stays active and engaged in the meantime.

Redeemer, 26, also failed to win us over. While he had his moments during the endorsement interview, we largely emerged wanting more — particularly because he secured early endorsements from a host of prominent local elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Marilyn Strickland, state Rep. Laurie Jinkins and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards. We think Redeemer would benefit from more time and experience. If he moves on to the general election or decides to run again in the future, a clearer vision for his candidacy would be helpful.

This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 5:00 AM.