Lacey City Council approves board and commission appointments

Five residents are filling advisory positions after the Lacey City Council unanimously confirmed their seats at a meeting on Feb. 17.

The city council backed Mayor Andy Ryder's recommendations to fill vacancies created by expiring terms and a recent resignation on the Lacey Planning Commission, Human Services Commission and Library Board. 

Planning Commission 

The council seated Allen Acosta and Aaron Dumas to fill openings left when commissioners completed their terms. Both men will serve three-year terms that expire on Jan. 2, 2029. 

Acosta, a retired U.S. Army officer who settled in Lacey after his final posting at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, has lived in the city for 19 years.

He has federal project management experience and a background as a local property owner and landlord. He holds a bachelor's degree in public safety administration, and certifications in emergency management and incident command. 

Acosta said he wants to work with the city to help it grow, attract more families, and bring more diversity and talent to the community. 

Dumas holds a bachelor's degree in economics and works as a program manager for the Washington State Department of Commerce. He is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited professional, with training in sustainable community design. Dumas previously served on the Pierce Transit Community Transportation Advisory Group. 

The five-year Lacey resident said he applied because he wants to help shape policies that make the city more sustainable, accessible and affordable for families. 

Ryder said the selection process was difficult given the strength of the applicant pool. Six candidates advanced to interviews after one of seven applicants was found ineligible due to residency requirements. 

Human Services Commission 

John Grausam will complete an unexpired term on the Human Services Commission through Dec. 31, 2027, taking a seat left open by a commissioner's resignation. Four applicants were interviewed before Ryder advanced a recommendation to the council. 

Grausam has called Lacey home since 1973. He spent four decades working in the nonprofit sector before retiring.

He previously served on the Lacey Parks Commission, the Public Facilities District, the Friends of the Lacey Library, and an advisory group on police facilities. 

He also holds an associate degree from South Puget Sound Community College and has completed more than 50 technical and professional courses. 

Grausam said public service has been important to him throughout his life and he is looking for a new way to serve the community. 

Ryder highlighted Grausam's record of civic engagement. 

"He's been serving the City of Lacey in one capacity or another, going back like 20 years," Ryder said. "It's truly amazing, someone who has dedicated so much of his volunteer time to the city." 

Library Board 

Jade Sierra and Pat Taviss were confirmed to  five-year terms on the Lacey Library Board. The terms expire on Feb. 6, 2031.  They are filling two seats after prior members completed their terms.

Sierra, a legislative assistant with the Washington State Senate, has lived in Lacey for seven years. She also volunteers with the Thurston County Food Bank and as a University of Washington alumni mentor. 

She holds a bachelor's degree in communication and political science from the University of Washington. She said her familiarity with state budgets and community grants would help the board secure long-term funding for library services. 

Sierra said she wants to advocate for the library's core mission of aligning services with community needs, and ensure historically underserved residents have access to essential library programs and resources. 

Taviss, a Lacey Urban Growth Area resident since August 2024, holds a master's degree in library science and a master's degree in organizational management. Taviss has worked in public libraries across the United States and Canada since 1980. 

Past experience includes more than three decades of public library work across North America, including service as trustee and president of the Redwood City Public Library Board in California. 

Taviss said the appointment is an opportunity to give back to the community, as well as  contribute a career worth of expertise in public service and libraries to a new home.