In November 2023 Dontae Payne was elected mayor of Olympia, Washington. He is the first African American and openly gay mayor in Olympia’s 164 year history.
Payne was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Soon after his birth the family moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania where Payne attended local schools. After graduating from high school Payne enlisted in the United States army. He was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McCloud in Washington. Payne spent six years in the army. He served two tours of duty in Afghanistan before leaving the military.
After leaving the military Payne returned to Washington and settled in Olympia. He attended Evergreen State College in Olympia and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Policy. He continued his education at Evergreen where he went on to earn a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
In 2018 Payne worked for the state of Washington in the Governor’s office. After nearly three years in that position, he became the Deputy District Director of the United States House of Representatives in 2021. In 2023 he was appointed Senior Policy Advisor for Civil Rights and Racial Justice.
In November 2021 Payne was elected to the Olympia city council. Two years later he ran for mayor of Olympia. On November 7, 2023 he was elected mayor winning nearly 70% of the votes in this non-partisan election.
As mayor Dontae Payne is working to bring more affordable housing and economic development to the Olympia region. He also supports improvements in public safety and hopes to address systemic discrimination in the city.
In August 2024 Payne called for a task force or commission to study awarding reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States. He states that the United States government did not fulfill the promise made to freed slaves of “forty acres and a mule.” Consequently, this has resulted in a lack of intergenerational wealth for descendants of the enslaved.
Payne is employed as an Equity and Community Partnership Manager with the Washington State Department of Revenue. Dontae Payne and his husband, Jason, live in Olympia with their daughter, Priscilla.
