Ekberg runs unopposed for GH city council

Incumbent has seen many changes

Nate Hulings

of the Gateway

When Steve Ekberg originally joined the Gig Harbor City Council in 1974, there wasn’t a traffic light in town and the population was less than 2,000.

How things have changed.

Ekberg will be running unopposed in November for the council, a government body for which he has devoted nearly 30 years of his life.

Ekberg’s first three terms were from 1974-86, and then he took a break from public affairs to take care of his two young sons and coach. Ekberg ran again in 1994 and has been a city council member ever since.

Ekberg has seen the ebb and flow of the Maritime City, and he’s been part of many of its dynamic changes.

Parks have been one of Ekberg’s main focuses over the years. He remembers a time when the city only had one. It now has more than 15.

Ekberg believes it’s important to put money aside to acquire and enhance community spaces — mainly waterfront parks.

“Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” he said.

Ekberg also has seen Gig Harbor go through the pressure of “anything goes” development, which he opposes.

“The concern was, we didn’t want Gig Harbor to look like South Hill (in Puyallup),” Ekberg said.

Development at Uptown Gig Harbor on th west side of town and at Gig Harbor North is setting up the city for an economic recovery, Ekberg said.

He also would like to see more houses built in Gig Harbor North.

The economy is one of the reasons Ekberg decided to sign up for another four years. Combined with his passion for working in city affairs, Ekberg said his decades on the council provide him the knowledge and fiscal understanding that’s needed in tough economic times.

“My years of experience with the budget might lend some help as we go into some difficult times,” he said.

Ekberg was opposed to adding city staff positions several years ago because, “if you do have to make a change, you’re dealing with people’s lives.”

Once the city has funds with which to work, Ekberg said he’d like to see it focus on road and water main infrastructure. He said infrastructure projects have gotten more expensive over the years, and with federal money drying up, projects are harder to get off the ground.

Preserving the downtown core also is high on Ekberg’s priority list. He’s in favor of the completion of Eddon Boat and keeping the beach a “people-friendly environment.”

There’s no better city to walk near the water, Ekberg said.

“Gig Harbor has, by far, the best public access and walkability of any shoreline city,” he said. “It didn’t just happen. It took planning.”

Ekberg and his wife, Marion, recently celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. The Ekbergs have two grown children.

Ekberg is the president of Pilkey-Hopping & Ekberg, Inc., an insurance brokerage founded by his grandfather in 1896. His son, Reid, is the fourth generation of Ekbergs to work for the company.

Ekberg, whose hobbies include gardening, reading, boating and woodworking, also is heavily involved with the YMCA. He’s the current chairman of the board of advisers for the Gig Harbor branch.