Month: March 2019

I can’t think of a more important job than saving a life.  Sometimes it can be in a very controlled environment when skill and precision are paramount – think of a surgeon in an operating room.  Sometimes it can be in the middle of chaos, when faced with a situation we never envisioned.  The heroic actions of the King County Metro bus driver, Eric Stark, who got his passengers to safety after being shot in Lake City is an example.  And sometimes, it may not involve blood or physical trauma, but mental and emotional wounds.  Those are the kind of lifesavers I saw this week. I had the honor of participating in the Sheriff Department’s Annual Awards Recognition Ceremony this week.  I am always humbled by the experience – hearing…

During this year’s State of the County Address I had the honor of telling our community about the great work you’ve been doing on behalf of our residents as well as some tremendous community collaborations where we play a variety of roles. I also shared a new concept with them: The Pierce County Way.  I’ve started using it to describe our approach to how we get things done together.  The Tacoma News Tribune used a video excerpt about The Pierce County Way in their story. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the entire address, you can view it here: [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--lKtvPkEkY[/embedyt] During my remarks, I mentioned the new Coffee Oasis for youth experiencing homelessness. The new shelter/coffee shop/job training site was modelled after a Coffee Oasis that has…

I talk about the power of partnerships frequently. That’s because I believe in partnerships strongly and see them in action around the County on a daily basis. In all cases, people from different organizations with different strengths, abilities, and perspectives come together around a common goal.  They know they can accomplish more, and more effectively, as partners than as separate individuals or organizations. Personally, I had the privilege of partnering with one of the most amazing dogs to ever walk on this earth.  Scout, a pointing Labrador Retriever, was my hunting partner for nearly 13 years.  I have incredible memories of the days we spent in the field, were we teamed up to hunt upland birds.  Watching her work in the field was one of the greatest joys of my…

The character Mike Baxter on the show “Last Man Standing” is a big fan of using vlogs (video blogs) to reach the customers of Outdoor Man.  Vlogs are an effective and different way to engage people.   For many, watching a short video is much easier than reading a blog! So, I’m going to augment my weekly blogs with a monthly vlog called Inside Pierce County.  The primary goal is to give our residents a peek into our world, but I think many of you will like to view it as well. The series kicks off with a look inside a place you typically can’t access – the property room! Take a look and let me know what you think.  I’m up for suggestions on other cool Pierce County places to…

I have been fortunate to have had many different “careers.” Serving in the Navy in a variety of locations; as a quality leader and operations executive for a manufacturing company; on the Puyallup School Board; in both the Washington State House and Senate (and they are shockingly different cultures); and now in Pierce County.  Each of these jobs has given me the opportunity to work in different organizations with different missions and cultures, with wide a variety of people, addressing important challenges.  These experiences have strengthened my own belief in the power of differences. Each of these experiences also taught me two critically important principles. First, strong teams are made up of a diverse set up people with different skills, backgrounds and talents. Second, to best serve our community, we…