Pierce Conservation Voters and Sierra Club Tatoosh Group announce environmental endorsements for key Tacoma City races

Tacoma – With primary ballots arriving in mailboxes this week, Pierce Conservation Voters and the Tatoosh Group of the Sierra Club (Pierce County) formally announced both organization’s Mayor and City Council endorsements. These endorsements provide voters with a clear sense of the best environmental candidate in each race.

 “The environmental challenges facing Tacoma require strong champions on the Council,” said Pierce Conservation Board Chair Michael Garrity. “Together, our endorsements establish a clear environmental slate for voters in Tacoma,” said Bliss Moore, Sierra Club Tatoosh Group Chair. The organizations each evaluated these candidates separately and came to the same conclusions on who would best provide climate change leadership, promote transit options and protect open space.

Sierra Club and Pierce Conservation Voters both endorsed Marilyn Strickland for Mayor.  Both organizations noted Strickland’s exciting vision for Tacoma’s future and commitment to promoting public transit and street restoration, including bike/pedestrian infrastructure, to connect communities across the City. They also noted that Strickland has the experience and personality to provide the strong leadership necessary to get things done.

Both organizations also endorsed current City Council Member, Jake Fey for his reelection campaign.  Fey, who is running unopposed, has been an environmental leader on the Council.  This past year, he was instrumental in helping to pass the Tacoma Pierce County Sustainability Coalition’s four local environmental Priorities.

In the At-Large District #6 position, firefighter Keven Rojecki emerged as the endorsed Sierra Club Tatoosh Group and Pierce Conservation Voters candidate.  Rojecki has a track record of pushing for tougher environmental standards to protect families in Tacoma and throughout the state.  In 2007, he was heavily involved with the Washington state passage of the first state ban of flame retardants in the nation.

In the Eastside’s District #4 seat, the dual Pierce Conservation Voters and Sierra Club Tatoosh Group endorsement went to small business owner Marty Campbell.  Through his civic service, Campbell has emerged as a progressive voice for smart transit and parking solutions.

The Sierra Club’s Tatoosh Group represents about 1200 members living in Pierce County and focuses on local environmental issues and political endorsements which ultimately will improve the environment conditions in our local cities and the county.  Sierra Club members promote environmental protection not only in our local community but also throughout Washington state, the nation and the planet as a whole. Find out more at www.cascade.sierraclub.org.

Pierce Conservation Voters is a chapter of Washington Conservation Voters and works to support environmentally responsible elected officials and candidates for public office to ensure Pierce County is a healthy and safe place to live. Pierce Conservation Voters’ grassroots efforts seek to strengthen laws that safeguard the health of our community, the beauty of our region and our economic future. The chapter has had an ongoing successful local presence since the early 1990’s.  Find out more at www.wcvoters.org/counties/pierce