Recently, the Disability Mobility Initiative group challenged local leaders to take 7 days off from driving. This initiative helps me as a policy maker to spend a week in the shoes of those in our community that cannot drive themselves. It is truly a change in perspective to learn what it’s like to live in …
Last week I had the opportunity to get some firsthand experiences as to how the men and women that work for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department does the work on behalf of our county. It is not just the deputies in the cars with lights and sirens, but also corrections officers that oversee those who …
While 2022 is almost halfway over, I started kicking around priorities late in 2021 and looking to the future. There was a great deal of work that was started in my first year in office, but there was still so much to do. To be effective, I had to prioritize. On the day I was …
Thank you to those who joined me March 10 for the virtual community listening session that I held to connect active-duty military, veterans and their families with information about available resources in Pierce County. At the event I was joined by Pierce County staff, Joint Base Lewis-McChord representatives and community members, which resulted in good …
As I sit in my office, I am listening the sounds of emergency sirens (for the second time this morning) and wondering what they are responding to. I have seen the posts on Facebook, read articles in the newspaper and seen the highlights on TV: Increased public dumping and vandalism, increased arsons, increased car thefts, increased …
On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, the Pierce County Council proclaimed January as “Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention” month through Resolution R2021-224. Pierce County is supporting National Human Trafficking Awareness Month this January by putting up posters across our community so that victims of trafficking can learn how to access help. The National Human Trafficking Hotline …
It is hard to believe that it has almost been one year since I joined Council, but it has, and I have truly enjoyed working for the community members of the 6th District and Pierce County as a whole. I am thankful to all the people that reached out with questions, ideas or to raise …
I have received a lot of feedback around the proposed 2022-2023 budget, and I want to clear a couple things up about the process. First, at this point all documented legislation, fees and ideas have come from the Executive. What is before Council is just a proposal. It is now up to Council to conduct …
The Pierce County Council allocated its remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds Tuesday to support area schools and youth programs and increase shelter opportunities for area homeless. Included in the allocation was $4 million to help Pierce County schools respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money will go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to …
Welcome back to the Hitchen Post. My inbox has been flooded with emails raising alarms around vaccine mandates and passports, along with mask mandates and how these ideas are taking away people’s rights. I am going to share my perspective as an elected official and a science teacher. Viruses are not alive the same way …