Recently, the Tacoma Sun sent a questionnaire to all of the candidates that filed to run in the 2023 City Council elections. The first round of questions focuses on Tacoma’s biggest issues. Here, we present the responses received so far. We’ll do updates as responses come in.
UPDATE: added John Hines’ responses 7/25/2023
Todd Briske, Tacoma City Council candidate for At-Large Position 8:
Tacoma Sun: What will you do to reduce the impact of encampments on residents and small businesses?
I agreed with the decision of the council to create a 10-block camping ban around existing homeless shelters. To be in accordance with the 9th Circuit Martin v. Boise decision, I want to make sure that we have enough emergency shelter beds to place everybody currently living on the street. As long as these shelters are distributed around the city, that should give us the ability to ensure that nobody is left to live on the street.
Tacoma Sun: The Pierce County Jail currently releases nearly all of the people who have been arrested in Pierce County into downtown Tacoma – even if they are arrested in remote areas of the county or in some cases from outside of the county. This has resulted in a highly disproportionate number of felons being released in downtown Tacoma. What specific steps would you take to reduce the number of felons being released in Tacoma? Would you support a plan which transports jail releases to the places where they live?
That does seem problematic. It is not an issue I have looked into, so I would have to see a few possible solutions and their possible impacts, but the current situation does not seem fair. I would be willing to consider a transport solution.
Tacoma Sun: What do you propose be done to repair the small business community which was devastated during and after the Covid response?
It did aggravate me to see small businesses crushed and big businesses flourish because of the covid protocols. Not being a business owner myself, I would have to learn from each of them what the biggest impediments are for each business. I will always prioritize small local businesses.
Tacoma Sun: Do you support increasing Tacoma Police funding to add more officers to improve public safety?
My participation in the City of Tacoma Citizens’ Academy, seeing the understaffing and how thin the department is stretched, made me decide to run for this council position. I would use 911 call response time as a metric to decide how many patrol officers are required. Our current average of 10 minutes for a priority 1 call is unacceptable. Much in the same way I would use detective caseload as a metric to decide how many detectives we require. If a homicide detective has to work 3+ cases at a time, those cases can’t get as much time as they might have otherwise. We need to get back to making sure all stolen vehicle reports are taken in person, and not over the phone. I will do everything in my power to make sure we fill our open positions and create new ones until we attain these goals.
Chris Van Vechten, Tacoma City Council candidate for District 3, Position 3
Tacoma Sun: What will you do to reduce the impact of encampments on residents and small businesses?
As a public defender and small business owner, I believe the best way to reduce the impact of encampments on Tacoma is to get people out of tents and into stable housing and into hope through public-private partnerships that blend innovation with pragmatism. We require systems that provide opportunity for all and accountability from all for this to succeed. The past hands-off policy of expecting people in this situation to get housed when they want, where they want, under whatever conditions they want, has not worked and has had a devastating impact on our community as well as the people living in those camps. This is despite unprecedented investment in the issue. Everyone I meet at the door says the same thing “I want the City to do something about this that is humane and effective.” And I just respond: “if it’s not effective, it can’t be called humane.” So doing what works is our first priority and then fully funding the solution.
The City Council not only has the legal authority but also a civic responsibility to regulate the public’s conduct in public spaces to ensure the public health and safety of everyone who calls Tacoma home. Boise v Martin is a criminal law case, and as a criminal defense attorney I assure you it does not declare that people have a right to claim and adversely possess public property if they are unhoused. Furthermore, telling someone they can’t camp somewhere is not “criminalizing homelessness.” In more than 13 years practicing criminal law, I have never prosecuted nor defended anyone just for pitching a tent on public property. It is certainly true that homeless populations are disproportionately targeted by police, often unfairly, but that is a separate issue.
Funding an empathetic response to homelessness cannot be achieved without the support of tax systems which are compromised by unregulated encampments. Too many people no longer feel safe shopping local, and hat is a major problem.
As to what to do to reduce homelessness, I’m entirely non-partisan.
- I support both sober and barrier free housing.
- I support the social housing model, and also creating incentives to encourage private landlords to take risks on tenants who are difficult to place – like those people I represent in court who may have a home but aren’t allowed to go home because home is where the crime occurred.
- I support big projects like Pierce County Village, and I also support subsidies to keep low-income Tacomans housed. I even like Tacoma’s GRIT program (originally called the UBI pilot program…though of course it isn’t really UBI).
