23 people want to replace the late Catherine Ushka on Tacoma council. Here’s who applied
Nearly two dozen candidates are vying to fill the open District 4 seat on the Tacoma City Council. The deadline for applying was Monday at noon.
The position became vacant following the May 15 death of Council member Catherine Ushka, who had served the district since 2017.
Twenty-three people have applied for the position, according to the city. Twenty of those applications were submitted on time, one was sent after the deadline and two others were filled out by folks who live outside the district.
The names of the applicants are, according to the city:
Tae Abraham
Sean Arent
Jasmine Brown
Silong Chhun
Theresa Evans
Justin Everman
Hunter Henderson
Brian Humphreys
Lisa Hunt
Brett Johnson
Allen McKenzie
Robert Ocasio
Dr. Fredrick Powell
Sandesh Sadalge
Troy Serad
Suzanne Skaar
Stephen Wamback
Sharonda Webb
Lindsay Wills
Leslie Young
Rick Talbert (late submission)
Maricres Castro (lives outside District 4)
Shonta Riles (lives outside District 4)
To qualify for the role, contenders must meet the following requirements, as previously reported by The News Tribune:
Be eligible to vote in Tacoma.
Have lived in Tacoma for at least two years.
Have lived in District 4 for at least a year.
Applications were open from June 6 to June 24.
The City Council will begin discussions next month about applicants’ bona fides, according to a city timeline of the District 4 appointment.
Final contenders will be interviewed during the July 9 City Council meeting, per the timeline. The following week, local leaders will appoint the newcomer, whose meetings are expected to start July 23.
The District 4 council person’s term will expire at the end of 2025.
Those interested in learning more about the applicants can head to a District 4-candidate round table on Thursday at Parable Tacoma, 3502 McKinley Ave., from 7-9 p.m.
