Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appointments Tcra topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee recommends reappointments and new appointees to Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority Board
Summary
The Community Vitality and Safety Committee recommended reappointment of four TCRA board members for two-year terms and appointed two additional representatives — an attorney rep and a contractor/development rep — following interviews on Jan. 23. Staff described TCRA meeting schedule, funding sources and grant award ranges.
The Community Vitality and Safety Committee on Jan. 23 recommended reappointments to and made appointments for seats on the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA) Board following four interviews and staff briefings.
By voice vote the committee moved to recommend reappointment of Azaria Azeelu, Amanda Deshayso, Ian Northriff and Barb Comer to two-year terms on the TCRA Board, effective March 1, 2025 and expiring Feb. 28, 2027. Those motions were approved without recorded opposition. The committee also voted to recommend appointment of Karen Reagan to the attorney representative seat and Cindy Norton to the contractor/development representative seat for the same two-year term dates.
Deputy City Clerk Susan Hague introduced the interview process and staff materials and said the board currently has seven authorized positions but no qualified CPA applicant for the CPA-designated seat. "We are scheduled to meet the second and 4th Thursday of every month," Hague said, adding that meetings are at 7:30 a.m. She told the committee the TCRA oversees HUD funding, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, HOME funds, affordable housing and some economic development programs. Hague said the city’s CDBG grant is about $2,300,000 annually and that award amounts vary: "public services grants can be as small as $30,000 ... on the housing side, they can be as large as $500,000 to operate an actual program." Those program parameters are split among housing, public services and microenterprise businesses, with a portion set aside for administration.
Hague and other staff described the TCRA’s role in administering awards and loans. The staff explained that council allocates funding into buckets and that staff runs a Notice of Funding Availability or request-for-proposal process to solicit competitive applications. The TCRA Board reviews underwriting and program outcome information, scores and ranks applications, and makes award determinations; staff said that level of autonomy allows the authority to act more nimbly in real-estate and development transactions.
Four applicants interviewed for two open positions: Zachary Burr, Eric Harpool, Cindy Norton and Karen Reagan. Applicants outlined relevant experience in affordable housing, development, property management and legal practice. Committee members discussed candidates’ ties to Tacoma neighborhoods and professional backgrounds as they weighed choices. Councilmembers noted they had only two seats available and encouraged other qualified applicants to consider other city commissions if not selected.
The committee scheduled additional appointments and interviews for future meetings and noted the CPA-designated seat remains vacant because no qualified CPA applicant applied during the recruitment cycle.
