Accountable Tacoma

Your Vote. Your Mayor. Your Community.

An open Letter to Tacoma Residents:
Why we Need a Strong Mayor (and Why we need one now)

Dear Neighbor,

I’ve been thinking a lot about Tacoma’s future lately. We’re growing fast—more than 330,000 new people are expected to call Tacoma home in the next 20 years. That’s exciting, but it also means we need to make sure our city is ready to meet the challenges and opportunities that come with that kind of growth.

Right now, our government just isn’t built for what’s coming.

The truth is, the system we have now just isn’t built for what’s ahead.

Here’s how things work today: We’ve got one branch of government. One.

Decisions are made by an unelected City Manager who doesn’t even live here. They’re the one calling all the shots, controlling what the City Council sees, and making over $300,000 a year while doing it—more than any elected official in Tacoma.

The City Council? They’re a group of well-meaning people, but the system ties their hands. They’re stuck acting more like a board of directors than a real legislative body.

And our mayor? Just a figurehead—no executive authority, just a 9th vote on the Council.

The way things are set up now, our government is more about avoiding risks and keeping things under control than it is about listening to us and solving real problems. That’s not going to cut it with the growth we’re expecting.

Here’s the vision: We need a Mayor-Council system (also called a “Strong Mayor” system) where we elect a real leader—someone who’s accountable to us and ready to take charge of Tacoma’s future!

This change would create real checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches so there’s better oversight and transparency…

Give our public officials the tools and staff they need to do their jobs and actually represent us…

And modernize our government so it’s ready to handle the challenges and opportunities of a growing city.

Other cities in Washington have made this change
(and seen Positive results)

Back in 2016, the folks in Snohomish decided to switch from a council-manager system back to a strong mayor setup. This change meant they could elect a mayor directly accountable to them, leading to more responsive and efficient governance. It was a close call—passed by just 11 votes—but it showed how much residents wanted leadership that truly represented their interests.

And what happened next? The city saw faster decision-making and a renewed focus on local priorities. Residents appreciated having a leader they could go to directly, someone with the authority to act quickly and push for the changes Snohomish needed.

It’s proof that when people have a say in who’s leading them, the results can be transformative.

Imagine what that kind of leadership could do for Tacoma.

In Spokane, they’ve been operating under a strong mayor system since 2001. Before the switch, Spokane struggled with inefficiencies and a lack of clear leadership, with big decisions often getting bogged down in bureaucracy. Moving to a mayor-council system changed all of that.

Today, Spokane benefits from having an elected mayor who’s empowered to take action. For example, the city has made strides in economic development, revitalizing its downtown and improving public safety.

Spokane’s leadership under this system has also attracted new businesses and investments, turning the city into a regional hub.

The best part? Residents know exactly who to hold accountable for the city’s progress—or lack of it.

That kind of transparency and focus is exactly what Tacoma needs as we prepare for big growth over the next 20 years.

This isn’t about blaming anyone in our current government.
This is about “Leveling Up” the way we govern.

We’ve got good people on the City Council who want to do the right thing. But the system they’re working within just doesn’t give them the tools to do it. If we update how our government works, we’ll set Tacoma up for success—not just for the next election cycle, but for generations to come.

Because now, more than ever, we need a Form of Government that signals to Washington State – and the rest of the country – that Tacoma is ready to become a regional powerhouse.

We need a Form of Government that makes Tacoma a desirable place to do business so we can bring those high paying jobs into our community, build those affordable houses, and support growing families.

We need a Form of Government that we can trust will do what they said they will do, and be held accountable if they don’t.

That’s why we need a Strong Mayor.
that’s why we launched Accountable Tacoma.

So if you love Tacoma like we do – and you want to help our City of Destiny achieve it’s potential – you should sign up for our newsletter. All you have to do is enter your email and hit the subscribe button.

Once you do that, you’ll get an email from me at [email protected] welcoming you to our growing community of civically minded Tacoma residents.

I promise I wont spam your inbox with donation requests, but I will be keeping in touch with you on a weekly basis to invite you to our upcoming virtual (and in person) events.

Our goal isn’t to push any specific agenda. It’s to provide a forum for Tacoma residents to have their voices heard, get organized (or join an organization), and work together to get things done.

Because in order for us to change our Form of Government, we first need to collect enough signatures to get the Form of Government on the November 2025 election.

Here’s the good news: We’ve already raised about $17,000 (of which, I personally donated $13,000 in seed capital). And I’m pleased to report we’ve made some significant progress in our efforts.

Thanks to our donors, we were able to obtain fresh polling data about the Form of Government issue at hand. We’re expecting results shortly, but if the results are positive, it’s going to give many of our elected officials the confidence they need to support putting this on the ballot.

Once we’ve got those results in, I promise I’ll send you a copy (which is as good a reason as any to opt in below).

Here’s the less good news: Even if we get it on the ballot, we will need ~30,000 votes to get it passed. This is a very achievable number. But in order to reach that many people it’s going to require a combination of things.

First, it’s going to take grass roots community organizing and outreach. This means we need to not only get you excited about joining the cause, we want you to be excited to share what we’re doing with people you know.

Second, it’s going to require money to build an organization and hire talented people. While endorsements help and we’re always looking for volunteers, we prefer to hire professionals who know how to get things done.

Third, it’s going to ask people like you to get more engaged in our community—whether that means attending city council meetings, writing letters to the editor, or simply talking to your neighbors about why this change matters. The more people who are informed and involved, the better chance we have at making Tacoma’s government work for us.

Look, we know changing our Form of Government isn’t an overnight fix. But if we don’t take action now, we’ll be stuck with a system that can’t handle Tacoma’s growth. We’ll continue to see decisions made behind closed doors, without real accountability to the people who actually live here. And that’s just not good enough for a city with the potential Tacoma has.

So, if you’re ready to help shape Tacoma’s future, take the first step: Sign up for our newsletter. Stay informed, stay involved, and let’s work together to make sure Tacoma is ready for the next 20 years—and beyond.

We’re in this together, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish.

Talk soon,

Jake Hoffberg
Accountable Tacoma