YAKIMA, Wash. – The city of Yakima has welcomed its 54th mayor, Matt Brown, following a 6-1 vote by the city council. Brown was nominated for the position by newly elected council member Juliet Portrykus in her first action as a city councilwoman.
Brown replaces replace Patricia Byers as mayor, even though Byers still has two years left on her term. Brown was first elected in 2021, winning by less than 70 votes, and was re-elected this past November with a little more than 200 votes.
NonStop Local spoke with Mayor Brown about his future plans for Yakima. Brown expressed his excitement for the future.
“I’m excited for what the future lies ahead for Yakima. I’m here to get stuff done and get and serve our community”, Brown said.
Having moved to Yakima 20 years ago, Brown is committed to supporting public safety and the community’s small businesses. As a business owner, he understands the challenges they face.
“Our small businesses are the backbone of our community, and we have to be able to support them in ways because there are state regulations and things coming down on top of them constantly. As a city, I want to try to get government out of their way so that they can thrive and that we can have a burgeoning small business atmosphere in Yakima,” he said.
Despite inquiries from others about running for other offices, Brown affirmed his dedication to Yakima.
“I have two kids. I’m married to my high school sweetheart. I want to live here. I want this place to be a burgeoning, awesome, great experience for everyone who lives here, to be able to raise our families, all of us, to be able to start our own businesses and to succeed here in Yakima,” he said.
Brown emphasized transparency and teamwork as key components of his outlook for the city.
“I’m always open to have a conversation. For me, it’s how I serve, right? So how can we come to a solution to this problem? How can we figure it out? Even might we might even think differently on how to get there. But how do we come together to work towards that solution?” he said.
Brown also introduced a new initiative called the “Mayor Minute,” where he will post one-minute summaries on his Facebook page after each council meeting, detailing important points that may have been missed.
