Tacoma Council Mourns Mayor

Still reeling from the death of its new mayor, the Tacoma City Council must soon wrestle with filling the position.

Jack Hyde, 59, had been Tacoma's mayor just 17 days when he died in his sleep early yesterday from an apparent heart attack. An autopsy was to be performed today.

Hyde's internist, Dr. Gregory Arnette, said a cardiologist diagnosed Hyde in 1988 with dilated congestive cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged, weakened heart.

Hyde had spoken to City Manager Ray Corpuz Jr. just 12 hours before his death and was scheduled to appear yesterday at a Tacoma Dome observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

He was found dead by his wife about 9:15 yesterday morning.

Now the council must consider several options to replace him.

As provided for by the city charter, Deputy Mayor Harold Moss will temporarily fill the position as mayor. Moss was unavailable for comment, but council members called him a political veteran equipped to handle the job.

Eventually, the council will appoint an acting mayor, said City Attorney William Barker. Although the council could appoint a new mayor immediately, several council members said they would wait out of respect for Hyde.

"It is too soon to say what step two will be. There must be a time of remorse and recognition of (Hyde)," said Councilwoman Dolores Silas.

The city's charter does not require the council to appoint a mayor from within its ranks, Barker said. The council-appointed mayor will serve until a general election can be held. Because Hyde died within the first two years of his term, the city charter requires a mayoral election be held at the next primary election of council members, which would be November 1995.

But the council could seek permission from the Pierce County auditor to hold a mayoral election this November or even earlier, Barker said.

Tacoma has a city manager/weak mayor form of government, so the city's day-to-day activities are under the city manager's control. The mayor acts as the head of the council, but does not directly control city administration.

Hyde, who has a long history of public service, defeated one-term mayor Karen Vaille last November. His get-tough-on-crime stance struck a chord with voters.

Council members said they were just beginning to establish a working relationship with Hyde and will miss him. "He was a giant of a man physically . . . and a giant of a human being," said Councilman Bill Baarsma.

"He seemed to be hitting a stride" after his first two weeks as mayor, said Hyde's spokesman, Dan Voelpel. He noted that Hyde had made his first major public appearance last week in announcing the once heavily polluted Thea Foss waterway would be used as a model of development by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"He seemed to be very comfortable leading that major press conference. . . . He seemed to be enjoying his role as mayor," Voelpel said.

Hyde is survived by his wife, Jacquie, and two daughters, Laura and Cynthia. A public memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Yacht Club at Point Defiance Park.

Hyde was born in Everett and moved to Tacoma in 1965. He worked as an earth sciences instructor and associate dean at Tacoma Community College.

Hyde, a geologist, served on the Tacoma City Council from 1980 to 1989. He also served on the Pierce Transit Board, Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health and other agencies.