Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
D168443-9
Date(s)
- 1978-03-01 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Mayor Michael "Mike" Parker. 30-year-old Mike Parker was elected Mayor of Tacoma in November of 1977 and took the oath of office on January 9, 1978, in Kilworth Chapel on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Puget Sound. He had served two terms in the state legislature and then became the lobbyist and legislative representative for a national drug firm. He and wife Judy resided at 5434 South "I" St. While compaigning, Mayor Parker had sought to have the city declared a free-trade zone by the federal government, allowing local companies to import raw materials and export finished products without paying customs duties. He also proposed more industrial development for the Tideflats and an increase of number of jobs for blue-collar neighborhoods. His most ambitious plan was to redevelop downtown Tacoma with a 1989 World's Fair to coincide with the state's 200th birthday. Mike Parker was the youngest mayor to serve under Tacoma's current charter form of government, beating out Ben Hanson by a few months. Photograph ordered by the City of Tacoma. (TNT 10-14-77, A-6-article; TNT 11-7-77, A-1-article; TNT 11-9-77, A-1-article);
Parker, Michael; Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980;