Olympia city council member announces plan to retire after 14 years in the position
Olympia City Council member Jim Cooper told The Olympian Friday that he’s not planning to run for re-election to Position 7 at the end of the year. He’ll have been on the council for 14 years by December.
Cooper said it feels like a good time for him to leave. He said he’s ready to spend more time with his family.
“I’ve been doing a lot over the years, and I’m really proud of my work, and I think the council is in an excellent place for change,” he said.
He said his daughter was born during his second meeting on council in 2011, and she just turned 13 in December.
“A lot of this is about just having a teenager and wanting to be able to spend more time with her,” Cooper said. “But I’m still a lifelong public servant, and I’ll be focusing on my day job, which just continues to grow.”
Cooper is the President and CEO for United Ways of the Pacific Northwest.
Council accomplishments
Asked about his accomplishments while on the city council, Cooper said the first big accomplishment that comes to mind is the Metropolitan Parks District. He said the city was really behind on payments and purchasing property for parks, and now that residents pay into a designated fund, Olympia has a robust parks system.
He also referenced the work the council has done with the Squaxin Island Tribe, including raising their flag over City Hall and changing the name of Priest Point Park to Squaxin Park.
Cooper said he’s also proud of the work the council has done around social justice and equity, and police oversight.
“I think we’re the first city in the whole country that put police oversight in place without anyone telling us to,” he said.
There’s more work to come this year. Cooper said he’s proud that the council will be discussing an addition to the city’s sanctuary status on Jan. 28.
“So we’ll not only be a sanctuary city for immigrants and refugees and women’s reproductive health, but also for LGBTQI+ people,” Cooper said. “And that’s just so cool to see Olympia not backing away from its values. I love that Olympia is a beacon of hope for the world.”
He said his mantra the last few years on council has been, “How can I help other people get their stuff done?” because a lot of his list was accomplished.
Cooper said the council will be discussing its 2025 work plan at its Jan. 25 retreat, and he’s hopeful other members will support making a higher minimum wage and the Workers’ Bill of Rights part of the conversation.
“It was really clear that there was a lot of interest and a lot of angst, and I think we have to have the right community engagement process to get it right, but I think it’s really clear to me that the broad community supports a small minimum wage increase and those worker protections as a package,” Cooper said.
“And I hope the council will support getting us there hopefully before the end of the year so I can be a part of it.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM.
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