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Pierce County appoints two to Behavioral Health Advisory Board; Tom Yabe represents law enforcement perspective
Summary
The council approved R2025-128 appointing Tom Yabe and Kim Zacker to the Pierce County Behavioral Health Advisory Board. Tom Yabe, chief of police for the Town of Silicon, appeared and described first-responder perspectives on behavioral-health response.
The Pierce County Council on April 1 adopted Resolution R2025-128 appointing two new members — Tom Yabe and Kim Zacker — to the Pierce County Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
Tom Yabe, identified in the meeting as chief of police for the Town of Silicon, spoke briefly about his decision to serve. He said first responders play a critical role in addressing behavioral-health crises and expressed appreciation that first-responder perspectives will be part of the board’s work.
Why it matters: The Behavioral Health Advisory Board advises county efforts to respond to behavioral-health crises; adding a law-enforcement chief aims to bring frontline experience to board deliberations about crisis response and coordination with first responders.
Vice Chair Herrera and other council members thanked Yabe for volunteering and noted his broader leadership with the Police Chiefs Association would allow him to represent both small jurisdictions and countywide concerns. The council opened a public hearing and heard no public comment on the appointments.
The clerk recorded the roll-call vote for the resolution. The meeting record included some uncertainty while confirming remote attendance, and the clerk later announced a final roll-call tally of 5 ayes and 0 nays. The motion to confirm R2025-128 was adopted and the appointees were added to the board roster.
Ending: The council welcomed the new members and noted the board’s continuing work on intentional, countywide behavioral-health strategies.
