‘Dennis did that.’ Man who built lasting relationships to better Pierce County has died

Tacoma-area leader and politician Dennis Flannigan, remembered for his humor, progressive policies and ability to reach across the aisle, died at home Wednesday at 84.

Flannigan served on the Pierce County Council from 1981-1996 and was a Democrat in the Washington House of Representatives from 2002 until 2010. He is credited with co-founding the Pierce County Drug Alliance, the Emergency Food Network, Safe Streets and Pierce County Reading Foundation, among other programs, as well as securing funding for the Chinese Reconciliation Park and the restoration of the 11th Street Murray Morgan Bridge in Tacoma.

Friends, family and colleagues remembered Flannigan as a trustworthy man who got things done, was quick with a napkin doodle and dedicated his life to helping others.

As a student in the early 1960s, Flannigan studied American Literature at the University of Puget Sound before he was expelled for refusing to stop printing “The Braille,” a satirical alternative student newspaper he started with tongue-in-cheek commentary. An activist at heart, Flannigan flew to Mississippi in 1964 to help register Black voters during Freedom Summer to fight against voter intimidation and discrimination at the polls.

Flannigan wrote several articles about the violence he and others encountered in Mississippi that were printed in the UPS student newspaper “The Trail” in 1964.

When he returned to Tacoma, Flannigan married his college sweetheart, Ilse, and worked with landlords and real estate agents to develop fair housing services in Hilltop. He went on to co-found and direct a number of other programs in Pierce County addressing substance abuse, food insecurity, crime, violence, education, social issues and youth leadership opportunities.

In 2012 Flannigan received an honorary degree from UPS for his service in the state Legislature.

After the death of his first wife, Flannigan married Jayasri Ghosh in 2015. He is survived by Ghosh, his two children Erik and Ann, and Ghosh’s three children. Ghosh said he is also survived by four grandchildren. The family hopes to schedule a memorial ceremony for him at UPS in early September, she said.

“He was a passionate community leader, someone who always saw the unseen and always leaned towards those who needed help,” Erik Flannigan told The News Tribune on Thursday, saying there have been hundreds of people who saw him as an important part of their life. “He drew his greatest personal satisfaction in helping the people of Tacoma better their lives, person by person.”

Bill Baarsma met Flannigan as a fellow UPS student and went to work on his campaigns. Baarsma was editor of the student newspaper at the time and was initially unhappy that Flannigan was promoting his alternative newspaper by putting it in their newspaper boxes. After meeting him, “He was so beguiling and charming as a person, and had such a sense of humor, that I immediately became a friend” and tried to help, he said.

Baarsma said Flannigan didn’t enjoy the harsh political partisanship of the state Legislature but worked to deliver results and remained deeply committed to social justice throughout his life.

Washington House of Representatives member and speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins told The News Tribune that Flannigan was a close friend and mentor. She shared fond memories of Flannigan coming over for a weekly pancake breakfast after his first wife died in 2009 and said Flannigan would always send out funny Christmas CDs during the holidays. His love of food and knack for sharing local restaurants didn’t go unnoticed and often helped Pierce County businesses keep going, she said.

Even as Flannigan exited the political realm and his health declined in the past couple of years, Jinkins said, Flannigan would still call her, trying to find funding or help advocate for needs he saw in Pierce County.

“I think in times like these, it’s really important to remember people and learn from people who were able to make relationships with others without regard to partisan politics and to keep their values while they did it,” Jinkins said. “Dennis did that. And if more people did that, we’d be a new world right now … He’s a guy worth going on and on forever about.”