Tacoma committee recommends three reappointments, names youth appointment and two shortlist candidates for Climate and Sustainability Commission

The Infrastructure Planning and Sustainability Committee on April 9 recommended reappointing three incumbent members to the City of Tacoma Climate and Sustainability Commission, recommended one youth appointment to fill an unexpired term and placed two additional applicants on the commission shortlist.

Committee members made motions and carried each recommendation by voice vote during a meeting that followed interviews with three applicants. City Clerk Nicole Emery moderated the interview process and explained the selection timeline and term lengths before committee questioning and motions.

The recommendations put forward by the committee would reappoint Matthew Benedict, Yvonne Lau Cooper and John Doherty to three-year terms effective May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2028, if the full City Council confirms them. The committee also recommended Justine Jadalla for the youth member position to fill an unexpired term that will expire April 30, 2026. In addition, the committee named Drew Karoyi and Hope Springer as the first and second candidates on the commission’s shortlist, effective until April 30, 2026.

Votes at a glance

- Recommend reappointment of Matthew Benedict to the Climate and Sustainability Commission, term 05/01/2025–04/30/2028; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally). - Recommend reappointment of Yvonne Lau Cooper to the Climate and Sustainability Commission, term 05/01/2025–04/30/2028; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally). - Recommend reappointment of John Doherty to the Climate and Sustainability Commission, term 05/01/2025–04/30/2028; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally). - Recommend appointment of Justine Jadalla to the youth member position to fill an unexpired term ending 04/30/2026; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally). - Recommend placing Drew Karoyi on the commission shortlist (first position), effective until 04/30/2026; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally). - Recommend placing Hope Springer on the commission shortlist (second position), effective until 04/30/2026; outcome: motion carried by voice vote (record does not specify roll-call tally).

Committee chair and members praised the candidate pool after interviews. Chair Walker thanked staff for organizing the recruitment and singled out former staff member Lakeisha Farmer for her outreach work; Walker said Farmer "continually [did] an amazing job" helping recruit and vet applicants. Vice Chair Diaz moved the initial motions recommending reappointments and shortlist placements.

The committee interviewed three candidates before voting. Applicant True Korori emphasized community-led engagement and centering historically underserved voices, saying the most important action in the climate action plan is to "center current and historically underserved voices in policy design, development and implementation." Justine Jadalla cited experience translating technical work for community audiences and identified transit-oriented development and integrating sustainable transportation into housing as a priority. Hope Springer, an environmental educator, said she would focus on environmental justice and working with tribal and Indigenous knowledge in implementation.

Next steps

The committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to the full City Council for confirmation. The committee noted that youth-member appointments are shorter to align with the commission’s youth-member term rules; the city clerk advised the youth term expires 04/30/2026 and that eligibility at appointment is generally limited to applicants age 16–24. Shortlist candidates remain effective until 04/30/2026; staff said if an opening has not emerged by then, the applicant would need to be reinterviewed.

Details of motions and other procedural notes are recorded in the committee transcript. The clerk’s office will notify applicants of the committee’s recommendation.