PDC finds good cause to redact parcel numbers from Port commissioner filings

The Public Disclosure Commission on Oct. 9, 2025 granted a modification and directed redaction of parcel numbers in previously filed reports by John McCarthy, a Port of Tacoma commissioner, after McCarthy cited safety concerns tied to anonymous public-records requests.

Jennifer Hansen told the commission that McCarthy, a former superior court judge, requested that reports disclosing his real property by parcel number be redacted and that the filings instead use a legal description. Hansen said McCarthy reported recent anonymous public-records requests seeking information about his communications and family members and that the request was made out of an abundance of caution. "He would like to use a legal description instead of a parcel number and is requesting to have the original version of those reports redacted," Hansen said.

Chair Jay Robert Leach said he would find good cause to grant the modification and directed that parcel numbers be redacted; he also directed McCarthy to amend each affected report to include the legal description. Leach explained his reasoning in part by noting that anyone can put a parcel number into an assessor website to obtain the taxpayer name and address, which can frustrate efforts to obscure a street address. The commission closed its calendar after entering the administrative direction.