Kids need to play.  We all instinctively know it.  If you Google the importance of play you will find many studies validating it, saying things like “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, cognitive dexterity, and emotional strength.” “Kids Need to Play” was the aptly named Parks program funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) last summer.  In partnership with other parks systems, we deeply discounted access to activities throughout the County to help all our kids get outside and play after being cooped up by COVID. Yesterday, I was invited to make some opening comments at the annual Promise of Play Symposium sponsored by Greentrike (formerly the Children’s Museum).  The Greentrike team, led by Executive Director Tanya Durand, is challenging us to take…

A fantastic thing occurred this week when people who can often be at odds with one another joined together to achieve a common goal. An assemblage of local and federal elected officials from both sides of the aisle, environmentalists, tribal leaders, and others gathered at the site of the 100-year-old Chambers Creek dam to announce plans to remove the dam, restore the salmon run and renovate the bridge that connects two cities. The agreement was years in the making, in part due to the many stakeholders and varied objectives that needed to be considered. [caption id="attachment_3463" align="aligncenter" width="6088"] Many stakeholders came together to reach an agreement[/caption] I wish I could have attended the press conference to enjoy the celebration of collaboration and compromise.  But the County was well-represented by Don…

In 1980, 62% of Pierce County voters chose to eliminate our county commission and replace it with a seven-member county council and elected county executive. When the council and executive disagree, things can get a little messy. Two cases in point: this week’s disagreement over who gets to choose which flags are flown at County buildings, and my veto today of an ordinance permitting homeless parking at civic sites. First some background and context. I represent everyone in Pierce County. A council district might not be very ideologically diverse, but across the county we have a whole spectrum of ideas, opinions, values, and attitudes. It’s my job to ensure that everyone is included, and no one is excluded. That’s not always possible, of course, but I do my best to…

Earlier this week I presented our annual State of the County address to a small group of colleagues, community partners and the community (virtually). If you didn’t have a chance to watch the address live, I invite you to view the replay here: [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwnsKItTki0[/embedyt] From my arrival as County Executive, I have talked about the importance and power of partnerships.  In fact, many of you may recall it is one of our five values.  I knew our ability to address the critical challenges facing our community would require partnerships at many levels. Little did I realize that our early work in partnering with our community would be so essential to combating the effects of the pandemic on the people of Pierce County.  The work that our County team did…

Springtime in my yard is always exciting for me.  I love the energy and freshness as my yard comes back alive from its long winter break.   The birds are chirping when I take Kanga out for a walk in the morning and we seem to have more bunnies than ever! Spring also means work – but satisfying work.  A fresh-cut lawn always looks great.  And of course, there are always new plants or flowers to be planted.  I enjoy bringing a new pop of color to the yard or filling in a gap with a new shrub. Did you know some of our colleagues at the County take “recycling” to a whole new level – and can help bring new growth to your yard or planter box?  Learn more about the…

The final play of the game, the last episode of a television series or the final book in a trilogy.  Those are milestones that both mark an end and signal the time to move on to what’s next. This week I de-briefed the results of the State Auditor Office’s extensive 2020 audit with our Finance Team.  This most recent audit included an in-depth review of how Pierce County managed, spent, and accounted for the $158 million in CARES federal funding received to help our community with the impacts of the COVID pandemic. As I have said before, I’m beyond proud of the way we invested those funds into our community during this devastating time. Our teams were quick, innovative and flexible.  They provided PPE, tested and vaccinated our residents, helped…

Everyone knows that information security is up to all of us. But the Executive is out of the office and left his laptop vulnerable to being hacked. His mistake means fun for you!  Enjoy this montage of some of his less-than-stellar moments. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc3BgRZpRU8[/embedyt] Happy April Fools’ Day!

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team is really more like a family.  They represent “the best of the best” of our deputies and train extensively as a team.  Like a family, they have each other's backs.  They also have special equipment, tactics and personnel - including negotiators, a K-9 and a doctor. I have seen them in action firsthand - both in training and on a callout. Some of you may be surprised to know that one of the benefits of all that training, teamwork and preparation is that they rarely fire their weapons on a call - despite what you see on the TV show SWAT.  Most of the time, the team’s presence and approach convinces the “bad guy” to surrender without a fight - and that is…

Let’s face it.  It’s been a hard week.  Like many of you, I have been closely watching the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Certainly, Putin vastly underestimated the spirit of independence of the Ukrainian people.  Sadly, he is not backing down, and we are seeing the war escalate – with civilians now in the crosshairs. At some level, it feels like we are reliving the Nazi invasions of their neighbors in 1939 as we hear about the brutality that is happening. It’s difficult to watch the latest developments without feeling helpless and depressed. I expect you feel some of this, too, and I want to remind you that we provide the Employee Assistance Program to help you work through difficult times. However, I had one of my favorite and inspiring…

Sometimes all a person needs to turn their life around is for someone to believe in them. That’s where Dominique Hardeman comes in. Dom oversees the probation program for District Court.  He also manages the Court Resource Center that provides those exiting incarceration the services they need for a hopeful and positive transition to the community. His work to give people a chance for redemption is inspiring and lifechanging. His belief in the power of encouraging support and action gives us all reason to be proud.  I find him to be one of the most positive and innovative leaders in Pierce County – and that is saying something! I invite you learn more about Dom and his passion to foster redemption and renewal for court-involved individuals in District Court –…

