As an adult living in Seattle, Shoreline and Mukilteo, WA, Tita considered herself apolitical. She researched candidates and issues and voted but she had no thoughts of being involved in local government. But, when she moved to Seaside in 2002, she started attending city council meetings, as well as commission, committee and board meetings because she thought that's what a responsible citizen should do. Within a couple of years she was elected to the board of the downtown development association and became the Chamber President. In 2004 she led a group which sued city hall for the right of citizens to vote on whether to allow ODOT to make 101 through Seaside into a five lane highway. Not many people can say they sued city hall and won! Not only did the citizens get to vote, 57% of those voting turned down ODOT's proposal which would have destroyed 17 businesses and more than 70 homes. You could say that most of the city council members were not her fans. When she ran for office in 2006, the other guy got ONE more vote than she; but, in 2010 she was both appointed and elected to the council where she has served the city of Seaside for the last 14 years. During her years in Seaside, Tita has also co-owned a fabric store, worked as the Business & Community Liaison at Tongue Point Job Corps Center as well as the executive director of the Seaside Downtown Development Association. She estimates she has served on twenty or so boards, councils and commissions during the past 22 years. And this is the person who just had her sights on being a Library Board member when she moved to Seaside.
