November 26, 2013 · Exit133

Tacoma City Council Member to Take Leave of Absence

Here's a bit of City Council news: Tacoma City Councilmember Anders Ibsen will be taking a leave of absence of at least 11 months.

According to the TNT, Ibsen, who was elected to the District 1 seat in 2011, will be training as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps reserves.

Ibsen has made public that he hopes the Council will hand off his spot to Jordan Rash, Vice Chair of the North End Neighborhood Council, and conservation director for Forterra. Of course the final decision on that will be up to a slightly more involved process, and the rest of Council.

Because this is a leave of absence, rather than a resignation, Ibsen will be expected to rejoin the Council when his training is complete, in late 2014 or early 2015. He will have about a year left of his Council term at that point.

31 comments

thackerspeed November 27, 2013

The military is downsizing. It's retiring officers. It would be a far more noble gesture for Ibsen to resign from the council.
- nwcolorist December 1, 2013
  
  Hmmm ... a politician with noble motives. How quaint.
WestEnder November 27, 2013

This sudden desire to serve might have seemed a bit more sincere if he hadn't waited till we drawing down troop levels in Afghanistan to sign up. I can't believe he got elected.
JDHasty November 27, 2013

It's not hard to see what is motivating this: It is clear Ibsen aspires to higher office and sees military service as a resume' enhancer. The Council will need to make tough decisions in the upcoming year and Ibsen can simultaneously separate himself from any responsibility for those decisions while simultaneously enhancing his resume' for future office. Another point to consider is that his hand picked replacement, who Ibsen has made clear is ideologically in lock step with Ibsen, will enjoy quasi-incumbent status for a future run for a spot on the Council when a vacancy comes up due to current members being term limited.
Fred Davie November 27, 2013

When he ran for council 2 years ago he didn't indicate any unwillingness to serve for four years. Now the folks living in his district will have an appointed representative who really has no accountability to them. He should have quit last summer so the voters could have had this seat back on the November ballot.
NameSusanne Marten November 28, 2013

The candidate that ran against Mr. Ibsen should be appointed.
- bridgett December 1, 2013
  
  Hell no we do not want any democratic throw backs from the 1970's representing the west side. This stinks to high heaven, set-up.
thackerspeed November 28, 2013

Ibsen's action is a testament to his philosophy of self-fulfillment--it has nothing to do with serving other people. The News Tribune article simply revealed some of Tacoma's most banal political bedfellows.
- JDHasty November 29, 2013
  
  [quote]Ibsen’s action is a testament to his philosophy of self-fulfillment—it has nothing to do with serving other people. The News Tribune article simply revealed some of Tacoma’s most banal political bedfellows.[/quote] Did you say bedfellows? It sours like Mellow, Ibsen and Rash have been bedfellows all right.
nwcolorist November 30, 2013

Mr. Ibsen's commitment to his constituents appears to be weak.
Sheryl Summers November 30, 2013

His commitment to his constituants appears to be non-existent. Equally so, his commitment to his wife.
Jim C December 1, 2013

Would it not be considered a conflict of interest to sit on the city council while being paid a salary by an advocacy group?
- Sara December 1, 2013
  
  Jim Keep in mind practically the entire city council works for advocacy groups. Working for these so called nonprofit groups that feed at the trough of government funded sources. In turn many get campaign contributions from board members serving on the advocacy groups they vote to fund. You got a few already who vote on matters that are in clear violation of the laws of conflict of interest yet get no bid government contracts. Let the bleeding begin!!!!
  - Tacoman December 1, 2013
    
    [quote]Jim Keep in mind practically the entire city council works for advocacy groups. [/quote] Sara, You may want to double check your math or you def. of entire. Strcikland - Full Time Mayor / local goverment employee Boe - Business owner Campbell - Business owner Ibsen - US goverment Logegran - Realtor Mello - Non profit executive director Thoms - Lobbist - US goverment Walker - Non profit executive director Woodards - Non profit executive director
    - terry December 1, 2013
      
      Sara Glad you pointed out the non-profits and Thoms getting government money
      - terry December 1, 2013
        
        Not to mention those who sit on non-profit boards as 'non partisan' government employees
RHTCCComedyfan December 1, 2013

