Introducing District 4 Council Member Sandesh Sadalge

Dear District 4 neighbors,

I am humbled and honored to have been selected for appointment to the District 4 Tacoma City Council position to fulfill the remainder of former Council Member Catherine Ushka's term. I will keep CM Ushka in my heart and mind as I work in service to our community. I was recruited to public service in Tacoma by CM Ushka, and I want to honor her legacy, continue to champion her priorities, and be a strong advocate for District 4.

Hearing from you will be one of the most important parts of my job. You can reach out to me at ssadalge@cityoftacoma.org, or by calling my office at 253.591.5100. 

I also want to introduce myself to you so you can learn more about me and why I chose to apply to serve on the City Council.

Since moving to Tacoma in 2019, I dedicated myself to our neighborhood as a steering committee member on the McKinley Hill Neighborhood Plan and served on Tacoma’s Planning Commission as the District 4 Representative. I also bring over 20 years of experience in the private sector, primarily in data analytics, and have helped relaunch and operate a small business in Tacoma that employed up to 30 individuals. My wife and I are members of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and my wife owns and operates a home-based craft business in Tacoma.

I am the first person of South Asian descent to serve on the Tacoma City Council. Born in India, I moved to America when I was six years old. Like many immigrants and District 4 residents, I grew up in a household whose first language was not English. During college, I chose to become a U.S. Citizen. According to the U.S. Census, almost a quarter of District 4 residents speak a language other than English at home. As a Council Member, I plan to leverage my lived experience to build and strengthen relationships with my multi-lingual and immigrant neighbors.

Deeply committed to the well-being of youth and children, I will prioritize addressing the root causes of youth violence, especially gun violence. I'm eager to champion data-driven solutions that can prevent the tragic deaths we’ve seen too often in Tacoma. Committed to families and education, I also will seek to address the childcare desert in District 4 and champion early education options that support young children, as well as provide economic support to women and families. As a housing champion, I will also tackle our region’s affordable housing crisis, with a special focus on reducing displacement and increasing housing supply in Tacoma.

These next 18 months will be critical to elevating the voices and needs in District 4. Again, I am honored to have this opportunity, and I look forward to learning more about how I can serve you in this work.

Best,

Sandesh Sadalge
Tacoma City Council Member, District 4