Year: 2023

I have seen many amazing community leaders in Pierce County over the years.  However, one stood out earlier this month when she was honored with the naming of a new 77-unit affordable housing project in the Lincoln District. I first met Patsy Surh O’Connell about 20 years ago when we were both in the local American Leadership Forum’s (ALF) Class IX.  The purpose of ALF is to bring local leaders together in a one-year curriculum to both develop their leadership skills and establish a strong network of community leaders.  The class curriculum included “buddying up” classmates, so you could get to know others and be known.  Patsy was my “buddy” for the class - and remains so to this day. As I got to know Patsy, I learned of her…

Today our community learned the verdict in the trial of three Tacoma Police officers accused in the death of Manny Ellis.  It has been more than three years since that fateful night when Mr. Ellis died in police custody.  Today’s verdict will elicit a wide variety of emotions from our community and co-workers.  I trust we will be there for each other as all of us process the trial’s result. While our system of justice may be imperfect, it is foundational to our democracy and who we are as Americans.  The presumption of innocence and a trial by a jury of your peers are critical safeguards in our society. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the jurors.  These “ordinary citizens” accepted the responsibility of hearing the evidence,…

December brings many celebrations and remembrances for all or us.  One that I look forward to but is also the most challenging is our annual Year in Review video.  It is intended to share the key highlights of our work in the last year with our residents - so they can be reminded of our work on their behalf. Despite the outstanding support of Libby Catalinich, our Director of Communications, and the Emmy-winning PCTV Team (Megan Hutton, David Kellman, Jeremy Acree, Peter Gudmunson and Bryant Hankins), it is a difficult endeavor! Knowing the time limitations of our audience, the trick is choosing what content to highlight from a year’s worth of efforts.  How do you decide what makes the final cut and what ends up on the cutting room floor?…

We have over 3,000 employees with a wide range of critically important responsibilities serving our community.  So, effective two-way communication with our colleagues is crucial!  I work hard to share our values, priorities, and success stories of our work.  Equally important, I appreciate listening to your concerns, perspectives, and ideas about how to make things better.  There are several ways I regularly share with you and your Pierce County colleagues - including this weekly blog.  But the best way to really communicate is through regular, direct and face-to-face meetings - and I had three of those meetings this past week! Monday mornings nearly always start with New Employee Orientation (NEO) at 9 a.m., and this week was no exception!  Getting to know our newest colleagues is a great way to…

In the classic holiday movie, Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold goes through one calamity after another to create an over-the-top holiday light display at this home. All of us who go through this holiday ritual can relate a bit to Clark and his frustrations. And the movie is also a holiday tradition with our family! If you like slapstick humor, it’s a must watch! Thankfully, our team from Parks doesn’t go through quite as much pain and suffering to put up the beloved annual display, Fantasy Lights!  Fantasy Lights has been delighting residents for 29 years, becoming part of many family traditions!  To learn more about what it takes to create the show, I went behind the scenes in this latest episode of “Inside Pierce County.” As you’ll see, they didn’t…

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is full of good food, football, and family.  But mostly, as the name prompts us, I hope it is a time of reflection and being grateful for the many blessings in our lives.  I will spend time with my brother, sister, and our expanded families.  We have had a year of tremendous celebrations and loss.  I am really looking forward to hugs, laughter and, potentially, some tears. Professionally, I’m grateful that every day you and our colleagues are committed to serving the people of Pierce County with expertise, teamwork, and respect. I know that some days are very challenging, but I appreciate your willingness to persevere to find solutions. I’m especially thankful for those who won’t be taking Thursday off.  Our Sheriff’s deputies will still…

