Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Jim Cooper wrapped up 15 years of service on the Olympia City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 16, as colleagues and city leaders paid tribute to his institutional knowledge and dedication to the community.
Cooper, who first joined the council in 2010, was honored with a proclamation recognizing his service through 2025. He also received commemorative gifts, including a plaque bearing both the city seal used when he took office and Olympia’s current seal — a symbolic bookend to his time on the dais.
Council member Dani Madrone described Cooper as a keeper of the council’s institutional history and a steady presence during complex policy discussions.
“Jim brings the context of what council has talked about in the past — why we are circling certain issues or why something happened the way it did — that’s going to be a big loss," Madrone said.
She said Cooper’s departure would leave a significant gap in historical context on the council, noting his experience often helped shape discussion on thorny issues ranging from the budget to land use.
Council member Clark Gilman credited Cooper for balancing social justice goals, policy improvements and consistent advocacy for city staff. He said Cooper helped model a collaborative relationship between the council and the city’s executive team, while also serving as a voice for city employees.
City Manager Jay Burney, who has worked with Cooper for his entire time on the council, said he demonstrated the importance of transparency, standing firm on values, and ensuring that marginalized voices were heard. He also credited Cooper with showing that effective public service requires authenticity, empathy and a willingness to take risks in pursuit of better outcomes.
Former City Manager Steve Hall highlighted Cooper’s role as a “proud veteran” and a consistent voice of compassion in city government. He also noted Cooper’s financial expertise, which helped guide Olympia through its post-recession recovery.
Hall also commended Cooper’s dedication to community issues, including support for the Thurston County Food Bank during federal SNAP disruptions.
Former council member and now State Rep. Lisa Parshley described Cooper as a mentor with the ability to listen and collaborate. She recalled her first interactions with Cooper in 2017 and how he guided her through her early council years, teaching that “the most important thing you bring to every council meeting is your passion, your love of your city, and the willingness to listen and learn from other people — even your fellow council members.”
She said Cooper’s leadership always came “from a place of love for Olympia.”
Former Mayor Bob Jacobs called Cooper “the father of the Metropolitan Park District,” crediting him for turning a funding initiative into a model for community parks that will benefit the city for generations.
The Olympia Metropolitan Park District (OMPD), established under Cooper’s leadership, became a model for neighboring Tumwater, inspiring the city to adopt a similar approach. In contrast, Lacey had attempted twice to develop its own, yet failed on both occasions. As a result, Lacey found itself with a lot of land but insufficient funding to develop or get grants.
Jacobs underscored Cooper’s groundbreaking work in creating a sustainable parks funding mechanism that could serve as a template for other local jurisdictions.
Paul Simmons, former Director of Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation Department, echoed those sentiments. He noted Cooper’s advocacy and collaboration for the passage of OMPD and for significant improvements to the park system.
Cooper thanked his family, city staff, colleagues and community members. He said he will continue serving in the community as a housing authority commissioner, while clarifying that he currently has no plans to run for public office.
“Leadership is all of us. One person is going, and another person is coming, making a small gap. I am excited about the future and will stay engaged," he said.
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BobJacobs
I was struck by Dani Madrone's comments about institutional history, a very important factor for policymakers.
There are many people in Olympia with this history who are willing to share it with the council --former councilmembers, employees, and activists. Instead, councilmembers get the staff's version of past events, which can be incomplete or biased.
We are seldom asked.
Bob Jacobs
Saturday, December 20, 2025 Report this
RobRichards
It’s hard to imagine our city council without Jim Cooper on it. In 2011, I was going to Evergreen on the GI Bill, and most of my studies were directed at our Downtown and how to make it better and more welcoming for everybody. This is when I formulated the ideas that would eventually lead to the successful Downtown Ambassador and Clean Team programs.
Before that, I had been a poverty activist and advocate for folks who were not housed and I became pretty disillusioned with the then city council’s staunchly pro-business, anti-homeless bent. Seemingly every year was another ordinance taking away more public space from human beings who were simply down on their luck. We chose to push them out instead of lifting them up.
This was around the time I began to dip my toe into the local political scene. It was a new world and one I didn’t have a lot of hope or trust in. I knew of Jim from his work in the non-profit world, but I don’t think I actually met him for the first time until his first campaign kickoff. We hit it off and stayed in touch after that, eventually becoming good friends.
I write all of that to tell you a story about the kind of person and leader Jim is. I think he’d been on council for maybe a year and had already established himself as the council’s strongest voice for the people and for justice. I had been looking at policies in other places and drafted a localized version of a “Homeless Bill of Rights,” that would provide protections for folks living on the streets, and compel the city to take steps to help people instead of criminalizing them. Long story short, Jim didn’t blink when I suggested it. He told me to send him a draft and he’d get it on the council’s agenda. He did, and when it came to a vote, he was the only vote in favor of it.
And that’s my entire point about Jim. He’s always been willing to do the right thing even if it meant standing alone. And to me that’s a truer test of a person’s character than just about anything. Thank you Jim, for your dedication and service to our community, and for your friendship and support over the years. Onward!
Sunday, December 21, 2025 Report this