County

Pierce County Council

District 1

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The seven-member county council, one member elected by each district, adopts Pierce County's budget and laws and sets county land-use policy.

Candidates Compare by issue

Jerome O'Leary

Prefers Republican Party

Commercial real estate broker; family farm partner

The gist

Pledges to tackle housing costs, infrastructure and homelessness.
Pledges transparent decisions and careful use of tax dollars.
Supports policies that help families and local businesses.
Pledges a practical, business-minded approach on the Council.
Pledges to put people ahead of partisan politics.

More about Jerome

View sources (2)

Pledges to tackle housing costs, infrastructure and homelessness.
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“Pierce County faces serious challenges: rising housing costs, strained infrastructure, public safety concerns, homelessness”
Pledges transparent decisions and careful use of tax dollars.
Committee to Elect Jerome O'Leary (home page)
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Jerome O'Leary · electoleary.com
“That means transparent decision-making, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars”
Supports policies that help families and local businesses.
Committee to Elect Jerome O'Leary (home page)
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Jerome O'Leary · electoleary.com
“policies that strengthen families, support local businesses, and protect our quality of life”
Pledges a practical, business-minded approach on the Council.
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I’ll bring a practical, business-minded, community-first approach to the Council.”
Pledges to put people ahead of partisan politics.
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I will always put people ahead of partisan politics and keep decision-making focused on the people who live and work here.”

Kelsey Barrans

Prefers Democratic Party

Social worker; community college student-services director

The gist

Supports more infrastructure funding for unincorporated Pierce County.
Supports more public transit and road capacity for rural areas.
Supports community-specific housing options, including density and added units.
Proposes rent subsidies where unused housing stock exists.
Pledges to prioritize affordable housing and access to care.

More about Kelsey

View sources (2)

Supports more infrastructure funding for unincorporated Pierce County.
Priorities for Pierce County
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Kelsey Barrans · votekelseybarrans.com
“the council can do more to increase the flow of funding to projects that focus on the needs of unincorporated Pierce County”
Supports more public transit and road capacity for rural areas.
Priorities for Pierce County
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Kelsey Barrans · votekelseybarrans.com
“We need more access to public transportation, and we need to add capacity to roads that connect rural communities.”
Supports community-specific housing options, including density and added units.
Priorities for Pierce County
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Kelsey Barrans · votekelseybarrans.com
“For some areas that might be increasing housing density, for others it could be incentivizing land owners to build additional living units”
Proposes rent subsidies where unused housing stock exists.
Priorities for Pierce County
Campaign website · Committee to Elect Kelsey Barrans · votekelseybarrans.com
“offering subsidies for renting in areas where there is an excess of unused housing stock”
Pledges to prioritize affordable housing and access to care.
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I will prioritize Council policies that make it easier for people to stay here, like affordable housing, access to care, and rural infrastructure.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 6 issues covered in this race.