Welcome to The Newsfeed.

We're here in Tacoma today, outside the city municipal building.

Like many Washington cities, there's a duality in local government.

Opportunities, but also major fiscal challenges with a new mayor leading the way.

I sat down with Mayor Anders Ibsen, now six months in office, to learn how his administration plans to move this city forward.

First and foremost, Mayor, thank you for joining us today on The Newsfeed.

Glad to be here.

- Thank you so much.

Let's get right to it.

Mayor Ibsen, you've been in this position now six months, and you're not new to City Hall, though.

You're a former council member.

In what tangible ways are you working to make your vision for the city a reality for residents?

Sure.

Well, I appreciate you taking the time, Paris.

So first and foremost, my biggest priorities as your mayor are to make the city more inclusive, more innovative and more efficient in service towards not just the city's goals, but honestly, just based on how you feel about your city.

As a Tacoma lifer myself, and as I'm sure as a former Tacoman yourself, you recognize we have so much going on that we love and enjoy about our city, and we have a lot of the same pain points that many other communities have.

But ultimately, it's about utilizing that talent that we have, that grit, dare I say, and my goal, besides all the policy stuff that we'll talk about, is fundamentally just allowing you to feel prouder about the place that you call home.

And I think we definitely have it in us.

In terms of some of the biggest challenges so far that your administration has faced, what are some of those?

Well, the biggest policy priorities when it comes to just brass tacks, if you just ask the average Tacoman at the door, which I did very robustly last year, is how you feel safe in your neighborhoods.

It's about progress with economic development and not just any old job, but living wage jobs and real opportunities for our youth.

Homelessness.

Seeing visible, tangible progress, not just as a city, but regionally, as the region's leader, and ultimately just making sure that people can see clear, visible improvements in their neighborhoods with public safety, with homelessness, like we mentioned, code enforcement, and making sure that there's accountability for how we dictate what success looks like so that we can actually show that we're doing our homework and we're delivering for you.

Let's talk about a big win for Tacoma.

Sound Transit's ST3 rail service is coming to Tacoma after much regional back and forth on the voter-approved project.

How impactful is rail service for the city and the county?

It's incredibly important.

And before we go into details about the wonky stuff, I just want to give credit where credit is due.

The fact that we retained this really crucial connection to the corridor, to the spine of Sound Transit, has everything to do with Tacoma's residents, its people, our staff, and all the people who we encouraged and organized with to put pressure on Sound Transit to make sure that we didn't see this backtracking on a crucial initiative.

So I just want to start by saying thanks to everyone involved who did that, because that was not a guarantee.

And a lot of people are just feeling the the uncertainty in these really trying times.

And so we have to start by giving credit and by understanding that it's not just about me or the city government, it's about rallying the community for the things that matter.

And yes, transportation is absolutely crucial because we're not just an isolated city.

We're part of the broader South Sound region.

We're the leading city in the South Sound.

We're intimately connected with Seattle and Everett and all of our other neighbors up north.

And being connected is crucial for our economy in the age of hybrid and remote work.

A lot of people move down south due to affordability, and just to make sure that we're as inclusive as possible, and also drawing the maximum benefit for a broader economy, making sure that Sound Transit, and any other agency, delivers on its promises is really crucial.

And that's why I'm so grateful for that win.

Is there anything that you can do as mayor to make sure that light rail reaches Tacoma on schedule?

The current schedule has construction starting around mid 2030.

Well, it's ultimately about the same thing.

It's about ensuring that we're giving people maximum opportunity for being involved, but also being as informed as possible on the front end.

And what I will say is, and we'll talk more about the budget later in this interview, I'm sure, but my biggest contention is that you should be informed as a community member as early in the process as possible, because that's when your input is.

If it's just 11th hour, then where is the real impact going to be?

And so, my vow to you is to make sure that with Sound Transit, and with any other impactful regional decision like this, that we're staying on it so that we're daylighting all of the information as early as possible so you can have maximum involvement.

So we continue to keep our eye on the prize.

Let's segue to the budget.

Tacoma isn't unique, as you've mentioned, in it's financial challenges, like many cities in Washington.

The city has a projected $40 million general fund deficit, and it's anticipated to grow in the next biennium.

What changes have you made already and what lies ahead?

Well, I've cut my own expenses in the mayor's office right now in terms of a lot of my own travel, my involvement.

So you're going to see a lot more details there.

We have a hiring freeze currently.

We've already gone through reduction exercises with our departments.

But a budget isn't just simply about cutting, and it's not just simply a numbers exercise.

It's people.

It's about how we make your life better.

