The Pierce County Council elected to retain its 2023 bipartisan leadership group to serve as Council leadership in 2024 during its first regular meeting of the year, held on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
For 2024, Councilmember Ryan Mello (District 4) will continue to serve as Council Chair, Councilmember Marty Campbell (District 5) will continue to serve as Council Vice Chair, and Councilmember Dave Morell (District 1) will continue to serve as Executive Pro Tempore. Mello and Campbell are both Democrats, and Morell is a Republican.
“It is an honor to have the trust and confidence of my colleagues to serve as the Chair of the Pierce County Council once again,” said Mello. “In 2023, we did big things. We passed the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, created the Select Committee on Homelessness, and unanimously adopted the 2024-2025 Biennial Budget, just to name a few.”
Mello added, “2024 will also be a busy year for the Council, as we work with the Legislature in Olympia to advocate for Pierce County priorities, begin investing funds from the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, and ensure we are creating a truly regional approach to tackling the homelessness crisis.”
The Chair of the County Council is an important role. In addition to presiding over all regular council meetings, the Chair represents the Council at functions and often serves as a spokesperson for the governing body.
The Vice Chair is an equally important role. The vice chair presides in the absence of the chair and is an important leadership voice.
“I am honored to have the support of my colleagues once again, and I look forward to continuing to serve Pierce County in my role as Council Vice Chair,” said Campbell.
The Executive Pro Tempore is a Councilmember selected to perform some of the County Executive’s duties in the event of the Executive’s absence or temporary disability.
Morell held this position in 2019, 2022, and 2023. In addition, he served as Council Vice Chair in 2020 and 2021 and has been elected to a position of leadership every year since joining the Council. Prior to joining the Council, Morell was the state representative for the 25th Legislative District and served as fire commissioner for Central Pierce Fire and Rescue.
