Re-elected Tumwater council members sworn-in; Dahlhoff elected as new mayor pro tem

Newly elected Tumwater council member Kelly Von Holtz and re-elected council members Joan Cathey, Leatta Dahlhoff, and Angela Jefferson made a reenactment of their oath of office during a council meeting on Tuesday, January 2.

Mayor Debbie Sullivan swore in the four council members before they signed their oaths.

County Auditor Mary Hall had previously sworn in Von Holtz and Dahlhoff during a December 27 ceremony.

Von Holtz earned 52% of the votes for her council position during the November 7 elections. She won against Andrea McGhee, who had earned more votes than her during the August 1 primary elections.

For the re-elected council members, Cathey beat Doris Atkinson with 83% of the votes, while Dahlhoff and Jefferson faced no competition.

Dahlhoff is the new mayor pro tem

Later on during the meeting, the council members unanimously voted to elect Dahlhoff as the new mayor pro tem.

The mayor pro tem acts as the presiding officer of council meetings in the absence of the mayor, City Administrator Lisa Parks explained before the vote. The  mayor pro tem also attends events in an official capacity on behalf of the city.

The previous mayor pro tem, Michael Althauser, nominated Dahlhoff for the position.

“I think council member Dahlhoff will serve us well in that role,” Althauser said, adding, “I think that she will be a great representative for the values and the vision that we have for our city today in the city that we want it to be, so I offer my support to her without reservation.”

After her election, Dahlhoff made a brief statement to express her gratitude and share her goals for 2024.

“We've had multiple conversations of what leadership looks like in our city  whether it's linked to a title or not... I appreciate Michael and his service, Joan Cathey and her service, and everyone before, and everyone after,” Dahlhoff said.

“My goal for 2024 is defining teamwork,” Dahlhoff continued. “What is teamwork? What does the team look like for our community? And what does the work look like?”