And so, as part of our, what's called "Road to Recovery Program," we're going to be using this budget exercise, not just to keep costs under control, because what does that really mean?

I mean, numbers by themselves don't mean anything to the average Tacoman.

It's the cop arriving on time.

It's your street looking dignified.

It's making sure people are getting assistance instead of that encampment remaining on your home for month after month after month.

Right?r And so what we're really looking at is using the budget as a moral document that's in line with our stated strategy that we build with you, that we co-create with the community.

And using this exercise, even if we do have to make tough choices to actually make these services better, not just to lessen them, not just to balance things on a sheet like a bureaucrat, but to think like leaders and to actually align how we're spending your money with what you've told us matters the most to you.

In May, the city approved a resolution for City Manager to use existing resources to enhance community safety in portions of The Hilltop, the North End and Central Tacoma, just to name a few.

What will those investments look like for residents and how will they roll out?

Safety is multifaceted, and it begins and ends with appropriate staffing so that when there's an emergency, whether it's our law enforcement, our EMT and firefighters our associated alternative responders, folks who help homeless folks get services, for example.

Folks who help you process what happened after something like a theft or a car problem, for example, that there's adequate staffing to help you in those situations.

But at the same time, we can't just react to emergencies.

We have to be forward thinking.

And public safety is just as much about how you feel about your neighborhood, about the opportunity for people to come together.

And so I'm really proud of our community rallying behind, what's called "Tacoma Creates," which is a locally driven effort to fund community and artistic organizations.

Some really powerful examples would be like Porch Fest, for example, which brings thousands and thousands of people into our neighborhoods.

The Asia Pacific Cultural Center, and many others.

And safety is about kids.

It's about youth.

It's about people of all walks of life, having the opportunity to build social capital, to have real involvement, and just to feel better about their neighborhoods because their neighborhoods are better.

And so, safety is both ends of that spectrum, and we're going to be equally attentive.

And let's stick with safety, and that's a major issue that you campaigned on.

The Tacoma Police Department has had a history of disproportionately policing black residents.

When you were running for mayor, you said people deserve to feel safe, not just reacting to crime, but the city needs a strategy to address its root causes.

How will residents feel these changes?

Sure, so again, it's not just about numbers.

It's how you show up and whether you're showing up at all.

And so I'm so proud of our newly appointed chief, Patty Jackson, for example, for not just waiting for a crisis, or worse, to show up and to meet with leadership, but for taking the initiative along with myself, other members of the council, with members of our faith community, with our black leaders, with members of all sorts of important community organizations to bring the conversation to them in between the meetings and before things come to a head, right?

And that's how leadership needs to act.

We absolutely need to have requisite staffing, but we also need to make sure that we're investing on the front end by making sure that there are job opportunities for our youth, that contracting for small businesses from our black community and from other communities have adequate access to opportunities to do business with our city and in our city, for example, so that we're not just reacting to problems, but building wealth, building real opportunities, and leading on the front end.

That's everything.

So we're not just constantly backpedaling and reacting, but really leading and giving people that certainty about where Tacoma is going to go.

Let's switch gears and talk about the county as a whole in terms of public safety.

Pierce County Sheriff, Keith Swank has come under fire for several controversial issues.

In November, voters will decide whether the Pierce County Sheriff should be appointed by the county executive rather than elected.

In addition, Sheriff Swank's term would be reduced early by two years.

Swank has argued that county leaders do not want an independently elected sheriff pushing back.

Mayor, where do you stand on this?

Well, speaking for myself, because the city council hasn't taken a position on this, but I myself am in support.

I think it's thoughtful because there are some things you shouldn't politicize.

You shouldn't politicize who gets a business license, for example.

You should just follow the law and act according to regulation.

You shouldn't politicize how people are taxed.

People should just follow the rules, and it should be based on objective, knowable statistics.

And you shouldn't politicize public safety.

Public safety should be run by trained professionals who meet an objective standard, and how you're treated shouldn't be based on the whims of politics.

It should be based on impartial professionals enforcing the law.

Just to follow up on that, Swank has argued that county leaders do not want an independently elected sheriff pushing back.

Have you been concerned with some of the things that Sheriff Swank has been saying or doing, and does, in your opinion, there need to be some sort of accountability?

Well, to be frank, I'm less focused on what someone outside my jurisdiction is saying.

I'm more focused on what we can do to serve you in the community.

That's why I'm so proud of us as a city council and our city leadership, resoundingly echoing the priorities of our immigrant community and our community as a whole.

I, myself, members of the council, our staff, we have been routinely in the state legislature this past year, advocating in support of policies that seek to protect the constitutional rights of our immigrant community.

