Month: January 2020

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, today’s edition was going to be about the Point-in-Time count of individuals experiencing homelessness.  And, that was the plan, until this morning I heard a story so powerful that I decided to “stop the presses” to share it with you as soon as possible. Every three months I meet with directors and their leadership teams to review and discuss their performance to the goals we’ve laid out in Open Pierce County.  As I hope you already know, we provide the details on each department’s performance online and these quarterly meetings give me a chance to discuss accomplishments and identify areas for improvement.  This is part of our commitment to being accountable to our residents. I was in the middle of one of these…

If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you know I love to read.  I love to travel to new places and times and learn about the challenges people have confronted.  I have recently “heard” some powerful stories and wanted to share them with you. The first is “Togo” – it’s not a book but a recently released movie about the diphtheria outbreak that threatened to devastate Nome, Alaska in 1925 – especially the children. Many may remember hearing that a team of dog sleds combined to bring an antitoxin serum to the remote community - a run of over 700 miles in the harshest possible conditions.  (This feat spawned the annual Iditarod dog sled race.) The main characters are Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian immigrant and renowned…

One day is certainly not enough to consider and advance the work and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But this Monday does give us the time and opportunity to remember, reflect and challenge ourselves. The holiday provides us with the chance to step back and ask ourselves some hard questions.  How are we doing? What more can we do to create a more just and equitable Pierce County?  I invite you to send your thoughts to me. For about a year we have been focused on our internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative.  I appreciate the many County leaders who have taken on the challenge to seek ways to recruit and hire a more diverse workforce and provide ways for every employee to be included and respected.  While…

We’ve begun a new year and Thanksgiving is a distant memory. But I still have an overwhelming sense of gratitude and a strong need to offer some special thanks. I wrote about Cooper Dyson, the deputy we tragically lost, in last week’s blog. Those of us who attended or watched his memorial service owe a debt of gratitude to those who made the powerful ceremony possible. Our Sheriff’s department stepped up strongly to ensure Deputy Dyson was honored in an appropriate and loving manner.  I’m grateful to Sheriff Pastor, Chief Blair and the many others who gave our community the honor of sharing their grief. You may not realize it but behind the department were hundreds of people working around the clock, giving up their holidays, vacations, and family gatherings…

Did you make a new year’s resolution?  Are you planning ahead for a dream vacation or a big purchase in 2020? At this time of year, we tend to look to the future with excitement and anticipation of what the next 12 months will hold for us. But, in this week’s blog I want to take one last look at 2019.  Together, we accomplished a great deal for the people we serve.  I invite you to take a look at the video below to see some of the highlights.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeWTzfuqfJw&showinfo=0?modestbranding=1?rel=0 Thanks, again, for your work in 2019 to make Pierce County a place where people choose to live, work and raise a family.  I’m excited to see what we will make happen in the year ahead!     Bruce…