Dick Muri | |
---|---|
Mayor of Steilacoom, Washington | |
Assumed office April 7, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Ron Lucas |
Member of the WashingtonHouseofRepresentatives from the 28th district | |
In office July 3, 2013 –January 14, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Steve O'Ban |
Succeeded by | Mari Leavitt |
Member of the Pierce County Council from the 6th District | |
In office November 19, 2003 –December 31, 2012 | |
Preceded by | Paul A. Bocchi |
Succeeded by | Douglas G. Richardson |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard Walter Muri November 30,1953 Fairbanks,Alaska,U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Mary L. (Burns) Muri |
Residence | Steilacoom,Washington |
Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Amherst (BS) Golden Gate University (MPA) |
Website | Official |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1975 – 1997 (22 years) |
Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
Richard Walter Muri (born November 30,1953) is an American politician. He is the appointed Mayor of the Town of Steilacoom after longtime Mayor Ron Lucas stepped down for health reasons in March 2021,before passing away just weeks later. He is a Republican former member of the Washington House of Representatives,representing the 28th legislative district. [1] Muri was appointed to the Washington State House of Representatives following (now former) State Representative Steve O'Ban's appointment to the Washington State Senate after State Senator Mike Carrell's death. [2] From 2003 to 2012,he served as a Republican member of the Pierce County Council,representing the 6th District. [3] In 2010,he ran as a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Washington's 9th congressional district against incumbent Democratic Congressman Adam Smith,eventually losing to Smith by nearly 10 points. [4] In 2012,he again ran,this time in Washington's 10th congressional district against Denny Heck,losing by 17 points. [5]
Muri,a Gulf War veteran,served 22 years in the United States Air Force. He and his wife are residents of Steilacoom,Washington.
Town of Steilacoom Mayor Richard "Dick" Walter Muri was born November 30,1953,in Fairbanks,Alaska. He graduated from Ashland High School in Ashland,Massachusetts in 1971 and received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst,1975 and his Masters of Public Administration from Golden Gate University in 1988.
Dick has been married since 1979 to Mary Muri (formerly Mary Burns - Lakes HS '75) and has four children,Jennifer,Jonathan,Sarah,and Bradley. Dick and Mary have twelve grandchildren,Makenna,Sterling,Garrison,Boone,Capri,Cannon,Cora,Blair,Aria,Warren,Huck and Juniper.
Dick was commissioned via ROTC at UMass Amherst as an officer in the United States Air Force in 1975. He earned his navigator wings at Mather Air Force Base in 1976 and flew the C-141 Starlifter at McChord Air Force Base as a Navigator in the 8th Military Airlift Squadron (MAS) from 1977 to 1985 and as a member of the 36th Airlift Squadron (AS) from 1991 to 1993. Muri was also assigned to the 62nd Airlift Wing as an Airlift Control Element (ALCE) Operations Officer and a Tactical Airlift Liaison Officer (TALO) from 1982 to 1984. Muri served at Travis Air Force Base from 1984 to 1989 as a member of the 22nd Air Force Staff and a member of the 1702 Mobility Support Squadron. Muri was a member of the Airlift Control Center (ALCC) Cadre and as a manager of the 22nd Air Force area TALOs.
Muri served in the Gulf War from 1990 to 1991 as Director of Airlift Operations of the 628th Military Airlift Support Squadron at Incirlik Airbase,Turkey. As Director of Airlift Operations he initially directed the critical Operation Provide Comfort for the first 48 hours. Initially for the first 48 hours,Operation Provide Comfort was commanded by the local 628th Military Airlift Support Squadron Major Richard (Dick) Muri (acting commander),who after being alerted at 2 AM by the 39th TACG Command Post,with orders from President Bush to drop supplies to the Kurds within 24 hours. Major Muri immediately put two aircrews on Alpha alert,food was procured from the local commissary with squadron funds (later reimbursed),and CDS bundles were ordered from USAFE. That afternoon,16 CDS bundles with food supplies were air dropped by C-130s in an area with Kurdish refugees. Two days later,Lieutenant General John Shalikashvili took command and said to Major Muri at a command post conference meeting,"Major,you have done good,take care of your squadron".
