Gene Achziger (Des Moines City Council Position 3, Washington, candidate 2025)

Gene Achziger

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Des Moines City Council Position 3

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Associate

Highline College, 2010

Bachelor's

Washington State University, 1975

Personal

Birthplace

Tacoma, Wash.

Religion

Presbyterian

Profession

Journalist

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Gene Achziger is running for election to the Des Moines City Council Position 3 in Washington. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Achziger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Gene Achziger provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2025:

• Birth date: July 17, 1953
• Birth place: Tacoma, Washington
• High school: Mount Tahoma Senior High School
• Associate: Tacoma Community College, 1973
• Bachelor's: Washington State University, 1975
• Associate: Highline College, 2010
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Presbyterian
• Profession: Journalist
• Prior offices held:
  • Des Moines City Council (2022-Prsnt)
  • Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District (2009-2023)
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign slogan: n/a
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Des Moines City Council Position 3

Gene Achziger is running in the general election for Des Moines City Council Position 3 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Gene Achziger (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Gene Achziger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Achziger's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Retired newspaperman (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) Retired adjunct professor of Journalism (Highline College)

Former commissioner (Des Moines Pool Metropolitan Park District

Former president of the Des Moines Legacy Foundation

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fiscal responsibility I'm seeking to return fiscal responsibility to the Des Moines City Council which has been operating for more than a decade without a strategic plan and has flirted with insolvency from relying on one-time monies to balance its budget rather than having the discipline to develop stable revenue sources.
• Transparency The Des Moines City Council has for too long operated on the whims of the council majority in collusion with the city administration, frustrating the public's efforts to participate in their governance.
• Restoration of a vibrant parks, recreation and senior service department Most services have been either truncated of eliminated as a result of needing to balance the city's budget. Our kids represent the future and failure to maintain programs to nourish their development and civic responsibilities bodes ill for the future of our community. I want to see those services restores and expanded to better service the most vulnerable members of our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Nurturing the next generation and providing a fiscally stable municipal government. I also want to restore the sense of trust our community once had in its city government and promote cooperation with civic groups working to help our most vulnerable residents.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

City government is where the rubber meets the road. States and counties are primarily responsible for providing the funding, but it is the cities that are largely responsible for implementing actual policies and directives.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My grandmother. She almost single-handedly raised four children during the Depression while my grandfather was away working on WPA projects five days a week. She sacrificed much to make sure her children had better lives than their parents.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and a willingness to seek expert advice in determining the best courses of action for the people we serve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Balancing the budget and hiring the best city manager to handle the day-to-day operations of the city. The council also has oversight responsibilities and a duty to act has a conduit between the public and the administration.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A world better than I found it, for society in general.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of JFK in 1963 at the age of 10 was probably the most impactful at the time. Its impact exceeded other notable events such as JFK's election, the Cuban Missile Crisis, John Glenn and the Mercury astronauts and the Civil Rights Movement.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I nightly washed the exteriors and cleaned the cabs on my uncle's plumbing company fleet. He obsessiveness with projecting a clean operation was integral with his company's brand. I held the job throughout high school until I went off to college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Actually, its a screenplay for the movie A Man for All Seasons because it about the nimbleness and commitment to maintaining one's values in the face of authoritarian rule.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Chronic injuries suffered when I fell out of my parents' car as a 3-year-old. I'm committed to helping kids overcome any barriers which have affected their lives.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The power to lead by persuasion rather than mandate. It's extremely difficult to lead when nobody wants to follow.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Prior experience in government is always helpful, but so, too, are life experiences and an ability to explain without being condescending.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

A healthy curiousity and willingness to listen and learn.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

Through its policy-making responsibilities, the city council often makes the decisions that directly affect the health and well-being its constituents.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

30th District Democrats

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Saving swimming for the kids in the local community by leading the campaign to preserving the local swimming pool.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Achziger completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

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Candidate

Des Moines City Council Position 3

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