Thursday, October 1, 2026
A swearing-in ceremony is going to be held for the City of Tumwater mayor-elect, a new city council member and her soon-to-be colleagues next week.
The ceremony is taking place at the first Tumwater City Council meeting of the new year at Tumwater City Hall, Council Chambers, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, said the City of Tumwater in annoucing the event.
Washington State Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud is going to administer the oath of office to Mayor-elect Leatta Dahlhoff, new council member, Meghan Sullivan and returning council members.
Dahlhoff is replacing former Mayor Debbie Sullivan, who did not seek reelection. Meghan Sullivan, who won the Tumwater City Council Position 5 contest in the Nov. 4 General Election, is replacing Michael Althauser, who did not seek reelection.
Returning council members Eileen Swarthout, council position 4, and Peter Agabi, council position 6, were elected for additional four-year terms in the general election.
The city is also welcoming back returning council members Angela Jefferson, council position 2, Joan Cathey, council position 3, and Kelly Von Holtz, council position 7.
Council position 1, which was formerly held by Dahlhoff, is vacant. The city council is going to continue its work on filling the position.
"The number of candidates to be interviewed will be determined at the (Jan. 6 city council) meeting. The (city’s) announcement from early December details the steps in the ongoing process," said the City of Tumwater in the announcement.
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JacobMarley
I hope that newly elected mayor Dahloff and the city council is aware that City of Tumwater planning manager Brad Medrud is attempting an end around on the E street Extension project by quickly tearing into the forest on Cleveland Av by the Olympia Brewery water tank. This is the very forest that the citizens of this area are fighting to protect as it is the most heavily forested portion of the hillside while Medrud continues to lie about this route. The route he is trying to screw over the citizens of Tumwater with was designed in 2017 to accommodate LOTT which is now longer building there. Medrud is trying to sneak this project thru while lying to the public that "a route has not been chosen." The locates on the sidewalk are already up with a neighbor confronting the city of Tumwater employees who were bragging about how "Brad Medrud was planning to incorporate this into the E Street Project". He is clearly trying to start this before the new mayor and council are seated, otherwise, why the haste in the dead of winter? The citizens of Tumwater need to know that he is basing this route off of a 2017 memorandum that used doctored photos and manipulated data to skew the results. The city's own memorandum clearly states, "this is not the most efficient route, but it is compatible with LOTT" and that the most efficient route is the one that was promised to the citizens of Tumwater in 2012, APPROVED by the Tumwater City Council in 2015, before LOTT screwed everything up and now Brad Medrud is too lazy to give the citizens of Tumwater the route they need and deserve while protecting the environment and wildlife. The path that Medrud insists on using is not only the most environmentally destructive path he could choose but will destroy wildlife habitat that have lived in safety since 2023. The route he insists on using will also put down the most concrete when the world temperatures are already rising and would put his highway thru the narrowest part of the Tumwater valley which will increase noise levels. Of course, he doesn't live in our neighborhood, SO HE DOESN'T CARE!
Brad Medrud is trying to sneak this route in under the false pretense of needing a "temporary access road" to the water tank when there is already, and has always been, an existing road from the brewery which could easily be used if this is really "temporary". The brewery closed 23 years ago and "now" he wants to do something about the water. Now, in the middle of winter? Seriously?
Brad Medrud is the most untrustworthy person at the city of Tumwater. At the 2024 Planning open house he, Brad Medrud, pretended not to know anything when confronted by a resident and now he is trying to sneak this in when the city's own website pretends that "no route has been chosen". He is the planning manager, and he pretended not to know anything. What an embarrassment for the city of Tumwater!
And I use the word SNEAK on purpose as this is how Brad Medrud has treated our neighborhood. This plan was developed in 2017 and he has NEVER shown his face or talked to us. He is truly the definition of a coward.
Mayor-elect Dahloff and the city council need to see thru this outrageous abuse of trust by Brad Medrud and stop this needless destruction that he is clearly trying to start behind her back, the new city council's and the city of Tumwater citizen's. My guess is he will try to start tearing things up on Jan 1st or 2nd, anytime, before the swearing in ceremony on Jan 6th. This must be stopped NOW, or he will start destroying things.
Contact Mayor-elect Dahloff immediately and ask her to stop this madness before it's too late.
SHAME ON YOU BRAD MEDRUD! You can take your DOGE attitude of being superior to the citizens of Tumwater and remember WE pay your wages. You work for us!
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Report this
JasonWettstein
With regard to the comment below. . . .
City of Tumwater operation’s staff are creating an access point to city-owned property, adjacent to Cleveland Ave, for staff to provide vegetation maintenance on and around the existing Brewery infrastructure. A new driveway approach, fence and access gate is being installed, and we have worked to minimize any impacts to trees. The work supports our efforts to be good neighbors by maintaining the property. I hope this helps to clarify the city’s intent.
Respectfully,
Jason Wettstein, with the City of Tumwater.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Report this
JasonWettstein
One addition: re: "comment below, " it turns out I meant "comment above." I thought comments were posted with newest on top,-) Thank you for the opportunity to clarify.
Respectfully,
Jason Wettstein, with the City of Tumwater
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Report this
JacobMarley
Cute reply but (A) if you were really trying to be a good neighbor you would have contacted our neighborhood given our neighborhood's history with the E street project and the dishonesty of the city of the Tumwater, (B) if you are really there just to control vegetation, after 23yrs, you could have easily accessed the property by the brewery property access road just like your contractors did with no trouble when they tore up the land today, (C) no one sneaks in under the cover of the holidays and, since we are being honest here, that is exactly what the city did today and finally, (D) if you're going to make up a story then at least try to coordinate it with your peers. That is not the same story your fellow Tumwater employee told our neighbor last week. Nice try.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Report this
ToshiroDog
My friends and I were just discussing this very topic over dinner.
So, the City of Tumwater wants us to believe that after ignoring the Brewery for almost 25yrs, that with all the eyesore maintenance that needs to be done on the brewery buildings, the broken windows, burnt out shells and graffiti, the city of Tumwater just had to rush out in the middle of winter during the Holiday season and put a road in to maintain the brewery vegetation around the water tank that no one can even see anymore... just to be good neighbors...
Respectfully, why doesn't the city of Tumwater want us to know what they are really up to? The city of Tumwater's explanation is something a child would say and smells like what a child would do in their pants.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Report this