Written by CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Nomination for Jesse Tanner
Renton’s Citizen of the Year has historically been awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to making our community a better place to live and work. Mayor Jesse Tanner, during his many years of service on behalf of Renton citizens, made a positive mark on this community that will benefit Renton for generations. For his enduring contributions, we feel Mayor Tanner is a strong candidate for Citizen of the Year.
Born in Sandersville, Georgia on April 11, 1927, Jesse was a war veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, and later earned his Master’s Degree in civil engineering from the University of California at Berkley. He retired from the Federal Aviation Administration as deputy director of the Northwest Region after nearly 34 years of service. Jesse passed away on February 6, 2007.
Jesse cared about Renton and devoted many years working to make it a better place to live, work and raise our families. After serving six years on the Renton City Council, Jesse was elected mayor of Renton in 1996. During his two terms in office, he lead a dedicated city staff to implement significant changes in the way the city conducted business, which resulted in the major redevelopment projects of recent years and literally put Renton on the map as a place to do business. It was under his leadership that many of the public centers and additional city services we enjoy today were built. This includes the new Henry Moses Aquatic Center; the IKEA Performing Arts Center; City Center Parking Garage; the Pavilion Building; Piazza Park; Veterans Memorial Park; a new Highlands Neighborhood Center; Fire Stations 12 and 14; the Renton Transit Center, and Skate Park. In addition, it was during his tenure that Renton City Hall was relocated to its new home and the very popular Neighborhood Program and Renton Farmer’s Market were launched.
As Mayor, Jesse was a tireless supporter and promoter of Renton. He was behind the slogan “Renton, ahead of the curve.” He led a city government that oversaw major investments as part of the jumpstart to a long-awaited redevelopment of downtown. This included bringing IKEA and Fry’s to Renton.
Jesse also devoted time to making sure the city government served the citizens of Renton better. He reorganized city hall to merge long-range planning and economic development departments. This improvement to the way city government operated helped bring Michael Christ’s Southport to Renton; facilitated Paul Allen’s purchase of a large tract of land on Lake Washington that will be the home of the Seattle Seahawks; and enabled Boeing’s development agreement on their surplus property which set The Landing in motion.
As Mayor of Renton and a city councilman, Jesse was a dedicated and tireless public servant. He worked to ensure that city government better served the day-to-day needs of the citizens of Renton. He also worked to ensure that the citizens of Renton have a better tomorrow. Jesse put forth a vision for the future that we now see turning into reality. For his years of work serving his community and his leadership, we ask that you consider Mayor Jesse Tanner as Renton’s Citizen of the Year for 2007.
Janice Tanner
Donna Youngblood (Jesse’s daughter)
Debbie Hanson (Jesse’s daughter)
DeAnna Schukar (Jesse’s daughter)
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