‘Our best days are ahead of us.’ Mayor Woodards relays optimism in State of the City

Despite Tacoma’s challenges, Mayor Victoria Woodards said she believes the city can navigate through them in her annual State of the City address Thursday night at Mount Tahoma High School.

Woodards, who became mayor in 2018, spoke to the theme, “Building Tomorrow Together.” In her address, she focused on safety, housing and homelessness, the city’s response to climate change and the economy.

Woodards said she remains optimistic about Tacoma but knows the city faces challenges.

“We’re solution oriented, hard working people driven by a sincere desire to make Tacoma better,” she said. “That’s why I know despite what we’re facing now, our best days are ahead of us.”

The mayor acknowledged that Tacoma residents don’t feel safe in the city. Tacoma recorded its highest number of homicides on record in 2022. “This is not the type of record that we want to set as the city,” Woodards said. So far in 2023, the city has already logged six homicides.

Woodards said the level of violence is unacceptable and must stop. She said the city cannot give up.

She outlined some programs to address crime and safety that the city already has in place, like Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries, and Safe Routes to School. Tacoma Police’s Violence Crime Reduction Plan will enter into phase two, dubbed problem oriented place based policing, in the coming weeks, she said. The phase involves blight abatement and disrupting crime networks.

Woodards spoke about several initiatives upcoming to address safety concerns “holistically.”

“We need to add more police resources and we need to free up our officers to do what they’ve been trained to do: protect and serve,” Woodards said. “We can’t expect them to simultaneously be social workers, substance use disorder and mental health counselors and more.”

She said she plans to work with the city council members to start a Community Services Officer Program, which would increase the level of response and bring support to non-emergency situations that are not an active threat to life or property. Woodards said she will be asking the council to commit $1 million for the program.

Woodards also said the Tacoma Fire Department has hired two people to co-lead the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Team. They will start in April. The unit will respond to 911 calls involving people in mental health crises, instead of police who are not trained or equipped to respond.

Woodards announced the city will partner with Tacoma Cease Fire for a community trauma response team to enhance its response to traumatic events and better support those impacted by violence.

The mayor said the police department will increase its retention and recruitment efforts by introducing a $10,000 bonus. She said the department has 29 vacancies, coupled with 50 police officers who are eligible for retirement in the next three years.

The city will fund more than $2 million for youth violence prevention programs, she said.

Tacoma will also launch a community safety plan in the spring.

Woodards said safety is foundational for a thriving community, but if people who work in Tacoma can’t afford to live in the city, “then we lose the true meaning of community.”

She said the city needs to have affordable housing for every person, at every income level.

Woodards said the city had 1,165 shelter beds at the end of 2022. Two shelters will be added in April, according to a presentation at Tuesday’s city council study session.

The mayor said the city is making steady progress to address homelessness. In 2022, 3,000 people were placed into shelters in Tacoma, and 549 people moved into permanent housing.

Woodards said the city is facing high demand for housing because people want to live in Tacoma.

She said she wants to build a Tacoma where everyone can afford to have a roof over their heads and they have the opportunity and access to well-paying jobs.

Woodards said the city needs to look at its future livability and address climate change, despite other pressing issues like homelessness and lives lost to gun violence. She said the city is funding green jobs, air quality relief and vehicle electrification.

“I can seem overwhelmingly optimistic when it comes to this city,” Woodards said. “I love it so much. But I see the real realities and the challenges that we face. I know we can successfully navigate through these challenges, because we’ve done it before. We’re called the Grit City for a reason.”

Woodards said she is paying attention to Tacomans.

“I am right here with all of you living in this city, grappling with our shared reality,” she said. “I take my responsibility to drive real solutions very seriously.”