As Auburn’s newly-minted deputy mayor, Bill Peloza expects to hit the ground running.
This week, the four-term Auburn Councilman offered hints as to what that will mean for the City Council that appointed him to the post late last month. As deputy mayor, he not only serves as mayor in the mayor’s absence but also presides over council meetings.
“I’m going to sit down with each councilmember and ask them, point blank, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ Then, on the other side of the coin, I’m going to say, ‘Here are my expectations of you,’ ” Peloza said. “I’ll let them make the first shot over the bow, so to speak. That has never been done before. That way I’ll get some really good feedback. Asking those two questions will open up a whole bunch of dialogue between me and that particular council member.”
Peloza, who was first elected to the council in January 2004, is serving his fourth term, which ends in December 2019. He will not seek a fifth term.
“A huge thank you to outgoing Deputy Mayor Bob Baggett, who did a great job! Welcome to our new Deputy Mayor, Bill Peloza – our longest tenured current councilmember,” Mayor Nancy Backus wrote on her online, weekly update.
One of the deputy mayor’s duties being training of individual council members, Peloza means to take up this responsibility, which he believes has too often been neglected. In particular, he plans to encourage greater participation by all members.
“We want to stay at a high level and bring out discussion among all of us,” Peloza said.
Peloza is on the Valley Regional Fire Authority Governance Board of Directors, which serves the cities of Algona, Auburn and Pacific. He is a member of numerous regional committees, among them: the National League of Cities Board of Director’s Advisory Committee; the Sound Cities Association – King County Regional Policy Committee; the King County Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Committee; the KC Metropolitan Water Pollution Abatement Advisory Committee; the KC Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA 9 Green River/Duwamish & Central Puget Sound Watershed) – Management Committee; and he is vice chair and co-chair of the Watershed Ecosystem Forum.
Peloza is an alternate to the King County Flood Control District Advisory Committee; a member of the South County Advisory Transportation Board; a member of the Association of Washington Cities Federal Legislative Priorities Committee; and Rail Transport of Hazardous Material’s ad-hoc committee.
In 2007, Pelozal formed a community steering committee for a farmer’s market. In 2009, the Auburn International Farmer’s Market was inaugurated. The eleventh season opens this June.
Peloza is active in the following organizations: Auburn Sons of Italy Lodge #1955 (member & past trustee); Auburn Veterans of Foreign Wars All American Post 1741 (lifetime member and past commander); and Auburn Rotary Club (member and Board of Directors).
His former work with organizations includes: Auburn Elks Lodge #1808 (member and trustee); Auburn Airport Advisory (board chair); White River Valley Museum (Board of Directors); ACAP (Board of Directors); Auburn Symphony Association (member); Auburn Police Department Volunteers; and Boeing Management Association President (retiree chapter),
Additionally, Peloza was president of the Green River Men’s Golf Club and the Auburn Youth Soccer Club. He was a commissioner for the South King County Soccer Referee’s Association, Junior Achievement advisory member and instructor, Chinook Elementary School PTA member and the Des Moines Junior Chamber of Commerce president.
Peloza attended the University of Washington School of Business and UCLA, where he specialized in government contract management. He is retired from Boeing after 38 years of service. His professional career centered on contract management with emphasis in finance/budgets, cost and schedule performance and contract negotiations.
Peloza is a Washington native, a U.S. Navy veteran and a member of Holy Family Church. He and his wife, Joyce, live on Auburn’s Lea Hill.
As to his decision not to seek another 4-year term, Peloza said he’s fairly satisfied with what he has accomplished in his years.
“The main reason is I want to give more of my lifetime to my wife, who has supported me tremendously throughout these years,” Peloza said. “I’m very pleased that I got the vote of my colleagues for deputy mayor. “
Four months ago, Peloza underwent major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Last week, he endured his 12th chemotherapy treatment.
“Things are working out really well,” Peloza said. “There are no cancer tumor margins from when they removed the tumor.”
