Dick Muri
Encyclopedia
Richard "Dick" Muri is an American politician and elected official. Since November 19, 2003, he has served as a member of the Pierce County, Washington
County Council, representing the 6th District. He also ran as a Republican
candidate for U.S. Congress in Washington
State's 9th Congressional District against incumbent Democratic
Congressman Adam Smith
, eventually losing to Smith.
Muri, a Gulf War
veteran, served 22 years in the United States Air Force
. He and his wife are residents of Steilacoom, Washington
.
in 1971 and received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
, 1975 and his Masters of Public Administration from Golden Gate University
1988.
Dick has been married since 1979 to Mary Muri (formerly Mary Burns - Lakes HS '75) and has four children, Jennifer, Jonathan, Sarah, and Bradley. Dick and Mary have three grandchildren.
in 1975. He earned his navigator wings in 1976 and flew the C-141 Starlifter
as a Navigator. Muri served in the Gulf War
from 1990-1991 as Deputy Commander of the 628th Military Airlift Support Squadron at Incirlik Airbase, Turkey
.
From 1992-1997, Muri was Chief of Quality Management for McChord Air Force Base, directing a program that won numerous awards for excellence from the United States Air Force and Washington state. He retired as a Lt. Colonel with 22 years military experience.
Muri serves in leadership positions as Chair of the Performance Audit Committee, Vice-Chair of both the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Board and Select Committee for Emergency Preparedness, and Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Task Force.
Muri is also a member of the following county council standing committees: Community Development, Economic Infrastructure & Development, and Public Safety & Human Services.
External Boards and Commissions include the Joint City-Council Open Space Determination Board, Law and Justice Community Oversight Committee, Pierce County Reserve Officers Board of Trustees, Pierce Transit Board, Rainier Communications Commission, Zoo & Trek Authority (ZTA), Safe Streets, and Pierce County Law and Justice Council. Councilmember Muri ran for his second term for Pierce County Councilmember District 6, promising to continue being the most accessible elected official for the Council, and offering a strong record of open, efficient, and responsible County government.
As chairman of the Performance Audit Committee, Muri worked with the Justice Management Institution to improve the processes involved in the Pierce County judicial system. The criminal case back log has declined and incarceration costs have been lowered.
The Performance Audit Committee, with Muri as Chair, continues to push for improvements of PALS with successes in decreased customer waits and permitting time. The PA Committee also halted Pierce County taxpayer paid Prometa
drug trials bringing a $575,000 savings to Pierce County citizens.
Councilmember Muri is committed to supporting veterans and protecting their 50,000 family wage
jobs at the local military bases. He is also heavily involved with conservation and land preservation projects around the district, such as protecting the undeveloped 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) Salter’s Point woods in Steilacoom and expanding Lakewood’s Wards Lake Park.
Civilian Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Fort Lewis in January 2006. Other community recognition includes the 2002 Washington State District Three Middle School Wrestling Coach of the Year Award.
He is Past President of the Steilacoom Kiwanis
Club - a community partner with the 1st Military Police Brigade at Fort Lewis; a former member of the Steilacoom Historical School District #1 Board of Directors; Co-founder and Director of the Steilacoom Lakewood Youth Wrestling Association; Past President of the Steilacoom Kiwanis Club; member of Bates Management Training Center Board of Directors; and active member of many local Veteran organizations.
for .
Smith defeated Muri 55% to 45% to remain in office.
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
County Council, representing the 6th District. He also ran as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for U.S. Congress in Washington
State's 9th Congressional District against incumbent Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Congressman Adam Smith
Adam Smith (politician)
David Adam Smith , American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing Washington's 9th congressional district.-Biography:...
, eventually losing to Smith.
Muri, a Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
veteran, served 22 years in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. He and his wife are residents of Steilacoom, Washington
Steilacoom, Washington
Steilacoom is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,985 at the 2010 census. Steilacoom is on the coast of Puget Sound, on a branch not visible on the map to the right...
.
Life and family
Pierce County Councilmember and Congressional candidate Richard “Dick” Muri was born November 30, 1953 in Fairbanks, Alaska. He graduated from Ashland High School in Ashland, MassachusettsAshland, Massachusetts
Ashland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the MetroWest region. The population was 16,593 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in 1971 and received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
, 1975 and his Masters of Public Administration from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
1988.