We have a resource page on our city website that provides additional information, and also just putting our money where our mouth is and supporting immigrant aligned organizations, and we're going to continue doing so.

Speaking up for sane, practical changes to federal immigration policy, partnering with our Attorney general, our governor, our state legislature, and working with our health departments and others to protect the rights and the lives and livelihoods of folks in our community.

And I think your average Tacoman acares more about what we're doing for you.

And that's primarily where my attention is.

Speaking of federal immigration, one detention center that's facing major scrutiny is here in Tacoma.

A report last April by the University of Washington's Center for Human Rights found that over a decade between January 2015 and January 2025, the Tacoma Police Department had a pattern of responding poorly, if at all, to calls for help from those detained at the facility.

We've been reporting on the detainee concerns at the Northwest ICE Detention Center.

You're new as mayor, but from what you know, what was the reason for the poor police response?

I've personally visited detainees.

I did it as part of the learning process that I did to become the mayor.

I spoke with a gentleman who was a lawful green card holder for years, and ICE threw him in there when he went to a court hearing, despite being married to an American citizen for years.

I have literally seen and heard about the injustices with my own eyes and ears.

It is not lost on me.

I can't comment on ongoing investigations or police work.

Right?

I mean, that's not appropriate for me to get in the way of professionals doing that.

What I will say is that this city has been consistently showing up in Olympia, for example.

So we showed up and we testified strongly in support of a bill that would have fined the GEO Group for repeatedly refusing health department inspections, for example, because the Keep Washington Working Act, as you may know, allows the state health department to investigate these terrible conditions and GEO just refuses them entry.

And there's no enforcement mechanism which we had sought to at least make it hurt financially.

And that unfortunately did not get across the finish line in the legislature.

We'll continue showing up for that.

We have demonstrated our support for the attorney general's and the governor's lawsuit to the same end, about their failure to follow those guidelines.

And we'll continue to look for all ways to demonstrate our support and to materially benefit folks as best as we can, in accordance with the law.

Let's segue to housing.

Another thing that you campaigned on.

And at the beginning of June, the city authorized a new 12 year limited property tax exemption for multifamily housing units.

What will that mean for more affordable rental, affordable housing, and also rental housing just here and around the city?

Well, I'll give you an example.

We actually just approved one of those last week.

And for anyone who's looking on Zillow and Redfin, maybe house hunting a little, can you imagine getting a new construction downtown for under half a million in the city limits?

And we actually approved, I want to say, more than several of these new construction townhouses.

They have to be owner occupied, so they can't be snatched up by a cash buyer or an investor.

And that's just one of many tools and something I'm so proud of, of the city's direction is that we have grabbed the bull by the horns on housing affordability years before other folks in our state.

So before the state legislature passed what's called a "missing middle" law.

So allowing for more ADUs, townhouses, duplexes in our residential areas to give folks more housing choices and to lower housing costs by increasing supply.

We did that with Home in Tacoma years before.

We have pre-approved designs for accessory dwelling units, which means you spend a lot less time waiting for permitting and racking up fees and more time building.

Building the thing, right?

We're starting to do that with townhouses, which back to the previous example, that's something that's disproportionately going to be starter homes, because speaking of someone with a housing background myself, the housing affordability and supply crisis isn't evenly spread.

It is hurting first-time homebuyers or would-be first home buyers disproportionately more than anyone.

And the fact that I just turned 40 just a few months ago, 40 is now the new average age for a first-time homebuyer in the United States.

And it's even higher in expensive housing markets like the West Coast.

Completely unacceptable.

So we are going to leverage every single tool we have at our disposal through our land use code or building code, finance options, community partnerships to ensure that we are disproportionately giving the most help to folks who are here, trying to get their foot in the door with their home ownership.

Trying to help people get access to affordable housing, and looking long-term at the root causes of homelessness too.

Tenant rights activists have been making efforts to hold landlords accountable for how they treat renters.

They've seen success at the ballot box and in petitions, but landlords, including affordable housing providers, have said fewer tenants are paying rent.

What's your plan to mediate between these two interest groups?

Sure, well, I actually have a bit of a nuanced perspective on this because I'm both a landlord myself.

I have a Tacoma rental and a rental up north, and during my initial time on the city council, I voted for some of the first tenant protections that became the basis for state law.

Speaking of Tacoma, leading by example, we passed these in 2018, in response to constituents in our central neighborhood who were literally at risk of eviction in some of the worst weather conditions.

Some of the most vulnerable people possible, right?

So that was something that was the basis for our actions.