The month of November has been designated as Native American Heritage Month but our partnership, respect and appreciation for local tribal leaders and members is present year-round. Our work of serving our residents frequently intersects with the priorities and interests of the four primary sovereign nations with whom we share the 1,670 square miles within our boundaries.  The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and the Squaxin Island Tribe are key partners in preserving and enhancing our natural environment, creating jobs, keeping communities safe, and serving our most vulnerable residents. Those broad connections are why we prioritize our Government-to-Government training classes for County employees, led by Pam and Gordon James.  I like to personally kick off these classes (Although sadly, I was sick for…

Happy Veterans’ Day Eve! When many of your colleagues have more than 20 years of service to the people of Pierce County, it changes your perspective.  Specifically, recruiting, hiring, onboarding and developing employees takes on much greater significance when viewed through a long-term employee perspective. Five years ago, we realized that we were not taking full advantage of a ready-made population of potential employees with a proven commitment to service.  And they were already our neighbors - just down the road at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).  In the process of learning how to better reach out to these excellent candidates in “green,” we also learned more about all they brought to the County! At the beginning of 2018 nearly 4% of our employees claimed veteran status.  By the end of…

I've said many times that the Employee Incentive & Recognition evening is one of my favorite events of the year. Who and what you celebrate as an organization says a lot about your culture and values. This year's event delivered the goods! On Wednesday night, I had the honor of co-hosting this year's celebration with Maura Maye from Human Resources and Council Chair Ryan Mello. I see the innovation, professional expertise, and compassion our colleagues demonstrate year-round. But this evening features our annual Standing Ovation Awards. These awards tell the stories that rose above the rest from the last year. It's a tribute to our entire organization that more than 145 employees were nominated for awards this year. I know the judges had their work cut out for them in…

It’s that time of year when scary stories and horror movies aim to give you nightmares and steal your sleep! At Pierce County we have a fun and not-so-spooky way for kids and adults to enjoy a few chills and thrills together.  Our annual Haunted Headlights drive through display at Frontier Park in Graham continues through Sunday and Jenn Sergent in Parks gave me a behind-the-scenes look! https://youtu.be/pCSClat3bX0 I think the scariest part of that video may have been my spirited sport coat – don’t you?  (It might “come back to life” on Halloween at the County-City Building!). But remember, this video was an up close and personal look from behind the scenes.  Our guests will be viewing from the safety of their cars! The Parks team spends about three…

Milestones in your personal and professional life are important.  They mark significant events that give you a chance to pause and reflect – and, in many cases, celebrate! 1983 was a big year in my life!  I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and began my active-duty service in the Navy.  But far more significantly, I married then Lauren Anderson.  On October 1st, we committed to face life together, before God, our family, and friends - through all its ups and downs.  And the 40 years since have been one adventure after another - not nearly the life we expected. So, when thinking about how we should celebrate our 40th anniversary, it seemed only appropriate to have another adventure. So, we chose a bike trip on the coast of Maine! …

To start with, this blog is not being written by Chat GPT or any artificial intelligence (AI) - and it took me considerably longer to write than last week’s blog by Brian Hardtke! And I am not even writing it from Pierce County.  I am in Austin, Texas as part of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s ASPIRE trip.  Twenty-four local leaders and I are spending two days looking at many innovative programs in the Austin area – we are seeking new ideas that we can bring back or could be coming to our community. Our first stop has some connection to last week’s blog regarding how AI is changing our lives.  Austin is the second major test market for Cruise - the General Motors Autonomous Vehicle initiative.  They currently…

In recent years, we have witnessed a technological revolution that is reshaping the way we work, communicate, and serve our community. At the forefront of this transformation is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large language models like ChatGPT. These advancements are not just changing the private sector; they are also poised to revolutionize county government in ways we couldn't have imagined before. In this blog post, we will explore the potential of AI and large language models in county government and discuss how we can embrace this future for the benefit of our community. Enhancing Citizen Services One of the most significant impacts of AI and large language models is their potential to enhance citizen services. With AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT, we can provide 24/7 support to our citizens, answering their…

