LAKEWOOD, WA – On Friday November 20, 2020, Councilmember John Simpson tendered his resignation from the Lakewood City Council to Mayor Don Anderson. His resignation is effective December 31, 2020.
Councilmember Simpson has been a dedicated and well-respected public servant for the city of Lakewood acting in a number of capacities for the City. In 2003, Councilmember Simpson was appointed by the Lakewood City Council to serve as an interim Councilmember filling Doug Richardson’s position while Mr. Richardson was on active military duty. Councilmember Simpson was elected to the Lakewood City Council At-Large in 2013 and then reelected in 2017. His term of office is not set to expire until December 2021.
In his letter of resignation, Councilmember Simpson indicated that he will be moving out of Lakewood which disqualifies him from continuing to serve as a Lakewood City Councilmember pursuant to state law (RCW 41.12.010).
Councilmember Simpson currently serves on the Landmarks and Heritage Advisory Board and represents the City as an alternate at the Pierce County Regional Council.
Councilmember Simpson, a native of Indiana, graduated from Central Michigan University (BA) and Pacific Lutheran University (MA). Mr. Simpson is a retired history professor (emeritus) at Pierce College where he taught for over 25 years. During his time at Pierce College, he served as faculty president, as well as on the College Cabinet. Mr. Simpson was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award 11 times. Councilmember Simpson is also an award winning photojournalist for the Ranger Newspaper. He has embedded on eight (8) separate occasions to Iraq and Afghanistan with Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and Camp Murray soldiers. In 2007, he was nominated for an Emmy for his coverage of combat operations in Iraq, and he has won numerous awards for his reporting and photography. A retired Air Force officer (21 years of service), Simpson is a life member of the Reserve Officer Association. He also holds memberships in the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, the Military Officers of America Association, American Legion Post 110 and the Washington Press Association. He and wife, Melanie, have three children.
Lakewood City Council Position Vacancy Procedure
Under the Lakewood City Council Rules of Procedure, the Lakewood City Council has ninety (90) days from the occurrence of the vacancy to appoint, by majority vote of a quorum of the Council, a qualified person to fill the vacancy pursuant to State law. The Lakewood City Council will have until March 31, 2021 to appoint a person to this vacancy. The Lakewood City Council can fill this vacancy at any regular council meeting, or at a special meeting called for that purpose, sometime after December 31, 2020.
If the Lakewood City Council does not appoint a person to fill this vacancy within this ninety (90) day period, the Lakewood City Council loses its authority to fill this seat per state law (RCW 42.12.070(1)). The Pierce County Council would then have the authority to make an appointment to fill this vacancy in a subsequent ninety (90) day period. If this were to occur, Pierce County Council would have until June 29, 2021 to appoint a person to this vacancy. If no appointment is made by this date, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee may be petitioned by the Lakewood City Council or the Pierce County Council to do so.
The person appointed to fill the vacancy will hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term (December of 2021). Councilmember Simpson’s position, like all Lakewood City Councilmember positions, is an At-Large position, meaning the individual is elected to represent the whole city, rather than a portion of the City, as is the case with districted positions.
David Anderson says
This that follows is an admitted eulogy: “a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died.”
But this is not written because John Simpson has died but rather it is a reflection on how he lives.
I think sometimes elected representatives are perceived as somewhat removed from reality, that they don’t walk the streets of the city, and therefore suffer – most unfairly – the wrath of the members of the community.
That they’re not really one of us.
Not so, especially not so with John Simpson.
I happen to know, for example, that John believes raisin filled (or brownies or chocolate chip) cookies do really well on the bottom of a bowl under a fair amount of vanilla ice cream!
I also know he likes mincemeat pie.
So there’s two of us.
And he doesn’t like, as was reported in the Tacoma News Tribune not long ago, trains at high speeds “bifurcating our city.”
I troubled over that word “bifurcate.” Although I had an idea what John meant I admit having to look up the meaning of “bifurcate” (it means to “separate” or “subdivide”).
The students at Pierce College – and my daughter was one of them – had trouble with John Simpson in a different way. Their trouble was getting into his class before others did.
Required only to teach 35 students per class, John would typically fill his history classes with 70 students.
And with the starting bell ringing at 7 am, that’s saying something.
As you read above in the official city “eulogy” for John, he was judged by his peers there at Pierce several times over as Outstanding Faculty. His students would say of John that he refused to coddle them and that he inspired them because of his “Dead Poets Society” (starring Robin Williams) penchant for throwing away the script.
While there at Pierce College John was instrumental in obtaining used baseballs – some with the cover knocked off – from the Pierce College Raiders baseball team so that the seven-and-eight-year-olds on the Tillicum Crusher baseball team could play ball.
John kept one of those well-used baseballs – cover partly intact – on a shelf in his office.
Also referenced in the City’s take on John was his photojournalistic prowess.
In addition to history, John taught photojournalism on several occasions during his career at Pierce College. There again his method was up close and personal.
“I want you close enough to the person you are photographing,” John would tell his students, “so you can hear their heart beating.”
Speaking of heart beat, I also happen to know that there are few delights on John’s list – a list that includes mincemeat pie and most any kind of cookie on which vanilla ice cream is piled high – that can compare with lifting the hood and hearing the deep, resonating throb of a heart-beat and occasional dual-exhaust roar of an Oldsmobile 4-4-2.
That being said, “at times life can be a bit too fast and loud,” John once wrote so now, with retirement from the city council, the mornings with his wife, children and the Wall Street Journal will hopefully be sweeter still.
Though not his coffee. He likes it black. No sugar. No cream.
Thank you for your service John, and for being who you are.
ismail Arslangiray says
Outstanding commentary
Eric Chandler says
Amen.
Eric Warn says
A good man who did much good for the Lakewood community. He will be missed.
Chas. Ames says
Councilmember Simpson may well have been the greatest single advocate for Springbrook.
He may be succeeded. But he will not be replaced.