The main criticism leveled at Bill Baarsma regarding his eight years as mayor is that he did not do anything big or bold enough during his time in office. The truth is he did what he was allowed to do and understood his role.
Baarsma’s detractors need to consider the form of government we have in Tacoma, a council/manager format in which the city manager is the executive responsible for the day-to-day operations. The mayor is one of nine council members who has some ceremonial and public relations duties. The mayor is directly elected in Tacoma, unlike some of our neighboring cities that have a council/manager format such as Fife and Puyallup, where council members choose among themselves who will be mayor. As such, Tacoma’s mayor has somewhat more political capital.
It is no secret Baarsma wants Tacoma’s mayor to be the chief executive, a mayor/council format also known as a strong mayor format. He has long held this viewpoint and mentioned so from time to time. But, Baarsma did what a good elected official should do; operate properly within the existing governmental structure. He has a deep respect for Tacoma City Charter, the document that defines how Tacoma’s government is to operate. A switch to a strong mayor can only be done if the citizens vote to change the charter.
Baarsma did not try to overstep the boundaries during his time in office; he understood the role of mayor in a council/manager format. Where allowed by the charter, he exercised additional power allocated to mayor, such as the ability to appoint members to the board of Tacoma Housing Authority.
He often mentioned charter language when the council was considering taking action on any number of issues. Our federal government has a guiding document of its own, known as the United States Constitution. Rarely do members of the U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives discuss whether action they are considering is allowed or prohibited by that document.
Baarsma’s understanding and respect for the charter is an admirable trait that elected officials at all levels would do well to emulate.