Many people and departments across the County are doing the critically important work to create both safe AND just communities for all our residents. As you may remember, our Criminal Justice Workgroup (made up of leaders from the Prosecutor’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Assigned Council, and the Executive’s Office) has been providing both transparency and reform recommendations to promote a more just system.   Previously, they have issued two important reports that provide crucial insight into the criminal justice system.  The first report reviewed key policies and procedures as well as an analysis of arrest data Countywide, and the second report was a comprehensive review of the use of force by the Sheriff’s Department.  I wrote about this work in a recent blog. These are important first steps…

Every four years, many of us settle into our favorite comfy chair and watch amazing athletes from around the world pull off stunning physical achievements, under the banner of their home country. The strength, agility and stamina on display are truly inspiring.  Although there is often some controversy attached to the Olympic Games, it is impossible to not be captivated by the stories of the competitors.  You can’t watch the competition without respect for the unseen years of practice, repetition and sacrifice that make their Olympics dreams possible – and a healthy dose of national pride. This year's Games in Beijing had very special meaning for me, as my nephew, Ben Ogden, is competing as a cross-country skier for Team USA! Like athletes’ families from across the globe, due to the pandemic…

We are publishing our second annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) report today. While it may seem as if we still have a long road ahead of us in our goal to ensure everyone has “a seat at the table,” it is reassuring to see how far we’ve come. You’ll see in the report – linked below – that decisions we’ve made have helped us move forward in our goal to have the racial makeup of our County workforce reflect that of our County residents. For example, we instituted a change to how we bring on “extra hire” employees so that we now have an open, competitive process instead of the old practice of hiring based on “who you know.”  As a result, we’ve broadened the potential pool of candidates…

There are many ways a piece of private property can fall into a terrible condition.  A family medical issue may distract a homeowner.  The loss of a job may delay home repairs or maintenance.  Or advancing age may prevent an older person from caring for their home as they had for years.  Many times a neighbor may come over to help out, or a church youth group or service club. But, too many times the property goes unaddressed – accumulating junk cars or solid waste – to the point where it impacts the community. That’s when our Code Enforcement Team goes to work.  Their job is helping maintain our community standards (as represented by our Pierce County Code).  Most of the time, they can work with the property owner to…

Did you know that we live in one of the worst places in the nation for human trafficking?  Due to our proximity to an international airport, JBLM, I-5, and the Port, the state of Washington is the second worst state and Tacoma is seventh worst city on the list of where traffickers find and exploit victims. On any given day, between 300 and 500 people - some as young as 11 years old - are trafficked in the Puget Sound area for labor or sex.  I admit I was shocked and disgusted to learn the details of how trafficking is devastating people in Pierce County. January is Anti-Human Trafficking Month and we’ve created a series of social posts and ads to raise awareness for young people, provide resources for help,…

    I learned a new word – from a different culture – reflecting an important value that is critically needed in our community, country and world. Everywhere I go, I talk with people who are tired, frustrated and, frankly, cranky.  Two years of COVID and the associated loss, uncertainty and stress, have many in our community on edge. So, as I was looking forward to the holiday honoring Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I found myself looking back at the winter holiday season just concluded.  Part of the Kwanzaa tradition focuses on umoja, or unity.  Umoja is a Swahili word and represents the first of the Seven Principles that are celebrated during Kwanzaa each December. I mention this because as I look at our nation, and even our…

It has been a wild two weeks for many of our County colleagues.  Getting snow off miles of our county roads and protecting our unhoused community from subfreezing temperatures took the urgent efforts of many in our Planning & Public Works, Emergency Management and Human Services Departments. And just as the snow was clearing, Omicron and other factors caused a spike in demand of COVID tests.  Our Department of Emergency Management (DEM) team pivoted, expanding and opening new testing sites to serve our community. Despite continuous rain yesterday and high winds today, our DEM staff, augmented by volunteers from other County departments, will have tested over 10,000 people at our mass testing sites this week.  And now the warming temperatures and rain have us watching our rivers carefully and responding…

It is the season for holiday songs on the radio, Pandora, and Spotify.  I can’t imagine you haven’t heard “Let is Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” at least once.  This iconic song starts out with these lyrics: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful But the fire is so delightful And since we've no place to go Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow” I hope that was the case for you and your family this week.  With few power outages, school out, and remote work possible for some, I hope the snow was a beautiful change to our normally wet winter weather routine. The snow also was a huge barrier and potentially dangerous to some of our residents that had “places to go” (like essential workers,…

We all know that 2020 was a difficult, exhausting year.  I know I expected 2021 to be a bit easier, with us well on our way to recovery.  As I wrote in last week’s blog, I was wrong! The past 12 months have taught or reinforced important lessons - about ourselves, our community and our world. 2021 taught us the importance and power of connection.  We went months without seeing people we love, without a hug or handshake, and without meaningful human interactions. That loss is not quickly filled but it has been wonderful to safely gather, again.  Two weeks ago, our church held the Christmas Concert – with both the children and adult choirs.  Even with everyone masked, it was reinvigorating to see people I hadn’t seen in person…