Tacoma committee reappoints three board members, appoints contractor Kobe Clark to Board of Building Appeals

The Infrastructure Planning and Sustainability Committee on July 23 recommended reappointments for three members of the City of Tacoma’s Board of Building Appeals and appointed Kobe Clark to fill a vacant general-contractor seat.

Nicole Emery, Tacoma’s city clerk, told the committee staff requested reappointments “based on their experience and updated applications in your packet,” and that five positions are authorized on the board, with one seat—the building owners and managers association representative—remaining vacant. After interview and discussion, the committee moved to recommend the reappointment of Nicholas Grassi (position 3, fire/emergency), James Collins (position 5, structural engineer) and Michael Tagels (position 6, mechanical engineer), and to appoint Kobe Clark to position 2 (general contractor). Each motion was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The committee heard a two‑minute presentation from Kobe Clark, who described over a decade of local construction experience and said he’d previously been a partner in Creek Construction. Clark said he has worked on apartments and senior living projects in Tacoma and that code interpretations can “be self conflicting and confusing, particularly when you’re talking about different agencies at the state level and different code criteria at the state level relative to city requirements.” He told members the board can serve as “a stopgap to resolve those conflicts and to help keep people housed.”

Quinn Tai, principal plans examiner for PDS, told committee members the City’s Board of Building Appeals has limits on membership: "members of Board of Building Appeals cannot be employees of public agencies or a whole public office," and noted a potential conflict in Clark’s case. Tai said Clark is currently running for city council in Auburn; if Clark were elected to another city’s council, Tacoma’s board rules would likely require resignation from the Board of Building Appeals.

Council Member Joe Bushnell, who spoke during the interview period, asked how Clark handles disagreements on projects. Clark described a collaborative, evidence‑based approach: "hearing people and listening to all sides" and taking an interdisciplinary view that weighs efficiency, equity and effectiveness when interpreting the code.

Committee members who spoke in support said Clark appeared well qualified and acknowledged the procedural conflict if he were to hold elected office elsewhere. The committee instructed the city clerk’s office to finalize the appointment paperwork; staff will follow existing code language on conflicts of interest if an elected office is later obtained.

The committee also received materials and memoranda on unrelated forthcoming items — including a draft of Pierce Transit’s long‑range plan, the Planning Commission’s work plan and a solid‑waste pilot project — which staff said would be posted to the public record following the meeting.

The motions to recommend the three reappointments and to appoint Clark were adopted by voice vote; the meeting record does not list individual roll‑call tallies.