5 locals could be appointed to Sustainable Tacoma Commission

Five local residents could be formally appointed or re-appointed to the Sustainable Tacoma Commission this month.

Formed in 2009 in response to the City’s first Climate Action Plan, the Sustainable Tacoma Commission provides an opportunity to connect and collaborate with others working in environmental stewardship, communicate sustainability goals to Tacoma City Council, work with the Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability to oversee the City’s programs promoting sustainability, and dedicate time and energy to making Tacoma a more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable community. Duties of the Sustainable Tacoma Commission include coordinating with the Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability to oversee the City’s sustainability programs and greenhouse gas reduction goals; providing annual progress reports to the public; communicating barriers to and incentives for implementation to Tacoma City Council; and creating a forum for regular public comment and community involvement.

The 11-member Sustainable Tacoma Commission consists of nine voting members appointed by Tacoma City Council, and two non-voting members appointed by Tacoma’s City Manager. Membership is a balanced representation of stakeholders, such as the environmental community, small business, labor, housing, industry, and port, transportation, education, building industry, and residents.

Current Sustainable Tacoma Commission members include Philip Coughlan (Council District 2); Nick Cutting (Council District 1); Christine Cooley (Council District 2); Karen Hamilton (Council District 1); Alyssa Illich (Council District 4); Eileen Moore (Council District 2); Holly Williams (Council District 4); and Agnes Pate (Council District 4), according to the City of Tacoma’s Web site.

In April, the City of Tacoma put a call out for candidates to apply to fill five seats on the commission. Last month, Tacoma City Council’s Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability Committee interviewed eight candidates to fill the positions. The candidates included Stephanie E. Brock (Council District 1); Ken Campbell (Council District 1); Sarah Chessman (Council District 5); Christine Cooley (Council District 2 — seeking re-appointment); Felicity Devlin (Council District 1); Todd Hay (Council District 1); Eileen Moore (Council District 2 — seeking re-appointment); and Caitlin White (Council District 4).

Tacoma City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote on Tues., June 17, on a resolution that would re-appoint Cooley and Moore to each serve three-year terms to expire on April 30, 2017; appoint Chessman to serve a three-year term to expire on April 30, 2017; appoint Devlin to serve an unexpired term to expire on April 30, 2016; and appoint Campbell to serve an unexpired term to expire on April 30, 2015.

UPDATE: Tacoma City Council will indeed vote on the resolution during a meeting on Tues., June 17, at 5 p.m., at Tacoma City Hall, located at 747 Market St., First Floor, in downtown Tacoma. A copy of the resolution is available online here. A copy of the staff memo is available online here.