
Safe Streets for Our Kids and Our Community
While knocking on doors this week, I met Chelsea—a mom raising her family on one of Tacoma’s busy arterial streets. She shared concerns about her kids walking to the library, biking around the neighborhood, and getting to school safely.
It was a powerful reminder of something I hear from people in every corner of Tacoma: they want safer streets, especially for their kids.
This is an issue I’ve been committed to for years. As a council member, I helped pass Tacoma’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, lowered residential speed limits to 20 mph, and supported investments to make our neighborhoods more walkable and connected.
Just recently, we took a big step forward with the renewal of Tacoma’s Transportation Benefit District. I worked with Council Member Kristina Walker to ensure at least 15% of all revenue is now set aside specifically for safety improvements for people walking, biking, and rolling. That means more sidewalks, better lighting, safer crosswalks, and traffic calming where it’s needed most.
This is the only dedicated funding we currently have for pedestrian safety—and it’s a direct investment in the daily lives of our residents.
But I know it’s not enough to stop there. That’s why I’ve also been working with partners at the state level to study new, innovative ways to pay for sidewalks. As mayor, I look forward to bringing those ideas forward so we can finally make meaningful progress in the neighborhoods that have been waiting too long for basic infrastructure.
As someone who used to be a distance runner, who’s pushed a stroller across this city, and who still walks my dog Atlas daily, I know how important safe and accessible streets are—not just for getting around, but for public health, connection, and peace of mind.

In a time when so much feels uncertain nationally, I believe local leadership matters more than ever. We need a mayor who shows up, stays focused on what matters most, and delivers real, tangible improvements that people can see and feel.
That’s the kind of leadership I’ve brought to the council—and the kind I’ll bring as your next mayor.
Thanks for being in this with me. Let’s keep moving Tacoma forward—together.
– John