It’s a close race for Pierce County Executive between Mello, Chambers. Here’s who’s ahead
Current council chair and Democrat Ryan Mello is ahead in the tight race for Pierce County Executive, according to early polling numbers.
With 708 of 732 precincts reporting, Mello has 51.24% of the vote and Republican House of Representatives member Kelly Chambers has 48.63% of the vote as of 8:04 p.m. Tuesday. More votes will be counted as the week progresses.
Mello has served on the Pierce County Council since 2021 and has been chair of the council since 2023. He also served on the Tacoma City Council from 2010-2019 and on the Metro Parks Board from 2006-2009. Mello is a current board member for the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, Pierce Transit, is executive of the Puget Sound Regional Council and Transportation Board and a member of the South Sound Housing Affordability Partners. He was executive director of the Pierce Conservation District from 2006-2011.
Chambers has been a state representative for House District 25 for six years. She is the ranking Republican member of the House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee, assistant ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, member of the House Innovation, Community and Economic Development committee and the Veterans Committee. Chambers also owns a home healthcare business and a vineyard.
This election cycle marks the first time in eight years Pierce County residents are voting in a new executive. Republican Bruce Dammeier served two four-year terms starting in 2016. He made $223,122 in 2023, according to a Pierce County salary database put together by The News Tribune.
As head of the executive branch of county government, with the power to veto policy decisions voted on by the seven-member Pierce County Council, it's arguably one of the most important positions in Pierce County .
The Pierce County executive oversees and implements policy decisions by the council and commissions, in addition to day-to-day administrative work at the county level, and oversees about 1,900 full-time employees. The executive also proposes and approves Pierce County's biennial budget, which totaled $3.2 billion for 2024-2025, as previously reported by The News Tribune .
Prior to Tuesday the makeup of the Pierce County Council gave Democrats a slim majority, but Dammeier has used his veto power to block a number of partisan votes this year, including on issues like housing and homelessness.
With 708 of 732 precincts reporting Tuesday night, the county council's political makeup is expected to remain the same if Democratic incumbent Jani Hitchen defeats Republican challenger Loujana "LJ" Rohrer, which looked like the case as of 8:04 p.m. Tuesday night.
Where do candidates stand on the issues?
In interviews with The News Tribune last month , Mello and Chambers both said tackling public safety, homelessness and the economy would be among their top priorities.
Mello said he would work with cities and towns within Pierce County to address regional issues. In terms of homelessness Mello said he would execute the county's Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness , adopted in 2022, which includes a unified response to homelessness, intervention and prevention programs, solutions that meet the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness and expansion of the permanent housing system.
Chambers said addressing homelessness is multifaceted and involves addressing addiction, mental health and housing issues. She would support opening short-term facilities where police could take people living on the streets and connect them to mental health and addiction services. Chambers also said she would be open to exploring rent stabilization as a solution to keep people housed, because, "It's cheaper in the long run to keep somebody housed than to get somebody into housing that has lost it."
In terms of affordable housing, both candidates said Pierce County needs to build more types of housing for a variety of income levels.
Chambers told The News Tribune she would support upzoning and more density in cities, while maintaining current rural zoning. That's in addition to encouraging 'cluster development,' where residential properties are grouped together on a development site and the remaining land is often used for open space, recreation or agriculture.
Mello said Pierce County needs to be more strategic about where and how it builds more housing given its constraints on buildable land area. He also said the private sector isn't going to build affordable housing, so local governments play an important role in incentivizing and subsidizing it.
Both candidates said they weren't satisfied with the state of crime and public safety in Pierce County and said they'd support retention and hiring bonuses at the Sheriff's Department, in addition to technology upgrades.
Mello said crime is down in many areas , which shows "we're headed in the right direction with some of the strategies that we've deployed over the past couple of years."
He also noted the complexity of the criminal-justice system and vowed to make "smart investments" in the prosecutors, public defense and judiciary systems as well as the therapeutic court system and diversion programs that address the root causes of criminal behavior.
Chambers told The News Tribune she was concerned that Tacoma's homicide rate of 34 in 2023 is the same as it was during a crime spree in 1994 and said she would work to support a positive work environment in the Sheriff's Department because, "Officers have felt abandoned by their elected leaders when things were tough."
She also told The News Tribune her business's car was stolen recently, as was one of her employees, highlighting the impact thefts can have on residents' lives and livelihoods.
In terms of growth and the economy, both candidates told The News Tribune they believed Pierce County's economy was stable and growing, but mentioned some struggles business owners have seen.
Chambers said inflation and "the cost of doing business" is still an issue for many. Pierce County is well positioned to increase manufacturing as part of the state's goals, and Chambers said finishing the Canyon Road Regional Connection Project is a priority of hers.
Whereas Chambers believes a "build it and they will come" infrastructure model will attract business, Mello said there are a lot of considerations businesses and employees make when deciding where to work. Mello said he would support protecting the environment to ensure high quality of life in Pierce County, in addition to supporting programs that would re-skill and up-skill workers, especially in the trades and construction industries.
Mello told The News Tribune he would also support the creation of more "high quality, affordable child care businesses" with Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Act funds , in addition to expanding public transit and investing in existing infrastructure like roads and bridges.
In terms of growth and investments in unincorporated Pierce County, Mello said he wants to get away from the "anything goes" development strategy that has contributed to sprawl and "traditionally got us into the mess that we're in today."
Mello said he would support growth strategies that direct growth to places that have sidewalks, schools, playgrounds and parks and ensure new developers pay for the new growth through transportation and impact fees.
"I don't think we should strap existing taxpayers and homeowners with the cost of new development while developers make a quick buck and walk away," he said.
Chambers told The News Tribune she supports residents choosing where they want to live and says, "I think we are being thoughtful about how we extend infrastructure, sewer and that kind of stuff in a meaningful way that allows for development within the [Urban Growth Area]."
Because there's finite resources to go around, Chambers said Pierce County should be strategic about where development goes. She also said, "I've seen a lot of development happening in unincorporated Pierce County, and they're not getting their fair share of resources" given what they pay in permitting costs.
