TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma has been known as “the City of Destiny” for over 100 years.
It’s a nickname that residents like Jim Wick, owner of the It’s Greek to Me restaurant chain, have watched the city grow into as a lifelong Tacoman.
“I was born in Browns Point, I went to school at Stadium, I went to school at U-Dub—it’s home!” Wick said.
Now, the city hopes to hear from Tacomans like Wick during the Mmyor’s State of the City address.
Last month, Mayor Victoria Woodards announced that this year, she wanted to change the format of the address and give residents the floor to tell city leadership what they should focus on.
"This is an opportunity for me to lower my voice and hear from the community and place their voice center," Woodards said.
Wick says he’s been in the restaurant business for 34 years and just opened his newest food truck, Bomb Burger, on 6th Avenue a few weeks ago.
He says he’d like to see Tacoma leadership improve homelessness and mental health but also feels those problems may be too big for the city to tackle alone.
“Can the city handle it? Maybe, but if they can’t, I’m not blaming the city leaders. The homeless population, how do you win? Mental health, how do you win? It’s a no-win situation,” he confessed. “Can they do better? Probably, but I definitely can’t blame anybody for not fixing a problem that nobody can fix across the country.”
Wick also wants to see more of Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore and establish a presence similar to Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz.
“Every time there’s a shooting, the police chief should be there,” he said. “He should go to every single shooting in this town. He should be there, front and center, figuring out what’s going on. That’s his job. He’s been here, what, two years? I’ve seen him on TV maybe twice. I’ve never seen him on the street.”
Adam Gordon has lived in Tacoma for more than 22 years and says he enjoys it. However, he watched the city struggle after the pandemic.
He now hopes the city will continue to work on improving the police department, and he appreciates the changes he’s already seen.
“I’ve met a lot of police officers that actually come up to me, shake my hand, and actually ask me questions about my own neighborhood, and that’s a great feeling,” Gordon said. “Just to be able to see them when I go out the door, and know that they’re in my neighborhood, and know that my kids are safe to walk to school and from school, because they know this officer is right around the corner, is a big blessing.”
Yet even with its issues, both men say there’s no place they’d rather be.
“You got the Pacific Northwest, there’s nowhere more beautiful to live in the summertime than right here,” Wick said.
“I love Tacoma," Gordon said. "Tacoma’s the place to be for me!”