This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
Tacoma residents will be tasked with appointing a new mayor for the city in this year’s general election, deciding between City Councilmembers John Hines and Anders Ibsen.
Victoria Woodards has been the mayor of Tacoma since 2018. Since she has reached the limit in the number of terms she’s allowed to serve, she is bowing out in favor of new leadership.
Ibsen had a strong lead in August’s primary election, more than doubling Hines’ tally. Ibsen received 38.5% of the vote (13,442 votes) while Hines earned 19.2% (6,709 votes), edging out Whitney Stevens by 1,262 votes.
Washington uses a top-two primary system in local elections, meaning the two candidates who received the most votes in the primary advance to the general election in November.
Ibsen, 39, served on the Tacoma City Council for eight years, from 2012 to 2019, in addition to being a broker at a real estate firm in Tacoma. He previously faced off against Hines for a council seat in 2015, winning that election a decade ago.
Hines joined the council five years later, reelected in 2024, while also working as an instructional specialist within Tacoma Public Schools.
The city’s budget, public safety, expanding available housing, and improving workers’ conditions remain the top priorities for both candidates.
Hines’ solution to the housing crisis is to expedite the permitting process for builders while enhancing collaboration between city staff and developers. Ibsen’s solution is to utilize unused municipal land for additional housing projects while revising building codes to facilitate faster, easier, and more efficient construction.
Last month, the Tacoma City Council passed Hines’ measure to expand the city’s camping ban. The initial camping ban was passed in 2022 after Hines drafted the measure in response to a sharp increase in public health and safety concerns reported by community members regarding areas near Tacoma shelters.
Three years later, Hines asked to expand the city’s no-camping ordinance.
According to The Tacoma News Tribune, city officials estimate there will be a $15 million deficit in the 2027-2028 biennial budget.
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