Latest news with #AveryMoore
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Changing of guard underway at City of Tacoma. 7 leadership posts changing hands
The city of Tacoma could see new faces in at least seven of its top leadership positions within the next year, a major shift as the city contends with a budget deficit and the local impacts of a new federal administration. Four of eight Tacoma City Council seats are up for election this year, and Mayor Victoria Woodards does not plan to run again after her term ends this year. Longtime city manager Elizabeth Pauli plans to retire this summer, and the council selected deputy city manager for internal services Hyun Kim to serve in her stead in the meantime. Additionally, former Police Chief Avery Moore resigned in February, and interim police chief Patti Jackson has held the position since March. City officials have said they want to delay the search for both a permanent city manager and a permanent police chief until after the election in November, hence Kim and Jackson's appointment. Tacoma residents will have a better idea of who will lead the city over the next few years after the Aug. 5 primary election, for which ballots go out on July 18. Here's a breakdown of who's leaving and who might replace them: Six candidates have jumped into the race to replace Woodards at the end of her second term as mayor. Current City Council member John Hines and former City Council member Anders Ibsen have raised the most amount of money of the six, positioning the two as likely opponents after the primary. Hines as of June 18 had raised $148,600.42, and Ibsen by the same date raised $152,468.62. The candidate who had raised the next closest amount was Whitney Stevens, who raised $18,327.86. Neither Hines nor Ibsen are strangers to the council – Hines now represents District 1, and Ibsen represented the same district in the eight years leading up to the start of Hines' tenure in 2019. Stevens currently the chairs the 27th Legislative District Democrats' executive board and is founder of The Viability Project, which helps first-time candidates, women and people of color run for elected office. Sarah Rumbaugh, Sandesh Sadalge, Joe Bushnell and Kiara Daniels representing council district's 2, 4, 5 and at-large position 6, respectively, will see their terms come to an end this year. Rumbaugh, Sadalge and Bushnell plan to run again. Rumbaugh is set to face off against Ben Lackey, who has yet to report any funds raised for his campaign but whose priorities include addressing homelessness and funding basic services. Sadalge was appointed to the District 4 seat after former council member Catherine Ushka died in 2024 and will face Silong Chhun and Israel James McKinney, who unsuccessfully ran for the same seat in 2021. As of June 18, Sadalge was in the lead for money raised for his campaign with $24,708, with Chhun at $22,822.38. McKinney has yet to report raising any funds. Bushnell is running for the District 5 seat against community organizer Zev Cook, also the co-founder of Tacoma For All. Bushnell by June 18 had raised $22,583.26, and Cook raised $39,002.28 by the same date. The most hotly contested seat on the council so far appears to be the at-large position 6 seat, which has six candidates in the running. Krista Perez, Latasha Palmer and Jessica Johnston have raised the most money – $22,111.9, $20,640.22 and $9,288.00, respectively. Perez has the endorsement of seven members of the City Council, including Daniels, who currently holds the position. Palmer has council member Jamika Scott's endorsement, and Hines did not appear to have endorsed any candidate in the at-large position 6 race as of June 18. After serving as city manager for eight years, Pauli plans to retire on July 1. The council after weeks of interviews selected Hyun Kim to replace her in an interim capacity, a title that will become effective as of June 30. The job of picking a city manager falls on the council, and the City Council decided to hold off on the search for Pauli's replacement until after the election this year, so the council members who will work closely with the city manager can be involved in selecting the new one. 'I think that is the best process for us because I think the selection of a permanent city manager, seeing as we're on such a short timeline, should be that of the next full council,' Mayor Victoria Woodards said at a council study session in January. Kim has served as Tacoma's deputy city manager for internal services since June 2023, coming to Tacoma after having worked as city administrator for Gillette in Wyoming, and city manager for the city of Fife before that. Former chief Moore resigned as police chief in February, and deputy police chief Paul Junger was fired shortly after in April. Patti Jackson, who previously worked in the Corrections Bureau at the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and ran an unsuccessful campaign for Pierce County sheriff, has been serving as interim police chief since March. Last month, Pauli said in a statement that the city will pause its search for a permanent police chief to ensure an 'alignment of city leadership.' 'It is prudent to empower the city's new leadership to play an integral role in confirming the appointment of a permanent police chief,' the statement reads. 'This approach will help ensure the chosen leader fully aligns with the evolving vision and future priorities of our city government.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Tacoma shouldn't withhold Moore records on a technicality
C'mon. That's the thought that keeps popping into my head as I go over the City of Tacoma's reasons for denying a public records request from The News Tribune. When the news team here learned the city had investigated former police chief Avery Moore's use of leave while at the Tacoma Police Department, they made a request to see the records of that investigation. Now, the city has taken that straightforward ask and headed for the nearest loophole. It's part of a larger pattern of unnecessary delay on public records requests coming out of City Hall. And it comes at a time when the public has every reason to wonder what happened. Here's the city's reasoning: it hasn't made a final decision in its investigation into Moore's use of leave, so the city is exempted from providing the records. Based on state public records laws, the city is shielded from revealing notes and other records that would reveal opinions shared as part of the 'deliberative process,' before a final decision has been made. That has the ring of sense to it. But hold on, didn't Moore depart the Tacoma Police Department with a nearly $500,000 severance package in February? And wasn't another investigation into Moore's personal use of his work phone already concluded (and revealed to have cost the city $11,000 to conduct)? Yes, those