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REM: You... when did you get interested in politics, Fife politics?

RTM: Well, Fife is a very close-knit community. So we had heard rumors that the City of Tacoma was looking towards the east to annex some of the areas in Fife. And a group of us got together, we decided that we wanted to maintain our own autonomy. So Joe Vraves, who was our first mayor, he was kind of the chairman of the group, and had formed an incorporating committee that we would incorporate to prevent this annexation movement by the City of Tacoma. So in order for us to do that, he asked me if I would help with the incorporating committee. And that's how I got first involved in that. At that time, I mean, I didn't know up from down as far as politics were concerned, but it was quite interesting, and the things that we learned about local governments and so on. So in order to form a city, first thing you do is, you know, you have to get incorporated, then you elect your councilpeople to run the city. And so I was on the original council at that time.

REM: You were elected?

RTM: Yes, uh-huh. But there was no competition, really. I mean, the committee made the slate of whoever it was going to be and put it on the ballot. So we were all elected at that first election that year.

REM: There was a, a Swiss, an Italian...

RTM: Well, yes. It was pretty, quite diversified in, in Fife area itself. The dairypeople were all mostly Swiss, and the farmers were mostly Italian and Japanese. So in our original council, Louie Dacca was Italian, and I was Japanese, and Frank Schneider was Swiss. And then we had another person, just a Caucasian there. And there was another person that was a state patrolman who became a councilman. And Joe Vraves, he was a farmer there. And he's of Yugoslavian descent. And so we had a real mixed bag of people there. But Joe was very diplomatic. He thought, "Well, we get representation from different ethnic lines there in Fife." We had a very good working relationship together and got along real well.

REM: Stayed together for many years?

RTM: Well, Joe was mayor for twenty-five years, I think. That's kind of the last of the strong mayor forms of government.

REM: Who succeeded Joe?

RTM: Well, Joe, the Pierce County at that time was in a commission form of government, and they had different commissioners. And the person from our area was, I don't recall, but he retired. And so Joe moved up to, to run for that vacancy there. And when Joe left, I was the mayor pro tem at that time, and so I got to take over his unexpired term. And I served his -- three years on his unexpired term, and then served another full, full four-year term after that. So I spent seven years in the mayor's office in Fife.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.