Just appoint a valid sane person to the city council like Robert Jesse Hill (he can serve from his jail cell and will soon be released from in a few months from, now).
Jesse December 5, 2013

I would think that a City Council position would afford Ibsen more opportunity to serve the public than a position in the military would. In fact, I would view the opportunity to be on the Council as an opportunity of a lifetime and would probably quit my day job so I could have the time to do it well.
Xeno December 6, 2013

I don't really get what is the big deal. Lots of electeds do this, in fact Hans Zeiger the rep from Puyallup just finished doing it as well while in office. Although it is just the reserves people should respect the possibility of war or need of use of the reserves and not joke about it. I think it is a good idea for political leaders to serve some time in the military if they are in positions where decisions need to be made about veterans. This is a pretty selfless move where few political leaders even consider the act of military service. And heck Ibsen is already elected so he clearly never had to do this to pad his resume or anything. But who am I kidding, all this negativity is mostly coming from the New Takhoman trolls. Where Tacoma is portrayed like "House of Cards."
- thackerspeed December 6, 2013
  
  What's wrong with Me, Me, Me? In this instance, maybe the City Council doesn't think that Ibsen's absence will diminish its authority, reputation, or ethic of communal responsibility--assuming any of that matters. In reference to the News Tribune article, its author noted lastly the former councilmembers who took leave of absence, and the specific circumstances--active duty during wartime. The contrast between then and now points out how Ibsen is debasing what it means to live a noble life.
  - Xeno December 6, 2013
    
    I think that is quite non-sequitor. I think it is just as noble to enlist at any time, war or peace. Given our likelihood of wars of 1 per decade odds are Ibsen will be going to war when he is still able bodied. Additionally, to question that his absence would diminish the things you list is quite rude to the respect of the armed forces, which hold all of those items dear and defend on a daily basis. This isn't some Sarah Palinesque or Rob Ford episode to take a breather from political life (until/if/when that magic smoking gun story actually gets published). Ibsen is expected to come back and hopefully provide more value to his constituents based off of this experience. Generally speaking the vast majority of his constituents have championed him on this move directly, so I don't think he took this step lightly.
    - thackerspeed December 6, 2013
      
      What you think proves nothing.
      - Xeno December 6, 2013
        
        Great way to concede to a debate of personal opinion and political sensibilities. Clearly, there was nothing here to prove other than what was popular opinion in the matter. Merry Christmas!
        
        thackerspeed December 7, 2013
        
        If that's what you believe, then perhaps the City Council should consider you as a replacement for Ibsen. Certain councilmen seem to think that how Ibsen acts doesn't matter--You only live once, so live for yourself and gratify all your desires, appetites, and animal urges. Some people would mistake that attitude for freedom. But if Ibsen's actions don't matter, then he doesn't matter. He's just a cosmic accident. I don't blame him for searching for a sense of purpose outside City Council. Anti-social behavior, such as breaking up a city council, is a serious matter with definite consequences for tax paying citizens, in the least. The News Tribune article attempts to show what is, and what is not essential to certain institutions.
        
        Xeno December 8, 2013
        
        Yawn.
        
        thackerspeed December 8, 2013
        
        Now you've added something new to the debate--A classical allusion to the nihilistic basis of Ibsen's political malpractice.
        
        Xeno December 8, 2013
        
        The debate was over at the point you didn't care anymore.
        
        thackerspeed December 9, 2013
        
        The debate isn't about me. City Council should have encouraged Ibsen to attend meetings dressed in a rear admiral costume. Now as it stands, the tax burden for his mid-life crisis has shifted to the Federal expense budget--Clown Hall logic.
- fred davie December 6, 2013
  
  "But who am I kidding, all this negativity is mostly coming from the New Takhoman trolls. Where Tacoma is portrayed like “House of Cards.” Xeno, that's an ad hominem argument. You can do better than that.
  - Xeno December 6, 2013
    
    It is only an ad hominem to those who don't understand the criticism. I reccomend a Netflix subscription.
thackerspeed December 6, 2013

The News Tribune serves our community nobly with steadfast satire about Tacoma's uncivil servants.