For Immediate Release- March 30, 2011

Mello announces campaign to retain his seat on the Tacoma City Council with
strong support from business, public safety, and labor.

TACOMA- Today Ryan Mello announced his intention to run to retain his seat on the
Tacoma City Council, Pos. 8 At-Large. Mello was first appointed to fill a vacant
position in January 2010. Previously Mello was elected city-wide to the Tacoma
Metro Parks Board in 2005.

Mello’s Campaign Kick Off event will be held April 13th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. at the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma.

In building his support for the campaign, Mello has already secured endorsements
from key local organizations such as the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of
Realtors, Tacoma Firefighters, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers as well as several elected officials including Mayor Marilyn Strickland.
Mello also has strong support from neighborhood and community leaders,
environmental leaders, minority leaders, and the faith community.

Since being appointed to the City Council, Mello moved quickly to address the key
challenges facing Tacoma. His accomplishments include promoting economic
development and creating local jobs, securing efficient transportation solutions,
protecting our environment, and reinforcing the city’s basic services like park
maintenance, street improvements and pothole repair.

Committed to helping local businesses, Mello co-sponsored legislation to increase

the threshold of the local Business and Occupancy Tax from $75,000 to $250,000.
This eased the strain on our local businesses during tough economic times and
promoted job growth in our city. Mello knows that promoting economic
development is the key to recovering from the recession.

“Ryan Mello truly understands Tacoma. He knows what matters to people, and in
the short year he has been on the council he has accomplished so much,” said Erling
Kuester, Tacoma business leader. “From making City Hall more responsive to
helping our local business districts become more prosperous – Ryan gets it. He
should be elected so he can keep fighting for us.”

Mayor Marilyn Strickland said, “From day one, Ryan has been an effective member
of the City Council. He is our go-to person when it comes to issues related to quality
of life, sustainability, and how land use decisions affect our neighborhoods and job
creation.”

Mello currently serves as Vice Chair on the Environment and Public Works
Committee, and is a member of the Government Performance and Finance
Committee and Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee. Mello is
also a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council Growth Management Policy
Board, the United Way of Pierce County Community Safety Net Committee, the
Community Council of Tacoma, and is the founding chair of the Pierce County
Sustainability Coalition.

Mello graduated from the University of Puget Sound. He currently works as the
Pierce County Director for the Cascade Land Conservancy. Mello and his partner
Jerry live in central Tacoma, within walking distance of the 6th Avenue Business
District.

Press Contact: Ryan Mello (253) 861-8356.

Paid for by Friends of Ryan Mello. PO Box 364 Tacoma, WA 98401. (253) 861-8356.
info@ryanmello.com. www.ryanmello.com.