Changes at the Pierce County Council

With the New Year, Pierce County has a new Council. Yesterday we swore in four new members. Joining us are:

Hans Zeiger, District 2
Amy Cruver, District 3
Ryan Mello, District 5
Jani Hitchen, District 6

We’re excited about this new group because they each bring a unique background and policy passions.

Before his election to the Council, Hans Zeiger represented Pierce County residents in the state Legislature, first in the House of Representatives for three terms before joining the Senate in 2016.

Amy Cruver has called Pierce County home since 1985. In 2005, she became then-state Rep. Jim McCune’s assistant and worked with him in the same capacity later at the Pierce County Council.

Ryan Mello led a team of conservation professionals as Executive Director of the Pierce Conservation District, but many will know him from his service on the Tacoma City Council over the last decade.

Jani Hitchen was a substitute teacher in the Tacoma, Bethel, and Franklin school districts before taking a full-time teaching position with the Clover Park School District. Most recently, she taught biology at Graham-Kapowsin High School.

New Leadership

The first action of the year is always to elect new leadership. It’s my privilege to serve as Chair for 2021. Joining me on the leadership team are Councilmember Morrell as Vice-Chair, and Councilmember Campbell as Executive Pro Tem.

As you can imagine with the year we’ve just had, there’s much to accomplish and this Council is eager to roll up its sleeves. The incoming Council will be setting its agenda over the next month and I expect you’ll see housing, justice reform, health, and recovery at the top of the list. I’m also pulling together what I’m referring to as a children’s agenda. More on that soon.

Please join me in welcoming my new colleagues. Let’s get to work.