Yoshiko Grace Matsui
Mayor, Position #6
Term: January 1, 2026-December 31, 2029
Yoshiko moved to Des Moines in 2007 to truly be “midway” between Seattle and Tacoma. She was working in Tacoma at the time, but wanted to be closer to her family up north. She has worked for the City of Seattle since 2013, most recently in the Civil Service Department, bringing valuable public-sector experience to her service on the City Council. Yoshiko was elected in 2025 for her second four-year term and is committed to working collaboratively to support a safe, transparent, and accountable local government while ensuring a high quality of life for residents. She is a long-time Seattle Mariners fan and have weathered many ups and downs (sometimes in the same season!). There’s always next year!
Yoshiko was motivated to serve on the City Council to improve transparency and accountability to voters, and to help ensure government effectively serves the community by improving public safety, supporting a healthy environment, and making Des Moines a great place to live and raise a family.
Outside of Council service, Yoshiko is actively engaged in the community through board service and volunteer efforts. She values listening to residents and ensuring community voices are reflected in City decision-making.
Community Engagement & Priorities
- Former Board Member, Des Moines Legacy Foundation
- Former Board Member, Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market
- Volunteer, Des Moines Area Food Bank
- Volunteer, Blues and Brews
- Volunteer, Waterland Pride
- Former Water Commission President for King County Water District #54.
Committee & Regional Assignments
- Ad Hoc Franchise
- Lodging Tax
- Highline Forum
- Puget Sound Regional Council
- Sound Cities Public Issues Committee
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 206-549-2463
Quote
“Local government works best when it is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the people it serves."
Gene Achziger
Deputy Mayor, Position #3
Term: January 1, 2026-December 31, 2029
Gene has lived in Redondo since 1976 and helped lead the campaign to annex Redondo and Woodmont into the City of Des Moines in 1997. A journalist by trade, he earned a Communications degree from Washington State University in 1975 and began his career at the Federal Way News. He later worked at the Suburban Times (Lakewood), Pierce County Herald (Puyallup), The Seattle Times, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Gene ran for City Council in 2021 and was elected to his second four-year term in 2025. He chose to serve because Des Moines has long been a tight-knit community where neighbors looked out for one another, and when that spirit began to fade during the 2010–2020 decade, it became clear the city needed to restore its sense of connection and ensure strong advocates stepped forward for working families, children, seniors, and marginalized communities.
In 2011, Gene began teaching journalism part-time at Highline College. He led the successful 2009 campaign to create the Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District to save the Mount Rainier Pool.
Gene’s priorities include strengthening neighborhood involvement and community service, expanding affordable housing, improving transportation, and ensuring the success of the next generation. He believes progress requires a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that city investments should deliver meaningful returns rather than vanity projects. Gene also sees thoughtful increases in density as essential to fostering the economic development needed to build a prosperous Des Moines.
As a journalist he understands the need to prioritize facts over opinion, and as a community activist he knows that people must be convinced rather than coerced.
Community Engagement & Priorities
- President of the Redondo Community Club (1982–1994)
- President of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild (1996–2000)
- Pool District Commissioner from 2009 to 2023
- Volunteered for ACT 1 Theater Company (Sumner) from 2010 to 2020
- President of Des Moines Legacy Foundation from 2012-2021
Committee & Regional Assignments
- Ad Hoc Franchise
- Citizens Advisory Board
- SCATB'd
- South King Housing & Homelessness
- Mt. Rainier Pool
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 253-941-3785
Quote
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
Harry Steinmetz
Councilmember, Position #1
Term: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2029
Harry was born in 1961 in San Diego, California, and has proudly called Des Moines home for the past 30 years. He earned his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University and attended law school at Santa Clara University. Early in his legal career, he worked as a prosecutor in Contra Costa and Sacramento Counties and later operated a private law practice in San Jose.
Before settling in Washington, Harry’s upbringing took him around the world, living in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Alexandria, Egypt; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Salzburg, Austria; and San Diego, California—an experience that shaped his global perspective and appreciation for diverse communities.
After moving to Washington, Harry built an extensive public service career. He has served with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, as City Prosecutor for the City of Olympia, as an Investigative Officer for the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and as a Staff Attorney for the Washington State Senate Judiciary Committee. He later became Director of Government Relations for the Washington Association for Housing and Services for the Aging, advocating on regulatory and legislative issues on behalf of nonprofit senior housing and long-term care providers. He subsequently opened his own law practice and later co-founded J&S Law Group, PLLC, in Tacoma. Following the closure of his practice, he was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings and the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. He is currently employed by the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel.
Harry lives in the Woodmont neighborhood with his wife, Kristin. They have been married for 30 years and have two sons, Harry and Will. Their eldest son is a firefighter and EMT, while their youngest works as a fiduciary for an international reinsurance brokerage. Kristin works for USFHP at PAC-Med.
Community Engagement & Priorities
- Serves on Sound Cities Association
- Serves on Public Issues Committee
- Services on South Sound Alliance
- Served as Council Liaison to Destination Des Moines
- Active Community Volunteer:
- Des Moines/Normandy Park Rotary
- Des Moines Oktoberfest
- Waterland Parade
Committee & Regional Assignments
- Citizens Advisory Board
- Puget Sound Regional Council
- Sound Cities Public Issues Committee
- Waterland
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 206-402-8614
Quote
“If you take pleasure in the lives of a hundred people instead of just your own, you’re a hundred times more joyful. That’s just the math of happiness.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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JC Harris
Councilmember, Position #2
Term: January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2027
Raised in Ireland, JC began his professional career as a musician, later owning a small restaurant on the side. Mid-career, he returned to school to study computer engineering, earned a Professional Engineer (PE) license, and went on to consult in Total Quality Management.
After moving to the Puget Sound region in 1992, JC quickly became active in the Des Moines community, spending time at the Marina and attending St. Philomena Parish. His interest in local government grew after attending his first City Council meeting in 2008, where concerns about the Marina, the City’s long-term financial health, and the impacts of airport operations motivated him to become more involved.
In 2016, he helped found Sea-Tac Noise.Info, an organization focused on addressing and reducing the negative impacts of airport activity. He was elected to the Des Moines City Council in 2020, personally knocking on more than 6,000 doors to connect with residents, listen to concerns, and better understand the community he serves. He also maintains a public blog to keep residents informed about his work and policy positions.
His primary focus is on the future of Des Moines, with an emphasis on environmental stewardship and long-term financial sustainability—both of which are closely tied to airport-related impacts on the community.
Community Engagement & Priorities
- Environmental, health, and economic impacts of airport operations
- Long-term financial sustainability
- Supporting local businesses and families
Committee & Regional Assignments
- K4C
- Puget Sound Regional Council
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 206-878-0578
Quote
“It’s about the next generation."