By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Dan Roach, who started his Pierce County Council career representing parts of Graham and Kapowsin, is the county's new chairman. Fellow council members elected him to the largely honorary position Jan. 14. He replaces Councilwoman Joyce McDonald, who was chairwoman the past two years. The council chairman presides council meetings and often serves as the council's spokesman. "This is a great honor and responsibility, and I appreciate the opportunity to serve," said Roach, who is beginning his fourth year representing District 1. "I look forward to applying my experience in public policy and as a business owner to the challenges the county faces as we set and fund the priorities of government." Roach, a former state legislator (five two-year terms in the House of Representatives) who owns a gymnastics business in Bonney Lake with his wife, was elected to the council in 2010. His district at that time included some of the Graham and Kapowsin areas. Since new district boundaries took effect in 2012, it now covers South Hill and communities that are farther east, such as Orting, Bonney Lake and Buckley. Roach's four-year council term expires at the end of this year. He hasn't announced if he'll seek re-election. As part of the council's reorganization last week for 2014, Councilman Jim McCune, whose district includes the Eatonville and Graham areas, was selected to head the council's Public Safety Committee. Other committees and their chairmen are Rules and Operations (Roach), Community Development (Councilman Rick Talbert), and Economic (Councilman Stan Flemming). Full-council meetings are held each Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the County-City Building in Tacoma. They're televised live and replayed each week on Pierce County TV (channel 22 in most areas) and streamed live and archived at www.piercecountytv.org.
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