Dick has been married since 1979 to Mary Muri (formerly Mary Burns - Lakes HS '75) and has four children, Jennifer, Jonathan, Sarah, and Bradley. Dick and Mary have three grandchildren.
Military service
Dick was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in 1975. He earned his navigator wings in 1976 and flew the C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
as a Navigator. Muri served in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
from 1990-1991 as Deputy Commander of the 628th Military Airlift Support Squadron at Incirlik Airbase, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
From 1992-1997, Muri was Chief of Quality Management for McChord Air Force Base, directing a program that won numerous awards for excellence from the United States Air Force and Washington state. He retired as a Lt. Colonel with 22 years military experience.
Governmental leadership
Dick Muri took office as Pierce County Councilmember District 6 on November 19, 2003, serving Lakewood, Steilacoom, DuPont, Roy, McKenna, Fort Lewis, McChord AFB, and the island communities of Anderson, McNeil, and Ketron.Muri serves in leadership positions as Chair of the Performance Audit Committee, Vice-Chair of both the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Board and Select Committee for Emergency Preparedness, and Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Task Force.
Muri is also a member of the following county council standing committees: Community Development, Economic Infrastructure & Development, and Public Safety & Human Services.
External Boards and Commissions include the Joint City-Council Open Space Determination Board, Law and Justice Community Oversight Committee, Pierce County Reserve Officers Board of Trustees, Pierce Transit Board, Rainier Communications Commission, Zoo & Trek Authority (ZTA), Safe Streets, and Pierce County Law and Justice Council. Councilmember Muri ran for his second term for Pierce County Councilmember District 6, promising to continue being the most accessible elected official for the Council, and offering a strong record of open, efficient, and responsible County government.
As chairman of the Performance Audit Committee, Muri worked with the Justice Management Institution to improve the processes involved in the Pierce County judicial system. The criminal case back log has declined and incarceration costs have been lowered.
The Performance Audit Committee, with Muri as Chair, continues to push for improvements of PALS with successes in decreased customer waits and permitting time. The PA Committee also halted Pierce County taxpayer paid Prometa
Prometa
Prometa is a controversial treatment protocol used primarily for methamphetamine addiction, although it has also been claimed to be effective for dependence on alcohol or cocaine. The treatment, based on the research of Spanish psychologist Juan Jose Legarda, involves a combination of three...
drug trials bringing a $575,000 savings to Pierce County citizens.
Councilmember Muri is committed to supporting veterans and protecting their 50,000 family wage
Family wage
A family wage is a wage that is sufficient to raise a family on. This contrasts with a living wage, which is generally taken to mean a wage sufficient for a single individual to live on, but not necessarily sufficient to also support a family...
jobs at the local military bases. He is also heavily involved with conservation and land preservation projects around the district, such as protecting the undeveloped 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) Salter’s Point woods in Steilacoom and expanding Lakewood’s Wards Lake Park.
Community service
Muri received the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce John H. Anderson Military Citizen of the Year Award for 1996 and was inducted into the Fort LewisFort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
Civilian Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Fort Lewis in January 2006. Other community recognition includes the 2002 Washington State District Three Middle School Wrestling Coach of the Year Award.
He is Past President of the Steilacoom Kiwanis
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
Club - a community partner with the 1st Military Police Brigade at Fort Lewis; a former member of the Steilacoom Historical School District #1 Board of Directors; Co-founder and Director of the Steilacoom Lakewood Youth Wrestling Association; Past President of the Steilacoom Kiwanis Club; member of Bates Management Training Center Board of Directors; and active member of many local Veteran organizations.
2010 U.S. Congressional campaign
Muri challenged Democratic incumbent Adam SmithAdam Smith (politician)
David Adam Smith , American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing Washington's 9th congressional district.-Biography:...
for .
Smith defeated Muri 55% to 45% to remain in office.
External links
- Pierce County Councilmember Dick Muri official County Council site
- Dick Muri for Congress official campaign site
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Two from GOP to challenge Smith for Congress seat by Brad Shannon, The OlympianThe OlympianThe Olympian is a McClatchy newspaper in Olympia, Washington, in the United States.-History:The Olympian started in 1860 as "The Washington Standard" a weekly paper. Daily papers did not start until February 1889. The Olympian started daily service as a way to lead the crusade to make Olympia the...
, 6/15/08 - Second Republican enters race for Smith’s House seat by David Wickert, The News Tribune, 5/30/08