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Vonny Turner (Tumwater City Council, Position 4, Washington, candidate 2025)
Vonny Turner (Democratic Party) is running for election to Tumwater City Council, Position 4 in Washington on November 4, 2025.[1]
Elections
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Vonny Turner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Turner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a combat veteran, small business advocate, and community leader who’s proud to call Tumwater home. I’ve dedicated my life to service—first in uniform, now in my city. I know what it means to fight for something bigger than yourself, and I’m stepping up to bring that same grit and integrity to City Hall. I believe Tumwater deserves bold, practical leadership that puts working people first, protects our neighborhoods, and demands accountability from local government. I’m running because I love this community—and I’m ready to deliver real results.
- Tumwater deserves a public safety system that works for everyone. I’ll launch Neighborhood Care Teams—mental health and crisis responders who handle non-violent emergencies—freeing up police to focus on serious crime and ensuring residents get the right help when they need it. We can keep our community safe and compassionate.
- Housing is a human right, and Tumwater’s working families need affordable options now. I’ll fast-track the development of duplexes, triplexes, and starter homes—done smartly, with clear design standards to protect neighborhood character. I’ll also champion programs that help local workers become homeowners and build real financial security.
- Tumwater’s government must work for the people—not behind closed doors. I’ll fight for full transparency on city budgets, contracts, and decision-making, and ensure that residents have a real voice in shaping policy. I’ll push for regular public forums and stronger community oversight to rebuild trust in City Hall.
It’s helpful—but not essential. What matters more is if you’ve led something real, made hard decisions, and stayed accountable to the people you served. I come from the military and project management world—we deal in execution, not theory. If someone has only ever worked in politics, they might know how the system works—but not why it matters.
Gordon Ramsay.
Not for the yelling—but for the standards. He walks into broken systems, sees through the excuses, and gets people to step up. Not with fake motivation, but with truth. He doesn’t lower the bar—he raises people to meet it. And when someone’s serious, he’s the first one in their corner.
That’s how I want to lead: with high standards, clear expectations, and real accountability. I’m not here to babysit broken processes or sugarcoat failure. I’m here to fix things—calmly when possible, directly when needed.
Because at the end of the day, leadership isn’t about being liked. It’s about getting the best out of people, protecting the mission, and not letting things slide just because “that’s how it’s always been.”
I bring discipline, clarity, and follow-through. I’m not someone who makes vague promises—I build plans, assign accountability, and drive results.
My background in the military taught me how to lead under pressure, manage complex operations, and make tough calls that affect people’s lives. My work as a project manager sharpened my ability to balance budgets, timelines, and stakeholder needs—skills this office demands every single day.
I also bring something that can’t be taught: perspective. I know what it’s like to come from struggle, to raise a family in this county, and to fight for stability when the system doesn’t always work for you. That’s why I lead with empathy—but I govern with structure.
I don’t need the title to care—I’m stepping up because I already do. And I’ll bring that same energy, preparation, and purpose into office.
You need strategic thinking, clear communication, and the discipline to follow through. This isn’t just about ideals—it’s about implementation. You should know how to read a budget, manage a team, talk to people across every walk of life, and stay calm when everyone else is spinning.
The best leaders bring a mix of real-world experience, compassion, and a results-first mindset. I try to bring all three.
I want to be the reason people trust local government a little more.
Not because I was loud or flashy, but because I was consistent. Because I showed up prepared, asked the right questions, listened when it mattered, and made decisions that actually improved people’s lives. I want folks to say, “When Vonny was involved, things worked how they were supposed to.”
We’ve had too many leaders who treat public office like a title or a stepping stone. I don’t care about that. I care about people getting answers. I care about budgets being honest. I care about the kind of work that doesn’t make headlines, but makes life easier for the people who live here.
My legacy shouldn’t be about me—it should be about the systems that ran better, the neighborhoods that got what they needed, and the standard I helped raise. If someone who never met me benefits from something I helped fix or build, that’s a win. That’s the kind of leadership I believe in. That’s the kind I want to be remembered for.
Backbone and clarity.
Too many elected officials are more focused on staying in office than standing for something. I believe leadership means knowing your values, being clear with your constituents, and not flinching when it’s time to act. You don’t have to know everything—but you better show up ready to learn, ready to listen, and ready to lead when the moment comes.
To manage public dollars with discipline, make smart, future-focused decisions, and stay directly accountable to the people—not to insiders or special interests.
This role shapes how we grow, how we invest, and who gets access to opportunity. It's not about titles—it’s about making systems work better, faster, and more fairly for everyone in the county.
I’m fighting for a Tumwater where working people—not developers or insiders—set the agenda. I’m passionate about overhauling public safety with smart mental health and crisis response teams. I’ll tackle Tumwater’s housing crisis head-on, pushing bold action to build affordable homes and protect residents from being priced out. I’m laser-focused on transparency—no more backroom deals or government by secrecy. I’ll defend our environmental heritage and fight for small businesses that invest locally. Tumwater belongs to the people who live and work here, and I’m ready to make City Hall serve them—not special interests.
Every dollar the government spends came from someone who worked for it. So if we can't explain where it's going, how it's helping, or why it matters—we’re failing.
I believe in public dashboards, line-by-line transparency, and performance-based budgeting. Government should be held to the same standards of clarity and results that we expect in the private sector—but with even more accountability, because the public is the investor.
Survival—literally. I was homeless as a teenager. I lived in shelters, bounced between schools, and had to figure out how to build a future when stability wasn’t guaranteed. That experience doesn’t just stick with you—it shapes how you see everything.
I joined the military at 17 not just to serve, but because it was a path out. I deployed to Afghanistan, took on real responsibility, and later built a career in leading complex projects for a multi-billion dollar company . But that early struggle—wondering where my family would sleep, who had my back, whether anyone in power actually cared—that’s still with me.
It’s why I care so deeply about housing, equity, and accountability. I know what it feels like to fall through the cracks. And I’ve worked every day since to make sure fewer people have to.
That struggle didn’t break me—it built me into someone who won’t flinch when it’s time to lead.
Raymond Reddington without the criminal part.
Because he understands people better than anyone in the room—and that’s what makes him a leader.
He’s not the loudest. He’s not chasing approval. But he knows exactly how to navigate relationships, read motives, and bring the right people together to solve the problem in front of him. He earns loyalty without demanding it. He mentors without preaching. He protects his people and holds them accountable.
What sets him apart is how he makes others feel seen, even while staying ten steps ahead. That’s real leadership. Not control but connection. Knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to move. And doing it all with absolute calm, no matter how chaotic things get.
I’d take that kind of composure, emotional intelligence, and strategic focus into any room—government or otherwise. That’s who I’d want to be.
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.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025.
