Candidate Profile: Joe Colombo For Puyallup City Council

PUYALLUP, WA — For the November General Election, Pierce County's 566,000 registered voters will be asked to weigh in on dozens of high-profile elections, including mayoral races in Tacoma, Eatonville, Buckley, and Bonney Lake. Nearly a dozen cities from Puyallup to Lakewood are holding city council elections, and six school districts will also have candidates on the ballot.

To help readers make informed choices, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Joe Colombo is running for Puyallup City Council Position 2

Age (as of Election Day): 50

Position Sought: Puyallup City Council Position 2

Party Affiliation: Non-Partisan

Family: My 11 year old daughter is the light of my life.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: M.A. Psychology, Western American University, San Diego, CA; B.A. Western Washington University, Bellingham WA; Rogers High School, Puyallup WA;

Occupation: IT Project Management & Facilitation (3 years); Software Quality Assurance Lead (17 years); Credit Counselor for the non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Seattle (3 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: 2018 Publicly Elected Precinct Committee Officer; 2021 Appointed Member of the City of Puyallup Design Review & Historic Preservation Board

Campaign website: joecolombo.info

Why are you seeking office?

As a longtime Puyallup resident, it's important to me that our community be vibrant and welcoming. After college I came home to raise my daughter for Puyallup's good schools and sense of community. Now I want to give back and make Puyallup even better.

I love talking with neighbors of all political affiliations on local, state, and national issues. Differing opinions don't upset me and are understandable when in a nation designed to accommodate conflicting values and interests. There is far more that brings us together. Finding facts to reach mutually-beneficial solutions is what I enjoy doing. While having the discussions I mention above, I've found local issues are what end up bringing us together. In fact, even when we initially disagree, there is often a "third way" that ends up being better than any of us thought in the first place.

In the end, we all want to feel welcome right here in our own community. We want to feel safe walking the sidewalks past our neighbor's homes, and we want to enjoy great parks, shops, and schools built by those who went before us. Serving in a non-partisan position on city council, alongside others who are dedicated to working together as one team to make those dreams a reality for everyone, is exactly what I want to do going forward.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I'm dedicated to increasing affordable housing and decreasing homelessness in Puyallup. After my divorce a couple years ago, I experienced the challenge of finding affordable housing for myself and my daughter. I felt incredibly fortunate to find an apartment near Decoursey Park at that time, and then to find a house near Good Samaritan Hospital. But I know that others with fewer connections and resources are having an impossible time doing the same thing today.

To create affordable housing, I'm looking at the city's new Housing Action Plan to see if there are areas near transit centers that can be "upzoned" without adversely affecting neighbors. First and foremost, development can't occur unless traffic congestion is reduced at the same time. Builders should get "density bonuses" if they include affordable housing and set aside open space, while designing for walkable neighborhoods and improved traffic flows. As a "zoom town" where everyone wants to move, Puyallup must reduce pressure on housing prices, but we also have to increase our sense of community, reduce traffic congestion, and preserve critical open spaces at the same time.

I'm also working on a collaborative plan to help Puyallup reach "functional zero homelessness" by continuing our part in Pierce County's goal to provide shelter to all homeless people by this winter. The city now provides 20 beds in a "hotel model" developed during the pandemic, and 10 beds it previously contracted through the Salvation Army in Tacoma. Those programs are causing a visible reduction in homelessness downtown. It's a good start, but there are less expensive models I'll advocate for on council.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My policies are clearly laid out, whereas the other candidate has not yet shared that level of detail.

Differences are also starting to become visible in recent candidate interviews and forums, including the News Tribune endorsement interview which is included in their article endorsing me - with quotes that include:

"Colombo stands out with an impressive attention to detail…"

"Colombo has delved into the affordable housing crisis and has laid out a plan on how to achieve functional zero homelessness…

"We believe Puyallup would be well served by Joe Colombo and that a ballot cast for him would uphold election law."

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

A question about vaccines and the coronavirus was asked July 20th during the Puyallup City Council District 2 candidate's forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters (viewable via YouTube) and it brought out stark differences between me and my opponent. This is what I said:

"I wanted to commend the city for coming up with a program where they are giving away gift cards for getting vaccinated. I think that is a great incentive to get some of the reluctant individuals to get vaccinated. I am fully vaccinated myself. I think it does come down to the personal relationships, and trusted individuals in the community. I remember reading a story when the polio vaccine was created, and there was the same struggle of getting people to take it. So famous and well respected individuals were brought into the community, or on television, shown getting the vaccine and showing people that it was safe, and we need to do something similar in the communities. Find those trusted individuals. Find those people that the community respects and likes and trusts, and have them share their story of what it was like to be vaccinated and why it's important. And I think through those networks, and through those conversations and through those stories, I think that's what's going to work to increase the number of people getting the vaccine."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Neighborhood Safety - Our neighborhoods have key choke-points that need addressing, including crosswalks to safely connect neighborhoods across traffic, bike lanes to keep kids safe, and trails that need to be finished. Our neighborhoods need efficient traffic and sidewalk patterns, correct lighting, and block watch programs. We need emergency response teams in preparation for earthquakes and other disasters, to ensure vulnerable citizens recover quickly.

Economic Vitality - Small business development and projects like the farmer's market have helped fill downtown storefronts over the past decade since the Great Recession. I'm planning on collaborative efforts to attract economic magnets like natural foods grocers and recreation projects that can radiate business activity throughout the city. I will also prioritize mixed-use (live-work-play) projects over warehouses and other developments that clog traffic, ensuring that infrastructure is always in place first.

Fiscal Responsibility - I'm dedicated to excellent financial management of public budgets. For the first few years of my career, I was a counselor for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Seattle. As the editorial board of The News Tribune said in its endorsement of my campaign, "An insurance company information technology manager, Colombo has (been) a consumer credit counselor. That could give him insight on city budget/debt issues, including plans for a new $82.7 million public safety building on South Hill."

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm a community organizer on the grass-roots level and have been deeply involved in the issues facing the City of Puyallup for many years. I founded the Families of Puyallup Public Schools group on Facebook to address deep divisions occurring in our district. I'm out in the community every day, volunteering on restoration projects, walking the Puyallup Loop Trail, and checking on neighbors. I have been a member Puyallup Kiwanis and was appointed to Puyallup's Historic Design & Review Commission. But my core professional values are what will keep me grounded and able to handle the demands of city council: Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'll let the responses above stand for my positions, but will share a little about the frequently asked questions about my life. I grew up on South Hill in the 1980's. My father was stationed at McChord AFB and my mother was a public school teacher. I have very fond memories of attending Ballou Jr High and Rogers High School, and was very active in the marching band. In fact, I was at Sparks Stadium the day it opened. After attending college in Bellingham and completing graduate school in San Diego, I moved back to Washington State. It didn't take me long to discover I wanted to return to my old neighborhood and purchase a home there for my family.

Then in 2018, I moved into a rental near Decoursey Park in District 2 and immediately fell in love with what I experienced: great parks and hiking trails, local farms where I could purchase fresh eggs, and best of all, welcoming neighbors I could chat with. Last year I found a home in the center of beautiful District 2. I love being so close to the fairgrounds and watching the rides light up at night. I love being able to walk to the local shops and restaurants. My daughter loves watching the helicopters land at Good Sam Hospital. Puyallup is where I have roots, and it's where I want to continue building a great community.