Three new members have begun their work with the Pierce County Council. The council got its new look with the election last November of Jim McCune, Connie Ladenburg and Doug Richardson. They officially began their four-year terms Jan. 15 by taking the oath of office and participating in their first council meeting. McCune, Ladenburg and Richardson replaced council members who couldn't run for re-election last year because they had served the maximum eighth years allowed under voter-approved term-limits - Roger Bush, Tim Farrell and Dick Muri, respectively. Farrell was a candidate last year for county assessor-treasurer and Muri ran for U.S. representative in the new 10th District. Both lost. McCune decided to run for the council seat that represents south portions of the county, including the Graham (where he lives) and Eatonville areas, after changes of boundaries for state legislative districts left him outside of the district he represented as a state representative. He served in the Legislature for nine years and has operated a salmon distributorship. He's a member of Backcountry Horsemen of Washington. Ladenburg, whose council district includes Tacoma, previously was a Tacoma City Council member for eight years and a state representative for two years. She's a founding member of Alliance for Youth of Pierce County. Her husband, John Ladenburg, is a former county executive who was a candidate last year for state Supreme Court justice. Richardson's council district includes Lakewood, where he was a City Councilman from 1995 until his election to the County Council. A Massachusetts native, he retired from the Army Reserve as a brigadier general after 32 years of active and reserve service. Joyce McDonald was re-elected last fall as the County Councilwoman for parts of eastern Pierce County, including Puyallup. She was picked by the rest of the council at its Jan. 15 meeting to continue as council chairwoman, which puts her in charge of agendas and other legislative formalities. "I am honored by the opportunity to continue serving my district, this council and the whole county," McDonald said. "We have made a lot of tough decisions over the past four years in order to protect public safety and other priority services. I look forward to working with our three new members" on overseeing the county budget and "delivering public services efficiently and effectively."
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