High school teacher and football coach, John Hines, announces bid for Tacoma City Council

Tacoma – John Hines, a high school social studies teacher and football coach, today announced his bid for Tacoma City Council in Position 7. This seat is the at-large, open seat as a result of Councilmember David Boe’s recent retirement. [Hines Headshot]

In kicking off his campaign, Hines laid out his vision for representing all of Tacomans. Specifically, Hines promised to fight to make Tacoma more affordable, accessible and sustainable.

“I was born and raised in Tacoma, attended Tacoma’s public schools, and have chosen to stay in this community to start and raise my family,” Hines said. “However, residents are struggling to afford living here and struggling even more to move around the city. We need to continue encouraging smart growth, bringing living wage jobs to Tacoma, and supporting families and residents who are still struggling.”

Hines’ vision for the Tacoma City Council specifically includes focusing development away from single family neighborhoods and toward under-utilized parts of the city. He believes that preserving neighborhood character should be a priority when considering development. This would allow for density and avoid rapidly increasing home prices and values that are forcing residents on limited or fixed incomes out of the city.

Youth development and mentorship have always been at the center of Hines’s community involvement. He is currently a football coach at Henry Foss High School and was previously a coach at Stewart Middle, Lakes High and Todd Beamer High schools. Hines is also a former Alumni Board member and mentor of the College Success Foundation, an organization that improves college access to underrepresented students by providing scholarships and mentoring to low income, high performing students. In 2014, Hines was the keynote speaker for the Tacoma Empowering Youth Luncheon. 

In his free time, Hines’ runs marathons and is a trivia buff. In 2012, Hines was a semi-finalist on the game show, Jeopardy during their Teachers Tournament. Hines has lived all over Tacoma from the South and West ends to the North end where he resides currently with his wife, Kelsey, and their son, Garyn.

For more information, please visit John Hines’ website at www.johnhines.org.