My family heritage is from Germany.  While I don’t speak much German (Ein bisschen - “a little bit”), I especially appreciate Germany’s printing history (I have a model of the Gutenberg Press in my office). Each of us has a family lineage and history of which we can be proud. The United States and her residents are a beautiful collage of ethnicities, races, and ancestries. It’s wonderful to celebrate and honor what makes us who we are, including where we trace our roots to. Right now, we’re in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month.  It starts on September 16 to align with the Mexican Independence Day celebrations (no, not Cinco de Mayo!). It is Mexico’s most important national holiday. At Pierce County we have a wonderful example of treasuring your…

This week I presented my (final) biennial budget to the Council. Months of data gathering, analysis, presentations, debate, and decisions ended for me and the Finance team, and the process now moves to the members of our legislative branch. For the first time, the priorities for how we allocated funds were guided by the results of a comprehensive survey filled out by our residents. We used a variety of channels to reach broadly into our community - from newsletters to Tik Tok!  2,577 people took the time to complete the survey, representing views from Tacoma to Eatonville and from Buckley to the Key Peninsula! We asked residents how they would spend the money they provide us. We also asked them to prioritize their concerns - and three stood out far…

It was in September 2021 - almost exactly two years ago - that I helped host a Blue Zones kick off along with our partners from Multicare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. We were in the throes of the pandemic, so our in-person event became a virtual broadcast from our television studio.  But it began the detailed planning and preparation for the Parkland Spanaway Blue Zone Project. I’ve been familiar with Blue Zones for years, first learning about it from Tarrant County Texas County Judge (equivalent to County Executive) Glen Whitley in Fort Worth.  I initially thought it was all about living longer and would focus on diet and exercise.  After diving in, while those are key elements, it is also about living better - emphasizing the importance of community…

There is a reason the Pledge of Allegiance ends with “and justice for all.”  It represents one of the most foundational principles of our nation.  Our courts are designed to ensure we live up to those words. Every case that comes before a judge in one of the County-City Building (CCB) courtrooms is important. Life altering decisions are made every day as juries sit in judgment and render a verdict. This fall, another important case will be heard in a CCB courtroom – the trial of the three Tacoma Police Department (TPD) officers charged in the death of Manuel Ellis in March 2020. You’ve likely heard about this trial as it has garnered quite a bit of attention over the last three years.  It’s what we refer to as a…

This Monday is not only a day off work for most of us, but also an opportunity to celebrate our workforce and all you do for our community.  Of course, it also remembers all the workers throughout our country! As a nation, we’ve been celebrating Labor Day for over a century. The national holiday was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894.  It followed a period of significant labor strife and came after the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago.  (Notably, the “riot” was the result of workers rallying in support of an 8-hour workday.) In addition to celebrating all workers, the holiday provides us the opportunity to thank all our labor partners and our Labor Relations team! At Pierce County, nearly 2/3…

When most people think of our law enforcement, they think of a badge and a gun, coming in response to a call to 911 for help.  The badge is a symbol of their training and responsibility and the gun is a very important tool when confronting dangerous criminals.  However, I think the most important tool is not their service weapon. The key to keeping our community and our deputies safe is their radio!  Their ability to work as a team, particularly in response to dynamic emergencies, is essential - and their ability to communicate makes all the difference. Wednesday afternoon, the critical nature of that communication and teamwork was front and center. Tacoma Police (TPD) was stopping a car driving erratically in South Tacoma, when the occupants stopped and shot at…

Over the last week, incredible people who live in our community have volunteered to leave their friends and families and take on the unenviable role of searching for lost souls in Maui. We’ve all read and heard the heartbreaking stories of residents and tourists fleeing the fast-moving flames.  Sadly, more than 100 people have perished. By Monday, some 80 first responders and K9 teams from our region were actively supporting search and rescue operations on the devastated island.  They are members of the Washington State Task Force 1 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team (WA-TF1).   I want to thank Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, which supports the Task Force, for taking three full days – including a Saturday and Sunday – to get the team ready to leave…