Lakewood Swears In New City Council Member

LAKEWOOD, WA — The Lakewood City Council has a new member.

On March 1, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph swore in Patti Belleto represent Position 5 on the Lakewood City Council. Belle currently works as a manager for Kent's communication team, she has also served on the City of Lakewood Art’s Commission for 2 years.

She has lived in Lakewood since 2018 but has been a Pierce County resident for more than two decades, according to the city.

In a release announcing her swearing-in, the city outlined some of her goals as a new council member:

"As a Lakewood City Councilmember, Belle will do her part to partner with others, and deliver results for the people that rely on Lakewood’s services and programs, and legislate in a way that considers what’s best for all of its residents. She will focus on continuing to expand Lakewood’s economic base to not only increase local government revenue but create more local jobs and work to ensure Parks and Human Services programming stays healthy and supported. Lastly, she will continue to proactively communicate to residents what the City is doing to uphold the reputation of being transparent and accessible. "

Belle replaces former councilmember John Simpson, who announced in December that he and his family would be moving to Lacey, disqualifying him from holding a position on the council.