For me, I believe in a data focused approach, so making sure that we're allowing for the protection of folks rights, but at the same time protecting ourselves against unintended consequences, because if it's too risky to rent, then you might have the unintended consequence of making some folks unrentable, and then that just worsens the problem down the road.

So we're keeping an open mind to smart policy options, because there is ongoing litigation with one measure, and there's a current measure on the ballot right now, both of those unfortunately tie our hands as a city council, because legally we can't, can't look at landlord tenant policies for those reasons.

But we're constantly looking at our options, and I definitely believe in thoughtful dialog.

In terms of another challenge that not only Tacoma is experiencing, but really Washington in general, the major cities, is homelessness.

As many know, the city provides the bulk of shelters and services to Pierce County.

Where is progress today to get unhoused people into permanent housing?

Well, as part of that, we're looking longer term at one of those root causes.

And it's exactly what you mentioned.

Tacoma has 20% of the region's population.

We have 80% of the region's housing and services and beds.

And that's completely unfair, and it's also impractical because we are very focused on on budget sustainability.

We're just as challenged as everyone else, and it's really imperative that everyone in the county pulls their weight.

And I'm glad to report that we are making progress there.

We're engaged in what's called a unified regional approach, in partnership with Pierce County, with our surrounding suburban friends, and we are working on a process of reducing duplication and ensuring greater accountability by ensuring that everyone is using the same data system so that folks actually get help, instead of having to relive their trauma time and time again with organizations, for example.

Making sure that we're commonly aligned on extreme weather.

So if there are wildfires and smoke, for example, or literal wildfires, as we've seen before with our extreme weather, that we're not twiddling our thumbs, but we're working smartly together as a region to do that.

And that's just one aspect of this.

As you can imagine, homelessness is immensely complex.

But ultimately we have to look at the root causes.

We have to look at advocating for preventing people from falling through the cracks in the first place, through a smart, more robust, affordable housing strategy, building opportunities by providing for more living wage opportunities for our youth and for our adult workforce, and just making sure that we're attacking the problem on both ends.

And it's kind of a segue to some of the things that you just mentioned.

The most recent numbers collected by Pierce County found a trend of more unhoused people.

And you mentioned the data in terms of the demographics and the percentages of people that are living or saying they're from other suburbs outside of Tacoma.

You talked about the regional approach in addressing homelessness.

Where does the city stand today in holding other leaders more accountable to evenly disperse the help that the city of Tacoma is providing?

That's precisely the basis for the unified regional approach, is making sure that we're in agreement that if you're going to benefit from this shared data, if you're going to benefit from working more closely together, then do something.

Have a shelter, help McKinney-Vento kids.

Because, I mean, if you want to talk about total moral failures, there are schools in our community in which one out of five are housing unstable, which means they're surfing couches, living in cars, coming to school hungry.

It's just utterly heartbreaking and a complete moral failure on our society's part, and recognizing that this isn't just a Tacoma problem, but it's, the buck doesn't stop, it just, it involves all of us.

And so, that's the really crucial thing with this unified approach.

We also have to make sure that we're communicating more with our friends in Olympia.

That when the time comes for us to make the city's case really clear about funding priorities and about making sure that when the state balances its budget, it's not coming at the expense of local communities, that we can have sustainability for these core services.

So it involves a regional approach, and it involves just having a very crystal clear idea about what these things cost and how we're all responsible ultimately.

If there were any last words that you can say to constituents and residents of Tacoma now that you've been sitting in this position for six months, also, in addition, as being a former council member, what do you want to tell residents today as how you see the city functioning?

We can do better.

I think so many people are traumatized.

I mean, in my conversations with folks about everything from the pandemic to what's happening federally, internationally, economically, the natural human tendency sometimes is just to retreat, to turtle up, and to just wait for the crisis to pass or react or worse.

And my big contention, besides addressing these big structural problems, is that people need wins.

People need visible reminders that government can actually work, that things actually can work when you get involved.

And so my message to folks, besides the fact that things can and will get better, is that it involves you too.

So at a minimum, show up.

We have council meetings.

We're going to start doing more of those in the community with, with services like food and childcare to allow more nontraditional attendees to start showing up.

Every Wednesday, I host office hours in different little locations throughout the community to allow people to literally just talk to the mayor about what you need.

And as part of the upcoming budget, we're going to start leading by allowing people more of a shot earlier in the process to prioritize what part of our strategy you think we need to to take a look at while we achieve greater efficiencies?

So it's not just about us doing things to you, but it's about us doing things with you in community.

Mayor Ibsen, thank you so much for your time, and we appreciate you joining us on The Newsfeed.

Super grateful.