Anders Ibsen, a former Tacoma council member, lead the race for Tacoma mayor after the first results were reported on Tuesday night. He's running against current Council Member John Hines.
At a packed watch party on election night, Ibsen supporters cheered when preliminary results showed him leading the race with more than 53% of the vote.
Ibsen said it was time for Tacoma to come together now to address ongoing issues such as "public safety, getting a better handle on homelessness and housing stability."
Hines lagged behind with about 46% of the vote so far, but had not conceded the election as of Tuesday night.
"We know this race is too close to call, and that the margin could change significantly over the coming days as later ballots are counted," Hines said in a news release.
Whoever is elected mayor will represent the entire community on the council and be involved in important decisions facing Tacoma, such as hiring a new city manager.
The two candidates have similar professional experience. Hines and Ibsen have both represented District 1 on the Tacoma City Council, which covers northwestern sections of the city. They both were raised in Tacoma. And the pair actually faced off for that council seat in 2015, which Ibsen won.
Hines is an instructional specialist at Tacoma Public Schools and has been on the council since 2020. He believes he will be able to effectively navigate the city’s bureaucracy and will be able to build coalitions with other council members.
Hines' campaign has focused on addressing homelessness and economic development. His platform priorities include expanding access to addiction services for unhoused people and revitalizing downtown Tacoma.
A number of regional and local leaders have thrown their support behind Hines’ campaign, including current Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and four other council members.
Pierce County is reporting more election results from around the county
Ibsen is a managing broker at a local real estate firm. He served two terms on the council, from 2012 to 2019. As mayor, he wants to foster an environment at the local level where city staff feel empowered to tackle problems creatively.
In his campaign Ibsen has focused on areas such as affordability and public safety issues. He wants to improve how first responders address mental health crises and build affordable housing projects on unused municipal land.
Ibsen has gained the endorsements of a variety of groups in his bid for mayor, including Tacoma’s newspaper The News Tribune, the Pierce County Democrats and the progressive advocacy organization Indivisible Tacoma.
Unlike other major cities in Washington state, Tacoma's mayor isn’t the most powerful position in local government. An appointed city manager serves as the top executive, making the mayor more of a ceremonial leader who represents the city on the council.
One outcome of this race would have Hines and Ibsen serving on the council together. If Ibsen becomes mayor, Hines will stay on the council, representing District 1. If Hines wins the mayor's race, however, the District 1 council seat will be filled by a person appointed by the council to serve out the remainder of his term.
City Council races
Along with the mayoral election, Tacoma voters are deciding on four other council members: the at-large council seat Position 6 race between Latasha Palmer and Jessica Johnston; the District 2 council seat race between incumbent Sarah Rumbaugh and Ben Lackey; the District 4 council seat race between incumbent Sandesh Sadalge and Silong Chhun; and the District 5 council seat between incumbent Joe Bushnell and Zev Cook.
*Incumbent