things did just happen, which leaves one more question. What is there left for the city to decide when it comes to its investigation into the former chief's use of leave? Moore is gone. It's not like they can discipline him, let alone fire him. The City of Tacoma didn't indicate to The News Tribune's reporter when there might be a final decision. I can't help but wonder if the city shelved its questions into Moore's use of leave after he agreed to resign. That would leave a permanent ellipses at the end of its investigation, and an eternal cop-out from handing over any records. I asked City of Tacoma spokesperson Maria Lee whether the investigation had been shelved due to Moore's departure. She referred the question to the city's public records office, which did not provide additional information. It's not the first time the city has stonewalled public records requests. In 2021, two groups sued the city over withheld records, and won. The first group wanted to see documents from the Tacoma Police Department's use of cell phone location technology called a Stingray. A judge ordered the city to hand over the records and pay a penalty plus the group's legal fees. The second lawsuit concerned the city's records surrounding Puget Sound Energy's plans to build a liquid natural gas plant near the Port of Tacoma. A judge in that case ordered the city to implement public records training for the heads of all city departments, finding the city's previously existing training inadequate. Declining to provide answers based on a cute interpretation of public records laws doesn't serve the public interest. Sure, records of the investigation into Moore's use of leave could be a nothingburger. The News Tribune first learned of an investigation into Moore's use of leave from records of the city's investigation into a $1,000 charge Moore racked up on his work phone while using it for GPS during a family vacation to Sweden. Those records noted that city manager Elizabeth Pauli opened the HR investigation into Moore's use of leave in response to rumors. It could turn out that those rumors were unsubstantiated. But that's not the point. When a high-profile city hire takes a huge payout and leaves town without explanation, it's going to raise questions. Even more so when another investigation into that same hire cost more than 10 times the amount of the inappropriate phone charges it was looking into. So c'mon, City of Tacoma, it's time to give a real answer.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Topeka hires assistant city manager
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The City of Topeka announced that it has hired an assistant city manager Monday. Avery Moore will serve as the next assistant city manager, according to a press release from the City of Topeka. Moore holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, a master's degree in management and is a Ph.D. candidate in leadership at Liberty University. Prior to joining the City of Topeka, Moore worked as a chief of police in Washington State. 'I am excited to be able to serve the City of Topeka in this capacity,' Moore said. 'I will continue to lead in a manner that promotes excellence with character.' Amtrak lets 250 employees go, eliminates numerous other positions 'Avery brings decades of leadership experience and a deep understanding of public service with a focused commitment to innovation and community engagement,' said City Manager Robert Perez said. 'He will be a tremendous asset to our organization and to the residents of Topeka.' Moore will oversee the city's public safety departments including the Topeka Fire Department, Municipal Court, Emergency Management and Topeka Police Department. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Tacoma Deputy Police Chief Paul Junger ousted after investigation
The Brief Tacoma's deputy police chief has been fired following the results of "an Equal Employment Opportunity investigation." Junger's departure comes nearly two months after former Tacoma police chief Avery Moore resigned from the department. TACOMA, Wash. - Tacoma's deputy police chief, Paul Junger, has been separated from the department after an external investigation. An email sent to all staff from the Tacoma Police Department on Monday confirmed that Junger was fired "following the conclusion of an Equal Employment Opportunity investigation." It goes on to say that the investigation "resulted in sustained findings." The backstory While the root cause of the investigation is unknown, Junger was previously placed on administrative leave back in October 2024 over a "personnel issue." It involved an allegation made by a city employee. Junger was put on leave by former Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore, who resigned last month. Moore also became the subject of a workplace investigation, with the Tacoma city manager alleging he misused taxpayer funds. Junger joined the Tacoma Police Department in 2022, as did Moore. Junger worked as Tacoma's acting police chief before interim chief Patti Jackson was sworn in. What they're saying The full email to TPD personnel can be found below, sent on behalf of Chief Patti Jackson: "To all TPD personnel, "Today, Deputy Chief Paul Junger was officially separated from the Tacoma Police Department following the conclusion of an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) investigation. An external agency was brought in to conduct the investigation. The external investigation resulted in sustained findings. "We recognize that changes in leadership can raise questions and impact morale. We also understand that this news will land differently for everyone. As a leadership team, we're committed to acknowledging that range of emotions while continuing to build a culture grounded in professionalism, respect, and trust. "The Department remains fully operational, and our command staff is focused on ensuring a smooth transition. While changes like this can bring uncertainty, we are committed to maintaining stability and moving the agency forward—stronger and more unified. "If you're experiencing any personal challenges during this time, please remember that the City of Tacoma's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "Thank you for your continued commitment to our department and to the community as we move through this transition together. "Respectfully,PJ" The Source Information in this story is from a leadership update email from the Tacoma Police Department and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. Richard Sherman's WA home robbed by armed men, deputies confirm Mystery over Seattle sky: Black ring leaves public guessing Woodland Park Zoo handler recovering after serious orangutan bite Police investigate after 100 shots fired in West Seattle Man stabbed to death in Marysville, WA To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
