Derek Young wins county council seat from Stan Flemming

The vote recount results were released on Dec. 4. It is final. Derek Young is the new Pierce county councilmember for District 7, which includes the Key Peninsula, Gig Harbor Peninsula and the area just across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

There were 29,020 votes cast for the position in the August primary election, where Young led by only 50 votes. For the November general election, there were 45,396 votes cast for the position, with Young leading by only 93 votes. This narrow gap triggered a mandatory recount. Recount results have Young winning by 94 votes over incumbent Stan Flemming.

The tentative date for swearing in is set for the rules committee meeting on Jan. 5, which is the first council meeting occurring after Jan. 1.

Young said that, “There are a lot of deadlines for major issues coming up quickly. I’ll be jumping right in with both feet running.”

The issues which Young cites as his highest priority are the Shoreline Management Plan amendments, the proposed county administrative building, mental health, the Tacoma Narrows Airport Management Plan and the county jail deficit.

Flemming had held the Pierce County council seat since 2010.

Young had been an elected councilmember for the city of Gig Harbor from January 1998 to December 2013.