Latasha Palmer has begun serving as Tacoma City Council Member At-Large Position 6, following her electoral victory in 2025. Council Member Palmer’s oath of office took place on January 6, 2026.
“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to represent the people of Tacoma, and I am looking forward to advancing innovative solutions to some of our toughest challenges,” said Council Member Palmer. “While there is a lot of work to do, my priorities include strengthening home and community stability, expanding affordable housing, improving public safety, and growing a green local economy in ways that prevent displacement and enable our residents to meaningfully participate in the communities they call home. I believe Tacoma’s growth should create shared prosperity and that every resident deserves dignity, safety, and a genuine sense of belonging.”
Council Member Palmer will serve on the Community Vitality and Safety Committee and the Economic Development Committee. She will also serve as Vice-Chair of the City’s Building Resilience Against Youth Violence and Exploitation Executive Steering Committee. In addition, Council Member Palmer will represent Tacoma on several regional bodies including the Joint Municipal Action Committee, the Pierce County Regional Council, and the Urban Waters Board of Directors.
“I’m looking forward to working with Council Member Palmer and welcoming her to the Council,” said Mayor Ibsen. “She brings an unflinching moral compass, and a clear commitment to our community. That perspective will be a valuable addition to Council discussions in the year ahead.”
Before being elected, Council Member Palmer served as an appointed member of Tacoma’s Charter Review Committee in 2024, where she worked to expand inclusive public participation and helped develop 24 Charter amendment recommendations for City Council consideration. Her commitment to public service is also rooted in years of community advocacy. Council Member Palmer founded and co-chaired the Know Peace Collective, working with families to advocate for BIPOC students in Tacoma Public Schools, and previously helped create and chair the Race and Equity Committee at Bryant Elementary. She also brings small-business experience, having launched Iyami Aje, LLC in 2021.
Council Member Palmer’s work is guided by her lived experience and deep community ties. She was born and raised in the Puget Sound region and is a cum laude graduate of Columbia University, where she studied urban history and design, sustainability, and the politics of othering and belonging. Council Member Palmer, her three children, and their dog, Kaido, live in the Hilltop neighborhood.