City of Puyallup

Incumbent Commissioner Dick Marzano is running to retain Port of Tacoma, Position 2. Marzano was first elected commissioner in 1995 and serves on the executive committee for the Puget Sound Regional Council. Before his career in public service, Marzano spent 52 years working in Tacoma as a longshoreman and was also the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23.

If re-elected, Marzano wants to prioritize environmental protections and job creation. With his background as a longshoreman, Marzano knows that the two issues are connected and that those who live and work near the port are directly affected by its environmental impact. However, Marzano has not been supportive of protecting our communities from pollution from the proposed LNG facility.

Mary Bacon is running for Port of Tacoma, Commissioner Position 4. Bacon is an environmental scientist, health physicist, and veteran. She served as the elected president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 12 where she advocated for workers’ rights during multiple successful contract negotiations.

If elected, Bacon hopes to address traffic congestion in and around the port, help foster greater economic growth, and ensure environmental stewardship that protects the unique estuarine ecosystem. She would prioritize science-backed climate policy and wants to see ports along the coast working together. Bacon has been endorsed by the Washington Conservation Voters, which sets her apart from her opponent despite listing similar platforms on their websites.

Incumbent commissioner Don Meyer is running to retain the Position 4 seat he assumed after first being elected in 2010. Before that, Meyer served as the deputy director of the Port of Tacoma and the executive director of the Foss Waterway Development Authority. If re-elected, he wants to continue pursuing a more conservative agenda focused on modernizing terminals and waterways, but also intends to limit revenue, putting many improvements beyond reach.

Mary Bacon is the best choice in this race to improve the port’s environment policies and advocate for the workers who keep Tacoma’s port running.

Julie Door is running unopposed for re-election to Position 2 in District 3 on the Puyallup City Council. Door first joined the council in 2014 and was then elected by her council colleagues to serve as mayor in 2020. Door is a local, small business owner, and she is a member of the South Sound 911 board and the former chair of the Puyallup Kiwanis Club’s community services committee. In this race, Door is endorsed by an impressive number of elected and community leaders and progressive organizations.

Since joining the council, Door has worked to expand public green space, strengthen community safety, and address the housing crisis with shelter solutions. She helped to implement the Safe Routes to Schools initiative and supported the Van Lierop farm purchase in order to create a new park. In this race, Door wants to focus on building an economy for all through strategic infrastructure investments that would benefit transportation and Puyallup’s livability. She also wants to keep working to reduce homelessness and finally achieve accessible, safe housing for all residents. Door would also work to keep Puyallup safe, especially from the continuing spread of coronavirus, and keep improving the public school system so that all students can thrive.

Julie Door deserves to be re-elected to Position 2 on the Puyallup City Council in District 3.

Joe Colombo is running for Puyallup City Council in District 2 for Position 2. He is an elected precinct committee officer in Pierce County and the founder of Indivisible Puyallup. Colombo serves on the City of Puyallup Design Review & Historic Preservation Board and has worked in IT in project management and facilitation. He brings both community leadership and grassroots political experience to his campaign.

In this race, Colombo is prioritizing pedestrian safety, affordable housing, economic vitality, equity and diversity, disability accommodations, and community-focused government spending. He has stated that his first objective would be to form an equity and ethics commission to bring Puyallup citizens together to work on making the city better for all residents. Colombo is also focused on public safety and wants to invest in traffic lights, sidewalk maintenance, and community emergency response teams.

Challenging Colombo is Dennis King, a Puyallup Civil Service Commissioner, real estate agent, and business owner. King is running a reactionary campaign that prioritizes business interests above community needs, aims to cut social services, and promotes divisive policy. One key difference between the candidates is their proposed solution - or lack thereof - to address homelessness. The News Tribune reports that while Colombo wants to sustainably expand services that are already working, like shelters and human services, King repeatedly brought up keeping "Seattle-style politics" out of Puyallup.

It's important to note that in 2019, Puyallup spent more money on lawyers and legal settlements defending its laws that criminalize homelessness than distributing money to local nonprofits that serve people experiencing homelessness. The city needs solutions, not divisive political rhetoric.

Joe Colombo is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Position 2 on the Puyallup City Council in District 2.