City of Tacoma

Victoria Woodards is running for re-election to be the mayor of Tacoma. She had a long track record of public service before becoming mayor in 2017. Woodards supports working families and is committed to maintaining safe and healthy neighborhoods across Tacoma. She also crucially understands the importance of addressing institutional racism and has a demonstrated history of working within communities of color and building diverse coalitions to address the problems facing Tacoma. In her time on the Tacoma City Council, Woodards worked on establishing Tacoma’s Office of Equity and Human Rights.

While Woodards previously supported the proposal to build a highly polluting liquefied natural gas facility in Tacoma because it would have created jobs, she has since emphasized she does not support any new fossil fuel facilities in the Tideflats.

Also in this race are Jamika Scott and Steve Haverly. Scott has worked as a domestic violence advocate at YWCA Pierce County and mentored students with AmeriCorps at Peace Community Center. She is also a co-founder and organizer with the Tacoma Action Collective and a board member with the Tacoma Public Library Foundation Board of Directors. Scott is very progressive and her platform includes advocating for rent control, bringing a restorative justice model to Tacoma, and meeting the transportation and social service needs of people experiencing homelessness. Haverly is a first-time candidate who works in construction and land management. Haverly does not have a strong or progressive campaign platform and while he claims to be non-partisan, what little campaign information he does have available demonstrates his priorities would not align with what Tacoma's communities need as we come together to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woodards has earned broad support from our Progressive Voters Guide partner organizations and numerous elected officials. Woodards is the best choice for mayor of Tacoma.

Catherine Ushka is running for re-election to Tacoma City Council, Position 4. Ushka was first elected to the council in 2017 and previously served on the Tacoma School Board for eight years. She chairs the Community Vitality and Safety Committee and is a member of groups including the Parks Policy Board and Opioid Prevention Taskforce.

In her time on the council, Ushka supported apprenticeship programs by changing labor codes to make these programs more accessible. If she's re-elected, Ushka wants to do more to fight racial inequalities in health, housing, education, employment, and law enforcement. She states that she will continue to work for more flexible federal funding for housing and shelters, including low-barrier shelters with fewer barriers to entry for the city's unhoused population. Ushka also feels the city needs to increase zoning density where suitable to address the housing deficit and provide additional resources for responding to mental health crises. 

Also in this race are Israel James McKinney and Nolan Hibbard-Pelly. McKinney has worked for Boeing and Xfinity and currently works for Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services. His platform includes prioritizing education, supporting police reform and accountability, and reducing the gap in affordable housing. Hibbard-Pelly is an environmental activist and student at the University of Washington Tacoma whose platform includes bringing a Green New Deal to Tacoma, municipal broadband for everyone in Tacoma, and improving accessibility of neighborhoods through public works.

Our local council was disappointed with some of Ushka's interview answers, including her support for moving the migrant detention center to the Nalley Valley. However, Ushka’s support from local progressive groups and our partner organizations makes her the best choice in the race for Tacoma City Council, Position 4.

Anne Artman is running for Tacoma City Council, Position 5. She is the founder and executive director of the Tacoma Recovery Center and previously served as the program manager of the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center.

Artman's campaign priorities include dealing with the affordable housing and homelessness crises, increasing behavioral health and social services, bringing more women- and Black-, brown-, and Indigenous-owned businesses to the community, and supporting Tacoma’s small businesses. She is also emphasizing social and racial justice and will work for more accountability, transparency, and equitable opportunities for all communities. Artman has been endorsed by progressive leaders like House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Rep. Melanie Morgan and groups including the Stonewall Democrats and the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Also in this race are Joe Bushnell and Treyvon Dunbar. Bushnell is a Tacoma Public Utilities board member and Marine Corps veteran. He is running on a platform that focuses on addressing homelessness and creating jobs. However, Bushnell's orientation toward helping downtown businesses has raised concerns among local labor unions. In addition, he is more focused on improving law enforcement response times than making meaningful police reforms that will keep our community safe.

Dunbar is the sergeant-at-arms and former treasurer for the 29th Legislative District Democrats as well as the treasurer for the Pierce County Young Democrats. His campaign priorities include affordable housing, police accountability including de-escalation training, and ensuring local construction benefits the community instead of a few developers.

Artman has earned strong support from our Progressive Voters Guide partners, as well as progressive elected and community leaders. Artman is the best choice in the race for Tacoma City Council, Position 5.