From 1992 to 1997,Muri was Chief of Quality Management for McChord Air Force Base,directing a program that won numerous awards for excellence from the United States Air Force and Washington state. He retired as a Lt. Colonel with 22 years military experience on 1 January 1998.
Dick Muri took office as Pierce County Councilmember District 6 on November 19,2003,serving Lakewood,Steilacoom,DuPont,Roy,McKenna,Fort Lewis,McChord AFB,and the island communities of Anderson,McNeil,and Ketron.
Muri served in leadership positions as Chair of the Performance Audit Committee,Vice-chair of both the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Board and Select Committee for Emergency Preparedness,and co-chair of the Criminal Justice Task Force.
Muri was a member of the following county council standing committees:Community Development,Economic Infrastructure &Development,and Public Safety &Human Services.
External Boards and Commissions include the Joint City-Council Open Space Determination Board,Law and Justice Community Oversight Committee,Pierce County Reserve Officers Board of Trustees,Pierce Transit Board,Rainier Communications Commission,Zoo &Trek Authority (ZTA),Safe Streets,and Pierce County Law and Justice Council. Muri ran for his second term for Pierce County Councilmember District 6,promising to continue being the most accessible elected official for the council,and offering a strong record of open,efficient,and responsible County government.
As chairman of the Performance Audit Committee,Muri worked with the Justice Management Institution to improve the processes involved in the Pierce County judicial system.
As a Councilmember,Muri was committed to supporting veterans and protecting their 50,000 family wage jobs at Joint Base Lewis McChord. He is also heavily involved with conservation and land preservation projects around the district,such as protecting the undeveloped 18-acre (73,000 m2) Salter's Point woods in Steilacoom and expanding Lakewood's Wards Lake Park.
Muri received the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce John H. Anderson Military Citizen of the Year Award for 1996 and was inducted into the Fort Lewis Civilian Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Fort Lewis in January 2006. Other community recognition includes the 2002 Washington State District Three Middle School Wrestling Coach of the Year Award. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2017. He was selected out of 330 National Drive Electric Week "City Captains" as City Captain of the Year in 2018 by Plug In America. In 2019 Muri was selected by the Steilacoom Kiwanis and Chamber of Commerce as the Steilacoom Citizen of the Year.
A Charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Steilacoom in 1993. He is Past President of the Steilacoom Kiwanis Club - a community partner with the 42nd Military Police Brigade at Fort Lewis;a former member of the Steilacoom Historical School District #1 Board of Directors (1997 to 2004);Pierce County Council District # 6 2003 - 2012,28th District State Representative Position # 1 2013 - 2018,co-founder and Director of the Steilacoom Lakewood Youth Wrestling Association (1991 to 2005);past member of Bates Management Training Center Board of Directors;and active member of many local Veteran organizations.
Muri challenged Democratic incumbent Adam Smith for Washington's 9th congressional district . Smith defeated Muri 55% to 45% to remain in office. [6]
In 2012 Muri ran again for Congress, this time in the newly created 10th Congressional District.
Muri was defeated in his bid to become the district's first congressman by former state legislator Denny Heck 58.6% to 41.4%.
On May 29, 2013, longtime state legislator Senator Mike Carrell died from complications with myelodysplastic syndrome. On June 5, 2013, Representative Steve O'Ban was appointed by the Pierce County Council to fill the vacant seat in the State Senate.
On July 3, 2013, Muri was unanimously appointed by the Pierce County Council to fill the seat vacated by O'Ban.
Muri ran to retain his seat against Democratic challenger Mary Moss. Muri prevailed 57.8% to 42.2%.
In 2018 Muri served as the assistant ranking member of the State of Washington House of Representatives Education Committee and assistant ranking member of the House Judiciary. Muri is also a former member of the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee.
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 921,130, up from 795,225 in 2010, making it the second-most populous county in Washington, behind King County, and the 60th-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, it was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census.
McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the airbase’s primary mission being worldwide strategic airlift.
Steilacoom is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,727 at the 2020 census. Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what is now the state of Washington. It has also become a bedroom community for service members stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, aka McChord AFB and Fort Lewis.
Pierce College is a public community college in Pierce County, Washington. The college consists of two main campuses, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup, and auxiliary campuses at Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and in South Hill. The college has an 13,500 enrolled students.
Anderson Island is the southernmost island in Puget Sound and a census-designated place of Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is accessible by boat or a 20-minute ferry ride from Steilacoom. Anderson Island is just south of McNeil Island. To the northwest, Key Peninsula is across Drayton Passage. The south basin of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland to the southeast, while to the southwest the Nisqually Reach of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland.
Dennis Lynn Heck is an American entrepreneur and politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 10th congressional district from 2013 to 2021 and as a state representative from 1977 to 1985.
William Henson Wallace was an important figure in the early histories of two U.S. states, serving as governor and Congressional delegate from both Washington Territory and Idaho Territory.
Peter G. von Reichbauer is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the nonpartisan King County Council, representing District 7, a 124-square-mile (320 km2) region of South King County which includes all of the cities of Algona and Federal Way, the entire King County portions of Auburn, Milton, and Pacific and large unincorporated areas. Prior to his election to the council, von Reichbauer served as a Washington State Senator for the 30th Legislative District between 1973 and 1994.
Clover Creek is a creek in Pierce County, Washington. Clover Creek rises near Frederickson, flows through Spanaway and Parkland, is diverted under the main runway of McChord Air Force Base and Interstate 5, and into Lakewood, where it spills into Lake Steilacoom.
Elections were held on November 2, 2010, to determine Washington's nine members of the United States House of Representatives. Representatives were elected for two-year terms to serve in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. Nonpartisan blanket primary elections were held on August 17, 2010.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the ten U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's ten congressional districts, a gain of one seat following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, and a U.S. Senate election. The state certified the returns on December 6, 2012. Primary elections were held August 7, 2012.
Washington's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in western Washington. The district is centered on the state capital, Olympia, and includes portions of Thurston and Pierce counties. It was created after the 2010 United States census, which granted Washington an additional congressional seat, bringing the number of seats apportioned to the state up from 9 to 10, and elected Denny Heck as its first member to the United States House of Representatives in the 2012 elections. Marilyn Strickland was elected in 2020 to replace him after he retired to run for Lieutenant Governor.
Ketron Island is an island and a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The island had a population of 24 persons according to the 2000 census, and 17 persons at the 2010 census.
Steven Thomas O'Ban is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 28th district from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives in 2013.
Washington's 28th legislative district is one of forty-nine districts in Washington state for representation in the state legislature. It is in Pierce County, and contains a bit of Tacoma, and the cities of Fircrest, University Place, Lakewood, Steilacoom, and DuPont. It also contains Ketron Island, Anderson Island, and McNeil Island.
Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1 is a public school district in Steilacoom, Washington, United States. It serves the city of Steilacoom, the communities of DuPont and Anderson Island, and portions of Lakewood and unincorporated Pierce County.
Steilacoom High School (or SHS) is a public high school in Steilacoom, Washington, United States and is part of the Steilacoom Historical School District. It is the oldest, and to date the only, high school in the school district. Prior to its establishment, students attended grades 9–12 in the neighboring Tacoma School District and Clover Park School District. SHS was established in 1981 for grades 9 and 10, with grades 11 and 12 starting in the following two years. The facility underwent a $23 million modernization and expansion in 2007–09.
Mari Lynn Kruger Leavitt is an American politician from Washington. She serves in the Washington House of Representatives for 28th legislative district in Pierce County.
The 2000 House elections in Washington occurred on November 7, 2000, to elect the members of the State of Washington's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Washington has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. This election saw the Democrats flip one Republican-held open seat. These elections occurred alongside Al Gore's victory in the state over George W. Bush in the presidential election.