City of Des Moines

Incumbent Traci Buxton is running for re-election to Des Moines City Council, Position 5. Buxton has been a council member since 2018 and has worked on several committees including the Economic Development Committee, the Municipal Facilities Committee, and as the chair of the Environment Committee. Outside of the city council, she works in property management.

Buxton’s campaign priorities include the environment, community safety, and making Des Moines a destination city. She has proven her commitment to environmental issues through promoting the Green Cities Partnership and Urban Forestry Fund in her role on the council. If re-elected, Buxton wants to create more public green spaces and continue building partnerships on environmental issues. She is also an advocate for police reform through policies like de-escalation training, mandatory body cameras, and adopting the 8-Can’t-Wait reform steps.

Also running for Position 5 is Tad Doviak, a Des Moines resident who works in IT. Doviak is involved in the community through his positions as a block watch captain and a member of the Des Moines Police Foundation board of directors. He claims to have a strong interest in the issue of public safety but doesn’t offer policy recommendations or details of what that looks like. The rest of his campaign priorities are less clear. John Theofelis is also in this race, but he has no campaign presence. As of July 2021, Theofelis still lacked a campaign website or any sort of statement in the King County Voters Guide.

While Buxton is not the most progressive candidate, her strong support from local leaders and organizations make her the best choice in the race for Position 5 on the Des Moines City Council.

Yoshiko Grace Matsui has been involved with LGTBQ and anti-racism advocacy for many years. She was one of the first youth board members for Hands Off Washington, which between 1993 and 1997 sought to protect Washingtonians against discrimination based on sexual orientation. More recently, she served as the Director of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Puget Sound and currently works in the Workforce Equity Division in Seattle. She also serves as the King County Water District #54 Commissioner, ensuring that Des Moines’ water services are up-to-date.

Matsui's priorities for the council are aimed at elevating transparency and decision-making power for all communities in Des Moines. She notes that she wants to promote public and open discussions about the termination of city staff, such as the former police chief, who she states was let go despite a commitment to community policing. She also wants to focus on regional collaboration on housing instability and common infrastructure improvements in roads and intersections, stating that the council is planning a $50 million marina plan that focuses on the needs of the wealthy yacht owners only.