https://www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/comments/1ifpu6o/what_do_you_think_of_mayor_woodwards/
created by bbgsonster on 02/02/2025 at 05:06 UTC*
26 upvotes, 18 top-level comments (showing 18)
I value a mayor who leads with transparency, accountability, and a clear vision for economic growth. Someone who keeps people informed, engages with the community, and makes it easy to understand what they stand for.
That’s not the experience I’ve had here. Mayor Woodards** doesn’t seem particularly active on social media or interested in direct engagement. It’s a stark contrast to my last city, where the mayor kept residents in the loop—whether it was public safety updates, development plans, or just sharing his vision for the future. You always knew where he stood.
Here, I have no real sense of what she’s accomplished or where she’s taking the city. Maybe that’s on me—I haven’t been here long—but if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I’ll vote for her in the next election. Not because I dislike her, but because I have no idea what she’s doing or what she’s done.
Curious what others think.
Do you think she’s doing a good job? Why or why not?
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1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
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Comment by riceballthief at 02/02/2025 at 06:01 UTC
46 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I ran into her in a bar once and she was there to sign some papers with her aids. She was cordial and asked my husband and I what we thought of Tacoma. When we weren’t praiseworthy and started talking about the things we didn’t like (eg poor biking infrastructure, bad public transit, etc) it started to get real awkward.
Comment by sludgecakeconveyor at 02/02/2025 at 05:35 UTC
57 upvotes, 2 direct replies
We are a council - city manager municipality. The mayor is involved but mostly a public figure. This is not a strong mayor city. There have been talks off and on for years to change our form of government but it’s stuck.
Comment by HomelessCosmonaut at 02/02/2025 at 05:18 UTC
56 upvotes, 4 direct replies
It’s difficult to compare mayors because in some cities the mayor is a powerful position and in others (like ours) it isn’t. Her role is mostly ceremonial. She embarrassed herself a few years ago with the Michael Bloomberg endorsement and has put her foot in her mouth at other times, but ultimately I don’t think she makes a huge day to day impact on my life as a Tacoman.
Also her name is Woodards, not Woodwards.
Comment by tacomafresh at 02/02/2025 at 11:49 UTC*
18 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Not a fan of her or our current city council and city manager. Mayor Strickland and Mayor Baarsma both left the city in way better shape when they left. That will not be the case when Woodards is done.
Comment by DeathofRats42 at 02/02/2025 at 18:04 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I keep voting different in the primaries, but the rest of Tacoma doesn't seem to agree, so we keep putting the same old same old back in.
Comment by true_tacoma98406 at 02/02/2025 at 19:22 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
She is term limited and cannot run again. She will be out of office at the end of this year. Start looking at the candidates running to replace her. This is an opportunity.
Comment by NerdFarming at 02/02/2025 at 05:18 UTC*
36 upvotes, 2 direct replies
FYI, she is term limited and cannot run again. We had this discussion on the Channel 253 Member Slack recently. The question was framed as "is Tacoma better off than it was at the start of her tenure?" The consensus was "no." However, a few people made compelling cases about some of the policy initiatives that have been passed: tenant protections, Home in Tacoma, and the sub area plan for the Port of Tacoma. But it's also worth pointing out that she was not the driving force behind any of those.
Personally, for me at least, the way the city handled the Manny Ellis affair, under her leadership, is an unforgivable sin. But your mileage may vary on that based on how much weight you put in Pierce County juries.
Comment by marmoto25 at 02/02/2025 at 05:44 UTC*
22 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Woodards clearly cares about the city and the vulnerable, but she has seemed to lack the vision and intellect of a Baarsma or a Strickland. She also seems to have blind spots neither of those earlier mayors had when it comes to recognizing the city’s weaknesses (private sector employers, central downtown development, transit, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure are some weaknesses I’d call out), and working with the council and city manager to address them. Like another commenter said, the weak mayor system in Tacoma makes the role a glorified city council president, but a really good mayor milks the bully pulpit to better effect than Woodards has.
Comment by proletergeist at 02/02/2025 at 15:14 UTC
8 upvotes, 0 direct replies
She's two faced and will say whatever she thinks will be received best in the moment in public, but does whatever Pauli and developers tell her to do behind closed doors. That said, she won't be mayor much longer so shrug.
Comment by Angelo31005 at 02/02/2025 at 06:40 UTC
13 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Not an improvement on Strickland, who paved a road so China's dictator wouldn't feel bumps and appeared in a greenwashing promotional video for that Methanol refinery that never got built.
Pauli as city manager is making Ray Corpuz look like a paragon of virtue.
Comment by gruby253 at 02/02/2025 at 12:45 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Woodards and Pauli will be remembered for the boulders all around town that make our streets incredibly unwelcoming.
Comment by Patient_Gas_5245 at 02/02/2025 at 07:49 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Not really, she just is not very honest and acts more GOP than Democrat.
Comment by PeepingDom253 at 03/02/2025 at 04:46 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
lol…pretty sure I don’t need to answer this one.
Comment by [deleted] at 03/02/2025 at 17:22 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
[removed]
Comment by fuckmayorwoodards at 03/02/2025 at 18:04 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
been resisting re-creating a reddit account since i deleted my oooold old one but this post finally got me.
fuck mayor woodards. she does not give two fucks about a word anyone says at council meetings unless they are licking her boot. she does not give a fuckity ballsack. she’s laughing her way to the bank. she isn’t even listening.
fuck mayor woodards.
boo.
hiss.
Comment by KP131 at 02/02/2025 at 06:26 UTC
-2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I've worked with her a few times and have no doubt she cares deeply about this city. She might not always do or act the way people think she should, but she does seem to care. She terms out after this, and I don't know enough about how all this works to definitively say she's been good or not for us all. The Manny Ellis case and the way the city handled it didn't feel great, and might be something that people consider. Ultimately I would probably put a bit more in the pro column than the con.
Comment by Eratatosk at 02/02/2025 at 20:08 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I like her better than Strickland and not as much as Baarsma. She’s not as aligned with the Chamber of Commerce as Strickland and not as deep as a system’s thinker as Baarsma. We chose the weak mayor system, though, which isn’t her fault.