City of Olympia

Jasmine Vasavada is running for the District 1 seat on the Port of Olympia being vacated by the retiring Commissioner Joe Downing. Vasavada is the director of policy and government affairs for the Washington State Department of Commerce where she strives to help Washington communities and economies thrive. She has worked in public service for years and, before that, she used her law degree for public interest advocacy and legislation.

Vasavada is running on a broadly progressive platform to generate community economic prosperity, protect Thurston’s ecosystem, and build a culture of diversity and belonging at the port. She wants to invest in broadband for rural farms and ranches, innovate support for small businesses, create living wage jobs, clean up Budd Bay, restore the Deschutes Estuary, and collaborate with the community, including seeking partnerships with tribal governments. In this race, Vasavada has been endorsed by progressive elected leaders at the state and local level and community organizations including political, labor, and advocacy groups.

Vasavada is facing two opponents in this race: Bill McGregor and Skye Campbell-Ragsdale. Former commissioner McGregor served on Olympia’s elected port commission for 15 years. Before that, he spent his decades-long career working at a number of different Washington ports in high-level operations positions, including at the Port of Olympia. McGregor is also active on a number of community boards. If elected to serve again, he wants to improve economic investment in the community, prioritize environmental stewardship, and lead by engaging the community.

Campbell-Ragsdale is a first-time candidate with a professional background in fulfillment and assembly. Campbell-Ragsdale served as a member of the planning commission and credits their campaign to a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. In this race, they want to push the port further on climate commitments and employ a local-first and ecologically mindful approach to all economic development initiatives. Campbell-Ragsdale wants to lead the port so that generations to come can benefit from Olympia’s economic and environmental vitality.

We recommend Vasavada for Port of Olympia, District 1 because of her strong platform and impressive endorsements from progressive advocates.
 

Maggie Sanders is running for the newly created District 4 seat on the Port of Olympia. Sanders identifies as a “triple citizen” of the United States, of the Washington community at-large, and of the Makah tribe. She has dedicated her career to public service, working in environmental stewardship, workforce development, and community advocacy, particularly for tribal representation and within the Makah tribe. In her most recent position, Sanders advocated for clean air, representing local tribes as a commissioner on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Tribal Air Association.

If elected, Sanders wants to be a staunch advocate for environmental and community concerns on the port. She believes that there can’t be economic development without both community and workforce development to ensure that port investments can lift all boats. Her extensive experience in public service and expertise in public administration paired with her demonstrated progressive values position her well to execute her campaign priorities. In this race, Sanders has far outpaced her opponents in progressive endorsements.

Sanders faces three opponents in this race for the new commissioner seat. Rose Chiu Gundersen is a first-time candidate and business leader. Gundersen grew up in Hong Kong and has established herself strongly in the community as a small business owner, liaison for small businesses to the Washington State Department of Labor, and most recently in high-level retail services for the Washington Retail Association. She co-founded Washington Trafficking Prevention. In this campaign, her top priority is to beautify the waterfront to make Thurston County a destination, and she also wants to combat human trafficking, create living wage jobs, and invest in some environmental clean-ups.

Also in this race is Joanna Manson, a professional city planner. Manson has held community leadership positions with the International Division of the American Planning Association and her church, and she volunteers with The Nature Conservancy and with the county’s Earth Day programming. While she displays a strong grasp of port procedures and issues, she lacks a bold progressive vision. If elected, she wants to ensure effective and responsible port governance that reflects the needs of all residents, including rural voices.

Bill Moomau is the final candidate in this race. Moomau spent three decades at the Department of Labor and Industries. He volunteers for a number of AIDS-related advocacy groups and previously served as the director of the Thurston County Fairboard. Moomau’s campaign platform is heavily focused on economic planning for the port and lacks some of the community and environmental considerations of his opponents. However, he does have some ideas for using port resources to mitigate the housing crisis.

We recommend Maggie Sanders for Port of Olympia, District 4 to bring her progressive vision and public service experience to the commission.

First-time candidate Sarah Tonge is running to serve the Port of Olympia in the newly created District 5. Tonge has more than a decade of experience working in information technology, and she previously served as a Democratic precinct committee officer. She volunteers with the local Democrats in additional roles and as a member of Moms Demand Action.

Tonge is running a progressive campaign that strongly emphasizes port leadership that protects a green future for Thurston County. Her campaign priorities include engaging the port’s diverse community and industry stakeholders, bringing tech upgrades to improve port efficiency, and putting the community and the ecosystem above special interests. She has earned endorsements from the county Democrats and local progressive organizations, as well as elected and non-elected community members.

Also in this race is Troy Kirby, a local cider bar owner, former Lacey City Council candidate, and sports consultant. Kirby is running on a platform that lacks progressive ideas to uplift Olympia and instead focuses on potentially cutting community funding and streamlining port services. Residents deserve a port commissioner who will approach the seat with a bold, community-centric vision.

Martin McElliott is a real estate broker and the founder of ThurstonTalk.com. He is running on a thin platform with no specific positions or ideas to improve the port, and he lacks a campaign website as of mid-July.

Sarah Tonge is the best choice in this race and deserves your vote for Port of Olympia, District 5.
 

Dontae Derrell Payne is a US Army veteran and Olympia City Council member running for Mayor of Olympia. He has national experience as a staffer in the US House and currently works as a policy advisor for civil rights and racial justice in the office of the governor. He became the first Black man to serve on the Olympia City Council when he was elected in 2021.

Payne was first motivated to run for office because of the lack of representation of Black and brown people in city government. He says his experience as a gay, Black, former military member will bring the voice of marginalized people to the table. In his bid for mayor, his key concerns are housing affordability, reimagining public safety, a resilient economy, social equity and diverse representation, and climate mitigation. 

In recent years, Payne has supported renters' rights legislation that capped move-in fees and required landlords to give more advanced notice of rent increases. He also advocated for community-based health care and sidewalk accessibility for people with disabilities. During his time, the city council additionally accepted the conclusions of the "Reimagining Public Safety" workgroup — a community-led effort to address the root causes of crime and make public safety truly equitable.

Payne has a nuanced opinion on defunding the police. Although he had a personal negative experience with a patrol officer and wants to get systemic racism out of policing, he sees the discussion of the budget as "a convenient distraction from white supremacy" when there is still a need for officers. He supports additional funding for body cameras, social services, and the city's crisis response unit.

Payne's challengers are Desiree Chantal Toliver and David Ross. Toliver is an aspiring nurse and self-identified Democratic Socialist who recently graduated with her associate's degree from Puget Sound Community College. She does not have any political experience and offers few specifics on her website as of mid-July. Ross is a typically conservative candidate whose platform is based on increasing policing and ineffective and harmful encampment sweeps.

Because of his extensive experience, proven track record, and dedication to racial justice, Payne is the best choice in this race.