We encourage you to provide us with your comments about current issues in Covington. We value your attendance and participation at our bi-weekly council meetings. We hold these regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month beginning at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noticed, at Covington City Hall.
Council Bios:
Mayor - Jeff Wagner - Position #7
Mayor Pro Tem - Sean Smith - Position #5
Marlla Mhoon - Position #1
Paul Selland - Position #2
Margaret Harto - Position #3
Joseph Cimaomo, Jr. - Position #4
Fran McGregor Hollums - Position #6
I moved to Covington with two teenagers in 1992 from Hobart. I brought with me a long history of volunteerism and community involvement.
Before serving on City Council, I served on the Covington Planning Commission. Serving on the planning commission provided me with a much deeper understanding and insight into the gravity of each council decision and how it affects our community.
It is an honor to represent citizens on City Council as Covington grows into a thriving city. Developing a plan for growth with a long term vision has been both a joy and a responsibility. We have an exciting future ahead with a completed Downtown Plan and zoning study, a Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, Covington Community Park plan with a soccer field scheduled for 2013, and a vision for connected regional trails.
Appointed to Council in 2005, elected in 2006, I now serve on the council and represent Covington on three regional committees.
· Suburban Cities Association Public Issues Committee
· Co-Chair Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 9) Green Duwamish Ecosystem Forum (Federally mandated salmon habitat recovery plan)
· King County Flood Control District Advisory Committee (SCA recommended, King County Council appointed)
My volunteer and community service activities include: Camp Fire leader 10 years, Vote Yes for Covington’s Future campaign, Tahoma School District bond and levy campaigns, Seattle Sea Kayak Club trip leader, Mountaineers Outdoor Ethics Committee, Leave No Trace Master Educator, Project Leave No Trace (formerly Scouting Ahead).
In 2010, I retired from teaching after 25 years with Tahoma School District in Maple Valley. My life is blessed with responsible adult children and three grandchildren.
Contact Councilmember Mhoon - mmhoon@covingtonwa.gov
Paul Selland - Position #2
Paul Selland has lived in Covington since 1986 and comes to the City Council with a lengthy career in the private sector and holding no prior elective office. He is a lifelong western Washington resident, having grown up on Lake Sawyer, attended Kent Meridian High School, GRCC, and graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
Selland's views on governance have been influenced by his many encounters as a vendor to public agencies ranging from school districts to military bases, each one instructive as to how taxpayer dollars are spent. He's also mindful of the outcomes, both intended and unintended, that result when governments tax and regulate businesses and individuals.
Selland's priorities include increasing election turnout and ensuring that spending priorities and tax burdens reflect the consent of the governed. He believes that a municipal government's first job is public safety, followed by roads and parks, and that the best economics is usually just common sense.
Contact Councilmember Selland - pselland@covingtonwa.gov
Margaret Harto was Mayor of Covington from January 2006-2016; she also served a two-year term as Mayor ProTem. Harto was appointed to the City Council in February 2002 and elected to a full term in 2003. She served four years as a member and chair of the City's first Youth and Family Service Commission. Harto recently earned recognition as a Certified Municipal Leader from the Association of Washington Cities.
Prior to her involvement with the City of Covington, Harto served in leadership positions at local, state and national levels of the Parent Teacher Association, including President of the Washington State PTA and the National PTA Board of Directors. She has been involved in the organization and operation of numerous local and regional family advocacy and human service programs including:
* South King County Health and Safety Network;
* South King County Youth Violence Prevention Committee;
* Kent Drinking Driver Task Force;
* Reach Out Covington;
* Council for At-Risk Children and Youth; and
* Kent Youth & Family Services Lighthouse.
Harto also served eight years as a member of the South Community Council for United Way of King County. Harto is a charter member of the Foothills Kiwanis Club in Covington and past Lt. Governor of Pacific Northwest Kiwanis Division 32. In 2001 she organized the first American Cancer Society "Relay For Life" for the Covington/Maple Valley/Black Diamond communities and chaired that event for three years. She currently volunteers with Friends of the Covington Library and her church.
Harto has worked as a consultant to non-profit groups in the areas of organizational infrastructure, leadership development and strategic planning. She and her husband have been residents of Covington since 1969, and raised four children in the community---all graduates of the Kent School District. Their family now includes three grand-daughters and two grandsons.
Contact Councilmember Harto - mharto@covingtonwa.gov
Joseph Cimaomo, Jr. - Position #4
I was born in California and moved to Washington in 1991, I have lived in the Covington area since 1998, and am a graduate of Kentwood High School. Before being elected to the Council I served as the Vice Chair for the Covington Budget Priorities Committee. I am married and have one son.
I want to see our council continue to strive to make Covington better. I am looking forward to seeing the new development at the Hawk Property being built. I am also looking forward to developing long term solutions for our roads.
