Ryan on the Issues
Housing Affordability & Homelessness
Everyone has the right to live in a safe, clean and affordable home. More than 40% of people in Pierce County pay more than 30% of their monthly income on housing – that’s too much. Ryan supports appropriate incentives and mandates to build more housing and to keep it affordable, especially for those most in need. Our seniors cannot get priced out of the homes they have lived in for years simply for not affording the property taxes. Ryan will work for solutions to ensure we all have an affordable and quality place to live. As Council Chair, Ryan led the council in passing the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act to initially add 256 units of affordable housing in Spanaway and provide funding for thousands more affordable units across Pierce County in the coming years. The rising cost of housing is also a significant contributing factor to the homelessness crisis in the county and around the nation. We need policy and investment solutions that focus on the causes of homelessness like mental health services and employment opportunities.
Building affordable housing for all, especially for seniors, veterans and disabled individuals
Boldly and collaboratively addressing homelessness by investing in long-lasting solutions
Housing First Policy to stabilize individuals and families
Providing intensive casework services to support individuals and overcome the barriers that contribute to people becoming homeless in the first place.
Community Safety
Concerns on increasing violent and property crime are real and Ryan supports bold new criminal justice solutions to keep our communities safe. It starts with making sure public safety and justice officials have the resources they need to keep violent offenders behind bars and invest in solutions to reduce recidivism. We need to strategically bring down our property crime rate. Ryan will invest in community, mental health and veterans courts so that people are held accountable while also getting the resources and support they need to not reoffend and an opportunity to lead a better life for themselves.
Keep our community safe by ensuring our law enforcement and public safety officers have the resources they need and we address public safety holistically
Find solutions to end the opioid crisis
Expand behavioral health programs so every community member has the access they need
Economic Prosperity
A good economy is one where businesses can thrive and everyone has access to a good, family-wage job to provide for their family and invest in their future. Ryan is committed to focusing on helping our small businesses thrive and keeping working people employed. Ryan will also invest in affordable, quality childcare so that parents work while supporting a family. In a changing workplace with increased remote work and automation, Ryan will invest in people’s skills so they can compete in this changing economy. We will protect good, family-wage jobs and ensure people who work hard and play by the rules can earn a decent wage, with benefits and be able to retire with dignity.
Invest in more good-paying, family-wage jobs in Pierce County.
Keep property taxes lower and more manageable for people on fixed incomes.
Invest in better infrastructure – better streets, sidewalks, streetlights, calmer streets and parks- so businesses thrive and are economically competitive.
Reproductive Justice
The attacks on reproductive freedom happening across our nation are extreme and dangerous. Reproductive freedom is intrinsically connected to other fundamental rights, such as economic justice, the freedom to love who you want and access to healthcare. This complexity demands a leader who approaches these intersectionalities with thoughtfulness.
As Pierce County Executive, Ryan will leverage the resources of the office to address, support, and enhance reproductive rights and related issues within our community.
Ryan is proud to be endorsed by Pro-Choice Washington and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.
Childcare
The cost of childcare is very costly and forces many people out of employment. We need affordable and accessible childcare so that working people don't have to choose between paying for childcare and going to work. To do so, Ryan will support working families while finding solutions for quality childcare options.
The Pierce County Council allocated $8 million dollars previously to support new childcare businesses to start and/or grow. We will continue to allocate funds to new businesses, including childcare facilities to support working families.
Ryan will focus on land use reform to make citing areas for childcare businesses easier. Additionally, Ryan will co-locate child care with existing businesses and sites such as churches, libraries, businesses, etc. to increase accessibility.
Land use reform to make it easier to site a childcare business.
Conservation & Rural Support
For two decades, Ryan has worked to protect our environment and support our natural lands. As the Executive Director of the Pierce Conservation District, Ryan worked around the county focusing on conservation initiatives that protected our working farms and forests, worked to recover our salmon populations, improved our parks and much more. Ryan will continue his longstanding efforts to recover the health of Puget Sound, protect our working farms and forests from urban sprawl, complete our trails connecting all of our communities, improve our parks and recreation facilities and fight the climate crisis with the urgency it demands.
Expand and improve public transit, neighborhood streets, and transportation infrastructure in rural areas.
Increase broadband access to all corners of our community
Support family farms, forests and natural lands.
Protect our great quality of life with cleaner air, water and great parks, rural heritage and working lands.
