Helping Build New Systems

Without John Hines the history teacher, it’s unlikely there would be John Hines the community leader and John Hines the football coach—much less John Hines the deputy mayor of Tacoma.

Hines, who majored in history and politics and government, remembers how, when teaching the past to students at Todd Beamer High School, he tried to answer a question he was always being asked: “How did we get here?” His answer, in part, was to emphasize one message: “You can’t know where you are unless you know where you’ve been.”

Today, as an instructional facilitator for the Tacoma School District who helps teach teachers to teach better, his message has morphed a bit. That’s due in part, too, to his experience as an active member of the Tacoma community—right up to his current role in city government. “The evolution with me happened over time,” Hines says. “Now the question is more, ‘How do you help people understand systems they’re trying to navigate?’” One way, which he has used, is to simply help them navigate. With time, though, he honed the question to a more fundamental one: “Instead of teaching them to navigate old systems, why not help them build new ones?”

Hines sees himself as equal parts guide and advocate, someone who can leave them with more clarity and agency. That ethos, he says, bloomed at Puget Sound, which made him more intellectually curious and critical. “It opened my eyes to the fact that I have a little more control over my own destiny,” he says.

His omnivorous sensibilities, channeled into community service, led him to mentoring, neighborhood support, a safe-streets initiative, and spots on transit and safety boards, as well as three city council campaigns and the deputy mayor position.

“We need to bridge some of these perspective gaps,” Hines says. “My colleagues on the council say, ‘Oh, you’re such a teacher.’ I say, ‘Yes. Yes, I am.’”