- I believe we need to work regionally to get people housed, to improve and share data on our unhoused populations, and we need to audit the claims of those living in tents to determine what is really going on in their lives rather than relying on self-reported narratives that may not really address the underlying issue. My job as a criminal defense attorney is to challenge the established narrative, and doing so requires I vet both the State’s case and sometimes also my client’s claims. It’s only then that I can serve them.
- We need better and more accessible treatment programs, and we need to expect treatment providers to do this work in person and not on Zoom like some have over the past few years. My clients are people, not pixels. Helping them out of this is extremely difficult under any circumstances, and I believe impossible from behind a screen, if my clients can maintain cellphone stability to begin with.
Tacoma Sun: The Pierce County Jail currently releases nearly all of the people who have been arrested in Pierce County into downtown Tacoma – even if they are arrested in remote areas of the county or in some cases from outside of the county. This has resulted in a highly disproportionate number of felons being released in downtown Tacoma. What specific steps would you take to reduce the number of felons being released in Tacoma? Would you support a plan which transports jail releases to the places where they live?
For various reasons, this is actually less of an issue than it used to be.
But imagine you are arrested. The police search your pockets incident to arrest and take your keys, wallet, cellphone and everything and anything else before transporting you to jail where they finally take your clothes and put you in a jail uniform. You subsequently are charged with a crime and sometimes bail is imposed depending on a myriad of factors.
But in most cases you’ll be released at arraignment these days. The police may be holding your cellphone in evidence but allow you the opportunity to make a call for a ride using one of their phones. The problem with this is that, in 2023, most people don’t have many phone numbers memorized.
Now some police officers will allow you prior to transporting you into custody to search your cellphone and write down some numbers on your arms in sharpie to make calls when you get to jail. Some do this because they are nice officers, others do it because they want to search your phone history with you for evidence of additional crimes, which makes this a dangerous gambit.
Once in custody, however, getting a phone number off your cell is damn near impossible. For starters, they may not have a charger for it at the jail, which means it may be dead by the time you get there. Second, officers can’t open a phone without your permission or a warrant because that constitutes an unconstitutional search. Third, officers are in the habit of holding cellphones indefinitely on the pretext of preserving it as evidence and if you access the phone after it was taken in evidence, there is the potential for contamination and other miscellaneous evidentiary concerns. And although theoretically officers would likely find substantial evidence on cellphones – particularly in the domestic violence or drug context – in practice, they very rarely actually take the time to investigate by procuring search warrants. Instead, they merely hold the phone indefinitely and I suspect eventually sell them to someone. Sometimes after a case resolves, my client’s get the phone back, but often times not. In one case the police held my client’s phone for 7 months before the prosecutor even bothered to file charges.
So I think so long as this is an issue – and it remains one, though again, less than it use to be, it does make sense to contract with Uber or other ride share organizations to ensure people get home if they’re not able to call in a ride. But it would take the County Council rather than the City to lead the charge on that.
Tacoma Sun: What do you propose be done to repair the small business community which was devastated during and after the Covid response?
So I’ve been a Tacoma business owner for 9 years now. I’m not sure how I survived the last 3, but I did.
I think it makes sense to look at our B&O tax and ask ourselves if it makes sense to raise the threshold on gross revenue. We’ve been at $250k for the past 11 or 13 years and our business community has had to weather incredible challenges since then – including record inflation. I also think it makes sense to have different thresholds for collection for different businesses districts.
For example, back in April, an employee of Ice Cream Social told me the Proctor location is making $4 for every $1 the Hilltop location is because of prolonged delays tied to Link extension and issues of safety in the neighborhood. It’s probably a lot easier to gross $250k in Proctor than it is in Hilltop, but the B&O tax doesn’t seem to consider that nor to recognize the incredible risk business owners take when they invest in neighborhoods like mine. It also fails to consider the racial dynamics of who is a business owner on MLK vs Proctor and I want to support BIPOC businesses owners whilst still abiding by SCOTUS’ interpretation of the 14th amendment.
I want to encourage businesses to take a chance on Tacoma so in neighborhoods that score low on equity index the threshold for paying into B&O should maybe be higher than in places like Proctor. For example, if your business in Proctor grosses $250k or more you’re subject to B&O taxation, but if your business is in Hilltop it would be say $300k and say $350K in Madrona, etc. With rising costs and inflation, this isn’t a horrible idea, and there’s precedent in the 21st century for Tacoma doing this.
We have a lot of vacant commercial real estate across Tacoma while the cost of rent inexplicably goes up. My office building on 9th and Yakima was full before 2020, now it’s 2/3rds empty. I consider that a serious problem and I have experience via my 2014 service with the TCRA working with various organizations to provide incentives and assistance with businesses that want to work in Tacoma
I think Tacoma has a livability problem – always has but is now more extreme than we are used to – and I believe by making Tacoma more livable businesses owners will thrive.
