There are no good candidates running for Lakewood City Council, Position 4. Write in the progressive candidate of your choice.
Paul Wagemann is a retired military veteran, Republican precinct committee officer, and business owner who has run for a total of 12 different positions since 2007, most often as a Republican. In 2009, Wagemann was elected to fill a vacant position on the Clover Park School Board. He was censured after an investigation in June of 2022 for racial discrimination towards Superintendent Ron Banner, declaring that his behavior went against the Board's Policy and commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Wagemann's platform priorities for Lakewood include making the city more business-friendly and addressing homelessness, though his website is inoperable as of mid-September so no further details are available.
The other candidate for Position 4 on the Lakewood City Council is Ryan Pearson, a civil engineer for Pierce County. Pearson currently serves on the Lakewood Planning Commission and describes himself as a "fiscally conservative moderate."
Pearson, like Wagemann, has no website as of mid-October, so no endorsements or detailed policy positions are available. His voter's pamphlet statement says he supports development that creates opportunities for residents to live close to employment hubs. However, he stokes fears by promising that we will feel safer if we just jail more people, and promises to "resist" progressive criminal justice reforms that the Legislature has passed.
While Pearson is a slightly better choice than the twice-censured Wagemann, neither is a progressive option.
There are no good candidates running for Lakewood City Council, Position 4. Write in the progressive candidate of your choice.
Paul Wagemann is a retired military veteran, Republican precinct committee officer, and business owner who has run for a total of 12 different positions since 2007, most often as a Republican. In 2009, Wagemann was elected to fill a vacant position on the Clover Park School Board. He was censured after an investigation in June of 2022 for racial discrimination towards Superintendent Ron Banner, declaring that his behavior went against the Board's Policy and commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Wagemann's platform priorities for Lakewood include making the city more business-friendly and addressing homelessness, though his website is inoperable as of mid-September so no further details are available.
The other candidate for Position 4 on the Lakewood City Council is Ryan Pearson, a civil engineer for Pierce County. Pearson currently serves on the Lakewood Planning Commission and describes himself as a "fiscally conservative moderate."
Pearson, like Wagemann, has no website as of mid-October, so no endorsements or detailed policy positions are available. His voter's pamphlet statement says he supports development that creates opportunities for residents to live close to employment hubs. However, he stokes fears by promising that we will feel safer if we just jail more people, and promises to "resist" progressive criminal justice reforms that the Legislature has passed.
While Pearson is a slightly better choice than the twice-censured Wagemann, neither is a progressive option.