Contact Councilmember Cimaomo - jcimaomojr@covingtonwa.gov
Sean Smith, Mayor Pro Tem - Position #5
In 2005, my wife and I moved our family from San Francisco to the Puget Sound area after I accepted a position with a national non-profit. When we considered a place to make our home, we researched and visited countless communities looking for a combination of good schools, safe neighborhoods, diverse residents, natural settings, access to mass transit, and affordable housing. We found all these things in Covington!
From the day I moved here, one of my priorities has been to get involved in the community’s future. Along that line, I’ve volunteered in my children’s schools, on city commissions, and on local ball fields. Specifically, I have worked on the Covington Planning Commission and its Budget and Priorities Advisory Commission. For my planning commission service, I received the city’s 2010 Commissioner of the Year Award. I have also served as an Art Docent and a volunteer Science Coordinator at Covington Elementary. I even stepped up and coached a few of my kids’ basketball and baseball games.
My time in Covington has taught me that communities and cities benefit when its citizens take an active role in shaping its destiny. I am honored to serve the citizens of Covington on their City Council.
Contact Mayor Pro Tem Smith - ssmith@covingtonwa.gov
Fran McGregor Hollums - Position #6
Fran McGregor Hollums was appointed to the Covington Human Services Commission in 2008 and served as Chair for the past three years. This association has given her great insight into the needs, as well as the problems, facing the underserved and underprivileged. Appointed to the Council in July 2016, she recognizes challenges facing the city in finances, infrastructure, housing and security. She is acutely aware of the need for responsible citizenship and is committed to the growth and success of our city. Fran takes her civic duty seriously and will do the best job possible in her Council position.
A native Mississippian, she devoted 24 years to military service: fifteen years in the Army National Guard and nine years on active duty with the Air Force retiring in 1999. A Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner for 34 years, she has been employed at Madigan Army Medical Center since 2000 in the Breast Cancer Program. Since 2002, she has had a small business specializing in Scottish foods.
Fran has spent her entire adult life involved in civic, military and medical organizations such as:
- Business and Professional Women - local, district and state levels
- Air Force Association - McChord Chapter president, Seattle Chapter president and Washington State president
- South King County Multicare – currently on the Board of Directors and Foundation Steering Committee
- Madigan Army Medical Center - Cancer Committee, Cancer Survivorship project leader
Her volunteer time includes several Covington sponsored events such as Covington Days, Ciderfest, Domestic Violence Task Force, Mayor’s Day of Concern. She is involved with area Scottish-related groups and is active in the Lakota Chapter Daughter’s of the American Revolution.
Married to Larry Hollums, she has lived in Covington for 12 years and considers this her home now. She, her husband and family are active in their local church. Fran is also a reader for two blind couples. Nearing retirement, she now looks forward to becoming an even more active participant in South King County and Covington organizations and projects.
Contact Councilmember Hollums - fhollums@covingtonwa.gov
Our city means a lot to me. I've invested a lot of time and energy in helping to build our community and I wish to see our city continue to thrive both economically and as a great place to live, work and play. I believe that being involved, not only locally, but regionally, is essential to make sure Covington is heard and that we are at the table for the future of our City, our County and our State. It is not just about us, it is about all of us working together, forming lasting partnerships for the common good.
Since being elected to the Covington City Council in 2004, I have continued to focus on developing more activities and parks for our youth, developing a balance between economic development and the needs of our citizens, and to continue addressing the transportation issues of Covington, all while continuing to pursue a balanced budget for our city.
Currently, I am the Municipal Manager with Republic Services. Prior, I was a financial advisor for eight years and previously managed Wagners, a family business in Covington, for 17 years.
I have been a resident of Covington since 1988. While living here, I have been active in numerous organizations including: President of Covington Days, Covington Kiwanis Club, Covington Merchants Association, Covington Community Council, Chair of the Covington Chamber of Commerce, as well as the co-chair of the Covington Economic Development Council. I have also been involved with Reach Out Covington, Children's Miracle Network Telethon and I was voted Kiwanian of the Year in 1993. Previously, I have sat on the King County Flood Control District Advisory Committee, Kent Chamber Board of Directors, King County Growth Management Planning Council and was chosen as the 2014 Covington Citizen of the Year.
Currently, I am proud to serve on the following:
- Sound Cities Association Board of Directors
- Covington Chamber Board of Directors
- Communities in Schools Kent, President of the Board
- Covington Domestic Violence Task Force, Board Member
- Sound Cities Association Event Committee
- Kent Kiwanis Club
My wife Michele and I enjoy living in Covington and we look forward to continue raising our family in this great city. Covington -- Growing Towards Greatness!
Contact Mayor Wagner - jwagner@covingtonwa.gov