Finally, government needs to tell people to get outside their houses again. After years of telling people to “stay home and stay safe” too many people in my district do all their shopping now online out of fear of leaving their home. They don’t go to parks for fear of the homeless, they don’t go to an office, and they don’t even go to grocery stores anymore.
I don’t know how to rebuild real community from behind a computer screen. It’s not healthy for the individual or our community to be so isolated. The more the public accesses public spaces and businesses, the more you’re going to see a reduction in things like crime.
The government helped create this isolationist mentality, it has to play a role in ending it by encouraging people to get out of their house, go for walks, and patronize out local businesses.
One thing that always amazed me is that during the first years of Obama’s presidency, childhood obesity went into decline. This was despite funding cuts to PE and recess during the Great Recession. The credit belongs to Michele Obama, who made childhood fitness and eating right her platform while first lady. She helped spur an explosion of community gardens among other things by simply being a voice for changing our behavior. Sometimes its something as simple as encouraging simple alterations in our behavior that can make a measurable impacts in our community.
Question: Do you support increasing Tacoma Police funding to add more officers to improve public safety?
When I moved to Tacoma, there were 400 officers on TPD’s staff. There were 190,000 people in this town at the time. Last time I checked, there are only 340 officers now despite more than 220,000 people. We need more officers for our growing city, but the shortages have less to do with funding issues than other things. My wife is in healthcare and they have severe shortages of staff too post pandemic even though nurses and doctors were called heroes during the pandemic (even though they weren’t always treated like it.) Many other essential fields are struggling for staff too. These are tough jobs that many people are avoiding right now out of a desire to pursue a greater work life balance, etc.
It’s no secret that I have been calling for justice reforms for years and working with area leaders to make that happen, but what happened in 2020 was beyond anything I ever suggested. The Tacoma of 2019 was over policed and under accountable. I don’t want to go back to that world. But I also don’t want to be stuck in 2020 forever. There has been an overcorrection and a more centrist position is required. We need more police and corrections officer staff to bring us to the center and we also require more jail and prison reforms to move us away from punishment toward restoration and rehabilitation. But it’s unclear to me that a lack of funding is what is driving these shortages right now.
Kristen Wynne, Tacoma City Council At-Large Position 7:
Question: What will you do to reduce the impact of encampments on residents and small businesses?
There are an unacceptable number of people experiencing homelessness in Tacoma. Sadly, too many of them are living in unsanctioned encampments which are dangerous, unsanitary and unhealthy for both those living in them and for the community nearby. Tacoma must prioritize getting folks off the street and into shelter with access to services.
Last year, the city enacted a 10-block buffer ordinance that, according to the city, is leading to larger numbers of people accepting shelter and services. That is movement in the right direction. However, there are issues with the ordinance as written.
First, it must be amended to include RVs and cars which are often found in unsanctioned encampments and pose all the same issues that tents do. Additionally, the ordinance must include our K-12 schools and related bus stops as places protected by the buffer area.
Second, the city must also address the fact that after they’ve cleared an area, the encampment often returns within a short period of time. The city must take steps to prevent this from happening such as site hardening, posting no parking signs, and other similar measures.
Third, unsanctioned encampments must not be allowed to be the site of illegal activity. The city must enforce and prosecute all laws on our books, including those related to the possession and use of illegal drugs in public.
Finally, we cannot allow trash to accumulate for basic health reasons. If we as a city allow people to live on the streets, then we are responsible for cleaning up all waste generated from those sites promptly. We must better manage the trash and feces associated with people living on the street.
Question: The Pierce County Jail currently releases nearly all of the people who have been arrested in Pierce County into downtown Tacoma – even if they are arrested in remote areas of the county or in some cases from outside of the county. This has resulted in a highly disproportionate number of felons being released in downtown Tacoma. What specific steps would you take to reduce the number of felons being released in Tacoma? Would you support a plan which transports jail releases to the places where they live?
Like so many in Tacoma, I am concerned about the high level of crime we are experiencing. I am running for Tacoma City Council to help improve public safety. I am aware that too often inmates are released without a way to arrange transportation home. I have also been told that the area is a hot spot for car theft. If elected I would investigate the details of this situation to fully understand the issues and, at a minimum, would support providing inmates with a free pass for public transportation so that they can return home. This would be good for both the inmates and the community.
Question: What do you propose be done to repair the small business community which was devastated during and after the Covid response?
