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Latest Blog Posts

A salute

They’ve served our country with courage and skill. The work to transition to the “real world” begins when the uniform is hung up for good. Veterans face a challenging journey when they finish their military service and come home to those who love...
A grateful nation extends across the Pacific

I have always felt a powerful personal connection to the people of the Philippines, stemming from my time in the Navy. Tens of thousands of Filipinos have become US citizens through service in our Navy, and Filipino-Americans have a strong history of...
45 years?

A few weeks ago I wrote in the blog about our terrific colleagues who were recognized with Standing Ovation Awards. We had a great time this week cheering for their terrific accomplishments. Folks were on the edge of their seats as raffle tickets...
Let Us Help

John Adams passed the Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen in 1798, marking the first federal public health law. Over the next 200 plus years, many laws and much legislation would be passed cementing the government’s role in ensuring the...
Leverage

Archimedes is quoted as saying “Give me a lever long enough, and I shall move the world.” While I am not looking to move the world, I am interested in leveraging our resources to better serve our residents. Whenever I read reports of natural...
Does it get better than October?

October is my favorite month of the year – and today is a great reason why. It is a spectacularly beautiful day in Pierce County! High School football teams will be under the lights tonight and the Huskies will defeat the Ducks tomorrow! Many of...
Mental Illness Awareness Week

Growing up, he often acted with reckless disregard for structure and rules. When he was 30 years old, his family received a call from the ER informing them that he was in a psychosis and had been diagnosed with Bipolar 1 disorder. Over the next three...
Food for thought

We are blessed to live in a country with ready access to food. But, for too many of us, that access provides a myriad of unhealthy food choices. Now, I’m the first to admit that I love scones from the Fair and peanut M&Ms. They really are my...
Rock the vote!

College students fill the campus square. And voter registration is in the air! It’s no accident that National Voter Registration Day was September 26th, 2018, as we prepare for the November General Election. The Auditor’s Office had a blast at Rock...
One Smart Cookie

First jobs are seldom glitzy, glamorous or fun. But every career path must start somewhere. Whether you’re delivering papers or flipping burgers, it’s important to realize every first job is a chance to develop skills future employers will be...
Serving those, who have served us

It is not a surprise that our days at the County Council are filled with many meetings. Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to get invited to tour facilities that house programs we have funded. Staff and I recently had the opportunity to tour one of...
Bravo

One of my favorite days of the year happened this week. No, it wasn’t my birthday or anniversary. It was the day we recognize our Standing Ovation Award winners! There were many deserving nominations received this year and I’m confident the selection...
The long road home

This past Monday, I finished an excellent book – “Indianapolis: the True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the 50 Year Fight to Exonerate and Innocent Man” by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic. ...
Seeds of hope

In Washington, approximately 1 person dies by suicide every 8 hours. That is 3 people each day. From the shores of the Pacific, through the beautiful Cascade mountains, across the rolling hills of the central valley, across the Palouse and up and...
Clean sweep

We’ve seen a big increase in code enforcement complaints over the past few years. As I write this, seven code enforcement officers are working on about 1200 active cases. We are expecting twice as many complaints in 2018 as the year before. Online...
Scones, Krusty pups and piglets!

As a Pierce County native and Puyallup resident, I love our community celebrations that make our region distinct. Whether it’s the Buckley Log Show, Maritime Gig Festival, Daffodil parade or outdoor concerts at the Curran Apple Farm in UP, we have...
Gardening is always a fun thyme

Eight years ago, Jane Ostericher’s garden wasn’t thriving, so she asked her green-thumb friend for help with the problem. Within a matter of seconds, she was told frostbite was to blame for her decaying shrub. Impressed with the diagnosis, Jane asked...
Dollars and sense

The culmination of thousands of hours of work and a depressing amount of paper is ending as I finalize the 2019 budget I will submit to the Council in September. Creating the budget every year may be a bit daunting but it’s a critical exercise in...
Have a Voice

Last week, Auditor Julie Anderson presented a report to the Council on the recent primary election. There are approximately 500,000 registered voters in Pierce County. As of August 10, there was an estimated voter turnout of 33-34 percent turnout in...
Working together to keep our students safe

No one wants to think about a shooter in one of our schools in Pierce County. But, if we are going to do our best to keep our young people safe, we must not only think about such a horrific possibility but we must plan for it. That’s why I was so...