Month: July 2018

Large handmade cedar bark canoes are on the move.  Some have been on the water and even in the ocean over the last month. Paddle to Puyallup will kick off tomorrow morning and run through Saturday, August 4th as more than 100 cedar bark canoes will ask permission to land and come ashore at the former Ole & Charlie’s Marina at the mouth of the Hylebos Waterway.  Canoes are coming - one from the east coast, as far south as Southern Oregon and as far north as Alaska. Canoe Journey has been going on since it’s rebirth in 1989 when the Paddle to Seattle was organized to commemorate the state of Washington’s statehood Centennial   Starting in 1993 and nearly every year thereafter, a Tribe or Nation has hosted Canoe Journey. This year,…

Late last week I learned that Lowell Porter, our director of the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), is retiring from Pierce County.  While I appreciate his decision, it’s always hard to say goodbye to a trusted and talented colleague. Those of you who know Lowell know that he has been a dedicated and respected public servant for nearly 40 years. That includes his role as the director of Washington State Patrol and several years here at Pierce County heading up DEM. It’s a tribute to Lowell’s fantastic management of the team that we will be able to move ahead in a fairly seamless way while we conduct a search for our next director. That is especially important when you consider that his team has accountability for ensuring smart, effective preparation…

I wrote this blog from BWI Airport (Baltimore-Washington International) waiting for my 7:20 p.m. flight back to SeaTac.  The last two days have been non-stop, including traveling on nearly every kind of transportation: bus from the airport to/from the train station; train to/from DC; cab to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers HQ; and on foot walking around the Capitol Campus. It was as hot and miserable as I remember from my days at the Naval Academy. Today’s suit, which I am also flying home in, will need to go directly to the cleaners tomorrow! However, the issues that caused Councilmember and Flood Control Zone District Chair Rick Talbert and me to make the quick trip were critically important and required face-to-face discussions. First, I learned back in April, that…

I hope you had a fun and relaxing Fourth of July celebration with your family and friends this week! My celebration was colored by two people I met this past week.  In last week’s blog, I highlighted meeting an amazing 98-year-old WWII nurse who served in the South Pacific at the Betsy Ross Open House.  Sunday, I met a 99-year-old Army Air Corps colonel who flew 50 combat missions in a B-24 over Europe. These two amazing Americans reminded me of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made to keep our nation free AND that we have nearly lost the generation that served in World War II. With that as background, I wanted to pass along a book recommendation for your summer reading list.  I am a big fan of…