City Council Appointment Candidates Presentations Today
The process for filling our two Tacoma City Council vacancies is now well under way with a decision expected early in the new year. The applications have been submitted. Every single applicant now has 3 minutes to give a presentation to the Council. And, best of all, you can listen in or watch these presentations starting a bit after noon today.
There are a lot of very qualified individuals on this list. What, in your mind, would be the perfect fit for these two appointments? Do we go with the experience of Rick Talbert or Harold Moss? What about Jim Merritt or David Curry – individuals that ran campaigns but didn’t quite get onto the dais? Or, maybe we should pick somebody completely new.
Here’s the schedule with a link to their applications:
City Council Study Session
TIME |
NAME |
| 12:05 p.m. | Alexander, Morgan |
| 12:10 p.m. | Anderson, RR |
| 12:15 p.m. | Baker, Koree R. |
| 12:20 p.m. | Bearden, Robert |
| 12:25 p.m. | Boe, David |
| 12:30 p.m. | Bray, Louise |
| 12:35 p.m. | Burwell, Donna |
| 12:40 p.m. | Carter, C. Craig |
| 12:45 p.m. | Cowan, Philip |
| 12:50 p.m. | Curry, David |
| 12:55 p.m. | Edmonds, Carolyn |
| 1:00 p.m. | Fisher Jr., Don |
| 1:05 p.m. | Gilligan, Joe |
| 1:10 p.m. | Giron, Christine |
| 1:15 p.m. | Hathaway, John |
| 1:20 p.m. | Heritage, Andrew |
| 1:25 p.m. | Hoard, James E. |
| 1:30 p.m. | Lecy-Davis, Patricia |
| 1:35 p.m. | Magrum, Edwina |
| 1:40 p.m. | Marten, Susanne E. |
| 1:45 p.m. | McIntire, Mark |
| 1:50 p.m. | McMillian, Harold |
| 1:55 p.m. | Mello, Ryan |
| 2:00 p.m. | Merritt, Jim |
| 2:05 p.m. | Yakmoto, Mary Alice |
| 2:10 p.m. | Van Gilder, Chip |
| 2:15 p.m. | Moss, Harold G. |
| 2:20 p.m. | Paulson, Ken |
| 2:25 p.m. | Prosser, Kyle C. |
| 2:30 p.m. | Quan, Julio |
| 2:35 p.m. | Reese, Darion |
| 2:40 p.m. | Reid, Tim |
City Council Meeting
TIME |
NAME |
| 6:15 p.m. | Rendina, Antonio A. |
| 6:20 p.m. | Rojecki, Keven E. |
| 6:25 p.m. | Scheidt, Lynette |
| 6:30 p.m. | Sheehan, Robert |
| 6:35 p.m. | Smitherman, Karen |
| 6:40 p.m. | Talbert, Rick |
| 6:45 p.m. | Thompson, Chris |
| 6:50 p.m. | Tuma, Bernardo |
| 6:55 p.m. | Open |
| 7:00 p.m. | Moss, Bil |
| 7:05 p.m. | Miles, John |
Unavailable
Alger, David T.
Hill, Robert
If we’re able to be online during the meeting today, we will definitely provide updates. If not here, then via Twitter.
Filed under: Politics, General
33 comments
R RR Anderson December 15, 2009
the Hathaway application is epic!
R RR Anderson December 15, 2009
some how jim merritt’s resume has grown from 18 pages to 27 pages!
J jamie from thriceallamerican December 15, 2009
Oh my gosh, people actually use Comic Sans font on their résumé??? Buh.
Also, I would like to state for the record that I am of no relation to Ken “Soth 39th St” Paulson.
I see that Mr. Merritt still can’t figure out how to get his résumé down to sub-“War and Peace” verbosity.
No time to read these all, but just the few I’ve looked at have been interesting…
A Altered Chords December 15, 2009
In this day and age you would think that more applicants would confess to extramarital affairs on their resumes rather than making us “discover” them later.
I’d go with the one with the longest resume. RR may consider working w/ Mofo and Yak on verbosity skills.
D DavidS December 15, 2009
Wow. That is a stack of applications. How can so many people think they are qualified for an appointment, but not qualified for election? If all these people who have never ran for office stepped up for election to something, we would have much more interesting elections.
I hope the presentations are recorded for those of us who can’t take four hours out to watch channel 12. (Preferably in a universally compatible format.) Oh, to have a bag of popcorn in council chambers today.
R RR Anderson December 15, 2009
elections cost money and are hard work.
you have a good list of SLACK SEEKERS here.
J Jim C December 15, 2009
This post is the awesomeness. Hathaway’s application is classic; how many people would include news articles referencing their past drinking problems in their resumes? Also, I don’t think an applicant who uses the term “Tacomians” (sic) on their app should get consideration, but that’s just me.
M Morgan December 16, 2009
Oh man! I forgot to mention I have 95 friends on my FaceBook “recruit me” page!
RR: you should consider adding stand-up poetry to your repertoire. There were sections in your reading that were sublime – good meter too!
6 6ther December 16, 2009
Robert bearden:
“I’ve been in the military for 23 years, of which 25 years have been in Tacoma.”
Beautiful.
J justanothergeoduck December 16, 2009
I like the flourish of RR’s greeting and the subsequent BUZZ.
A Altered Chords December 16, 2009
Bearden’s arithmetic skills are perfect for doing things like counting parking spaces at the T-Dome and “Feet on the Street” when considering retail space in Pac Plaza.
J Jesse December 17, 2009
I’m more qualified than most of these people and I’d never submit a resume because I’m not qualified.
But, oh ya, Sarah Palin… maybe I should have!
M MASTERblaster December 17, 2009
I have no credentials, am barely able to perform advanced mathematics and only barely managed to finish the 8th grade.
