Ryan N. Mello | |
|---|---|
| Pierce County Executive | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Dammeier |
| Member of the Pierce County Council from the 4th District | |
| In office January 1,2021 –January 1,2025 | |
| Preceded by | Connie Ladenburg |
| Succeeded by | Rosie Ayala |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1978 or 1979 (age 46) Kailua,Hawaii |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Domestic partner | Sean |
| Education | University of Puget Sound (B.A.) |
Ryan Mello is a Democratic politician from Tacoma,Washington,who currently serves as the Pierce County Executive. Mello was elected as County Executive in 2024,and previously served as a member of the County Council and the Tacoma City Council.
Mello was born in Kailua,Hawaii,and moved to Washington in 1997 to attend the University of Puget Sound. [1] He served as the President of the Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound,the university's student government association,from 2000 to 2001, [2] and graduated in 2001 with his bachelor of arts degree in politics and government. [1]
After graduation,Mello joined AmeriCorps and worked for the United Way of Pierce County from 2001 to 2003,and worked as a staffer to Democratic State Representative Hans Dunshee. [3]
In 2005,Mello ran for a position on the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma. He defeated incumbent Commissioner Jerry Thorpe, [4] winning 55–44 percent. [5] He became the Pierce County Director of the Cascade Land Conservancy in 2006, [3] and spearheaded an effort to preserve open spaces in the county by purchasing the development rights on family-owned tree farms. [6]
Mello applied for a vacant position on the Tacoma City Council in 2010. He was appointed by the City Council to the Position 7 seat on January 14,2010. [7] He was elected to a full term in 2011, [8] defeating perennial candidate Will Baker with 74 percent of the vote. [9] He was re-elected in 2015, [10] and barred from seeking another term in 2019 because of term limits. [11]
In 2020,Mello ran for the Pierce County Council from District 4. In the primary election,he placed first,receiving 30 percent of the vote, [12] and advancing to a runoff election with University Place City Councilman Javier Figueroa. [13] Mello defeated Figueroa in a landslide in the general election,receiving 63 percent of the vote. [14]
Mello announced in 2023 that he would run for Pierce County Executive in 2024 to succeed term-limited Republican incumbent Bruce Dammeier. [15] He was the only Democratic candidate to run,and faced Republican State Representative Kelly Chambers. [16] In the primary election,Mello placed first with 52 percent of the vote, [17] and narrowly defeated Chambers in the general election,winning 51 percent of the vote to her 49 percent. [18]
Mello is openly gay,and came out when attending college at the University of Puget Sound. [19] He and his partner,Sean,live in the Theater District of Tacoma. [1]