COVID-19 was a very difficult time for so many in Tacoma. If elected, I will find out if any federal covid funds remain available for businesses who haven’t recovered from the impact of the pandemic.
I also believe Tacoma must be more business-friendly to help all businesses here. To accomplish that, city leadership must solicit input from businesses on issues that impact them and must be responsive when businesses reach out with concerns, including the impact of property crime. Further, the city must make decisions in a measured and predictable manner so that businesses can plan for city-imposed changes. The dramatic increase in business license fees imposed last year without significant input from the business community and with very little advance notice was not acceptable. It left many feeling that Tacoma does not value its business community or understand the challenges of running a small business.
Question: Do you support increasing Tacoma Police funding to add more officers to improve public safety?
Without question, we must find a way to increase the number of officers on our police force. I support additional funding to ensure that we have the staffing levels and resources needed to keep our city safe. At the present time, the city has budgeted for 36 officers at the Police Department but has not yet filled those spots. We must make filling those empty positions a top priority. I also support further analysis to determine whether, when those positions are filled, we have the correct number of officers for a city of our size and character. I am committed to public safety and am proud to be the candidate for Position 7 who is endorsed by the Police Union, Local 6.
John Hines, Tacoma City Council candidate for District 1, Position 1
Question: The Pierce County Jail currently releases nearly all of the people who have been arrested in Pierce County into downtown Tacoma – even if they are arrested in remote areas of the county or in some cases from outside of the county. This has resulted in a highly disproportionate number of felons being released in downtown Tacoma. What specific steps would you take to reduce the number of felons being released in Tacoma? Would you support a plan which transports jail releases to the places where they live?
Releasing people not from Tacoma into the downtown, away from their potential connections and family members, can cut them off from the support needed to ensure that they can transition back into life. There may be some situations where for safety reasons they may not be able to return to their previous residence, but in that case, we can help them find services and resources, and ensure they are connected back in their community.
I would begin by working with our partners at Pierce County to identify ways to coordinate the release of people from Pierce County Jail. This should include resources, medical and mental health resources, housing, and transportation back to their previous community, or as close as possible. We can take the step to move beyond simply releasing people and towards getting them closer to home, and serve both the individual and our city better.
Question: What do you propose be done to repair the small business community which was devastated during and after the Covid response?
I have always been proud of our small businesses and their contribution to making our city the unique and interesting place that it is. The COVID pandemic led to the loss of too many of our small businesses, so it is critical to find ways to make sure those that survived can grow and thrive.
First, the city can support small businesses would be to continue to streamline bureaucratic processes and reduce regulatory burdens to make it easier for small businesses to navigate licensing, permits, and other administrative tasks. This is a time to be innovative and embrace new ideas as businesses are working to bounce back.
Second, the primary responsibility of our city government is making our community safe. We can continue to invest in community safety and making our business districts more welcoming and inviting. I think this will take many forms, from adding police officers, to adding Community Liaison Officers and Community Services Officers to work with businesses, and by removing graffiti and trash. We need to make sure we have a safe environment for businesses to operate and for their employees and customers to visit.
Third, the city has provided funding for broken windows and security in our business districts, and I would like to see those programs continue as needed. At the same time, as we invest in community safety and hopefully see fewer broken windows, I would like to expand and look more closely at providing further financial assistance and grants to small businesses. Of particular interest to me is helping small businesses find street level retail space, both helping businesses find customers and reactivating some of our vacant storefronts.
Finally, we need to focus on bringing people back downtown and back into our business districts. Working to activate our streets with streateries, supporting local events that bring in customers to businesses, working with business districts to attract more foot traffic to small businesses are areas where the city and businesses can work together.
I think if we work on these four areas, and in other areas in collaboration with businesses, we can make Tacoma a place for businesses to grow and thrive post pandemic.
Question: Do you support increasing Tacoma Police funding to add more officers to improve public safety?
The primary responsibility of our city government is making our community safe. Healthy neighborhoods, active business districts, and welcoming public spaces require safety and security.
To achieve this, a critical component is a fully staffed and supported police department. Since I have been on the council, we have continued to try and find ways to invest to improve safety and staff our police department. This has included hiring and retention bonuses to bring in new officers and to keep the ones that we already have. We have slowly reduced the number of open positions, but I am committed to continuing to do the work to fill them all.
While the police department is not the only part of the safety puzzle in our city, they are a very large piece and one that needs adequate people in resources to meet the demands of our community.
Disclosure: Candidate responses are posted as received. Candidate Chris Van Vechten has been personal friends of two Tacoma Sun editorial board members for over 10 years.
The Tacoma Sun 