Since then I’ve lived on the rails, hopping train cars.
Choose me for council, because I have “Feet on the Street” cred like none of you turkeys do.
M Mofo from the Hood December 17, 2009
The more resumes I read, the more they all start to look like RR Anderson’s.
M Mofo from the Hood December 17, 2009
Okay, Okay, enough self-torture. I’m done with this.
COVER LETTER:
Dear Councilmen:
Please find enclosed my resume for the open council seat(s)—-whichever is available.
RESUME:
(I’ve only included facts that are relevant—-I’m a U.S. citizen. I speak English. I can handwrite in cursive. I graduated from junior high school. I say “Thank-you” and “Please.” I chew with my mouth closed. I shower and put on clean clothes daily. Thank you.)
R RR Anderson December 17, 2009
It also helps if you’re really really good looking.
C crenshaw sepulveda December 17, 2009
Right now I’m really liking Mary Alice Yakmoto. There is enough in her submitted materials to start 2 or 3 good conspiracies. Very creative. I need to use that “need security clearance” to leave a phone message business.
E Erik B. December 17, 2009
Great public service Exit 133 by posting the resumes and written material of the applicants.
T tacoma1 December 17, 2009
Thanks to all of the candidates for their presentations. I actually think it would be pretty hard to get up in front of a panel to pitch yourself in only 3 minutes. Add to that, the taping and airing for the entire city to view and possibly ridicule. Many of the candidates have great paper credentials and had excellent presentations. Koree Baker, Louise Bray, Patricia Lecy-Davis, Phillip Cowan, Ryan Mello, David Boe, and Susanne Marten all stood out from the crowd for me.
T Thank You December 17, 2009
Tacoma1: Good list of names.
Some of the evening presentations were quality. You have to watch the city council meeting, near the end.
6 6ther December 17, 2009
I have to agree with Jim Merritt’s logical sales pitch…
If half of the voters in the city chose Strickland, and half chose Merritt, then 100% of the voters want one or both of them representing the city.
C crenshaw sepulveda December 17, 2009
Half the voters did not want Merritt, the bigger half. Some times you don’t vote for someone, you vote against someone. This is like saying Obama should have McCain as vice president because he came in second. Pretty arrogant on Merritt’s part, if you ask me. I am not impressed with Merritt’s pitch. Best thing for him to do is run for mayor again when the opportunity arises. Wear the loser’s hat for a while and try again.
T tacoma1 December 18, 2009
I finally had time to watch the rest of the presentations, and there were quite good and highly qualified people in the evening. There is one step that we are missing by not subjecting these folks to an electoral process. No one said that their opponents were Satan, morons, or miserable worthless humans. Just freindly, nice clean pitching of themselves. Plus we may be getting better candidates in the long run. Really, what normal human would want to be put through the political process?
Anyway, my personal list of qualified candidates is now way to long to be useful. I would like to see new faces on the council, and it looks like there are plenty of qualified applicants to choose from. As far as Mr. Merritt goes, every time he speaks, I can’t help but feel that he is trying to sell me a used car, maybe it’s just me, I donnuh.
A Altered Chords December 18, 2009
1/2 of ice cream eaters like vanilla, 1/2 like chocolate. Therefore all ice cream eaters like vanilla chocolate swirl. Wrong. If he uses this type of reasoning to design structures then I would suggest wearing a hardhat when in any of the buildings he has designed.
6 6ther December 18, 2009
CS- That’s the dumbest comparison I’ve read today.
First off, McCain got his ass handed to him, so it’s not the same. Merritt lost by half… very nearly one half.
Also, Merritt’s not applying for the vice freakin’ presidency. He’s applying for a city council position in Tacoma. The same city council we bitch at and bash every day on this site, which already has Strickland as an acting member.
I don’t see how Merritt would be a detriment to the city by occupying on of those vacant chairs.
I’m cranky.
T tom waits December 18, 2009
point of fact: the vice president used to be the runner up in the electoral college vote count. before there were strong political parties.
A Altered Chords December 18, 2009
How many comparisons have you read today?
6 6ther December 18, 2009
five.
T Tacoma1 December 18, 2009
Personally, after watching and reading the resume’s of all the candidates, I think that there are many highly educated and talented applicants for these positions. Many have much better public policy credentials than Mr Merritt. As it’s common place to blame politicians for all of our problems. I say that we let a non politician with the proper credentials have a go at it. It could be the perfect experiment, and worst case we move on in two years. Of course, the future City Council will actually decide, but that’s my two cents worth.
T tom waits December 18, 2009
Regardless, I agree with Crenshaw’s comment that the argument is logically false. There are a whole series of choices voters make when they cast a vote (or don’t).
Maybe Rojecki should make the same argument. Afterall, he was running for council at-large, not mayor, which is closer to the position he currently is seeking. Also, the Woodards-Rojecki race garnered a similar number of overall votes cast to the mayoral race.
6 6ther December 18, 2009
there’s number six.
C crenshaw sepulveda December 18, 2009
This is a very good opportunity to have some actual citizen representatives on the council instead of politicians. Had he not run for mayor I think Jim Merritt could be a fine citizen representative, now he is just another politician trying to get a seat in government anyway he can. Please, no reruns, no politicians. This is not an election, this is a selection. Maybe it should be an election but that isn’t the process in this case. People apply the council decides. Just use this opportunity to keep the politicians off the council, albeit two seats and for two years.
M Mofo from the Hood December 18, 2009
I have a feeling that the council will select two people that share the council’s agenda (whatever that is).
So this is just a bit more than a popularity contest.
Whether any of the experiences noted by the candidates is useful or a transferable skill—-in the end, for the final purpose, we’re taking about political action by committee. In this selection process I doubt that the council is looking for leaders.