A successor has been appointed to complete the remaining term of Rosie Ayala’s elected position on the Board of Park Commissioners.
The Board voted unanimously at its regular meeting Monday, selecting Pete Reyes from six finalists who were interviewed the week before.
Reyes is a licensed practical nurse supervisor for Comprehensive Life Resources and has served on Parks Tacoma Active Living and Community Wellness Advisory Council since 2022. He is also a tree steward for Tacoma Tree Foundation and an advisory member for Hilltop Action Coalition.
As a community member and leader, “I have learned the necessity of listening to the people that are doing the work, as well as the people performing the service. As a professional, the people I supervise understand that I am not only a positional leader, I attempt to be a serving leader. I believe that the best outcomes for our patients happen when people don’t work for me but when they work with me,” Reyes wrote in his application.
He was sworn in at the end of Monday’s meeting and will serve on the Park Board through 2025. He replaces Ayala, who now serves on the Pierce County Council.
Since December, the Park Board has filled three vacancies created through a retirement, a death and a resignation.
The new commissioners are Alisa Lee, appointed December 20 to fill the seat left by Aaron Pointer’s retirement; Carla Santorno, appointed February 10 to fill the seat left by Tim Reid’s death; and now Reyes.
They joined President Andrea Smith and Vice President Matt Mauer on the Board.
The Park Board meets on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at 6 p.m. at Parks Tacoma headquarters board room, 4702 S. 19th St., Tacoma.
Established as the state’s first independent parks agency in 1907, Parks Tacoma manages more than 2,900 acres of land. That includes 80 parks and regional attractions like Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum and the W.W. Seymour Conservatory. The District offers hundreds of recreational, environmental and zoological programs that encourage people to play, learn and grow.
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