Tumwater City Council confirms Equity Commission’s inaugural members 

Tumwater has an Equity Commission after the Tumwater City Council confirmed the appointments of the group’s inaugural members at a meeting on Tuesday, April 21.

The seven-member commission will serve as an advisory body to the city council on matters relating to equity, inclusion, and access to city services and democratic processes.

Its members were appointed after an application process that included an interview with Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff, Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Von Holtz and city staff. 

Five members of the commission spoke before the council to introduce themselves, talk about their ties to the community, and express their eagerness to serve. 

Tina Crary said her family has been in the community since 1964. According to her resume, she has been serving as a community representative for the Tumwater Police Department since 2020, where she assists with hiring to ensure the police department meets its transparency and equity goals. 

Ellen Matheny is a 12-year resident, who currently works as an assistant director for the Washington Student Achievement Council, where she manages contracts and budgets. She said she also served with Dahlhoff on the Tumwater Planning Commission from 2014-15. 

Michael Snow, an eight-year resident, said he is the basketball coach of Black Hills High School. His resume states that he is also the program manager for early learning at the nonprofit Child Care Aware of Washington. 

Sarah Ellison, a 15-year resident, is a biotech engineer currently employed by a tech firm focused on infant care. 

Among this roster of longtime residents, Lisa Gorski is the only relative newcomer. She said she moved to the city after recently retiring as a microbiological research scientist for the United States Department of Agriculture. 

The commission also includes Vonny Turner and Vanessa Arita Reyes, who were absent from the ceremony. 

Turner is a private employee working as a manager for a Bellevue-based technology firm after previously working for the U.S. Department of Defense. 

Arita Reyes is a communications professional currently working as a consultant for the Washington State Department of Health. 

Before the confirmation of their appointments, City Council member Joan Cathey asked if the council could meet with the new commissioners to get to know them better and to discuss how they could collaborate, which Dahlhoff confirmed is already being planned by city staff. 

The commission’s first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 27. The agenda of the meeting will include an overview of the group’s authority, roles and bylaws, a training session on the Open Public Meetings Act, and a discussion on the group’s work plan.