Month: August 2023

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…

I did something this week that I rarely do – I vetoed a piece of legislation that came to me from the Council. In the nearly 7 years I’ve held this office I have only used my veto on 7 occasions, including this week’s veto. So, why did I do it? Context is important, so remember that housing affordability and chronic homelessness are two significant challenges facing our community. We need more than 50,000 affordable homes for our low- and lower-income neighbors.  Additionally, hundreds of people are dying on our streets trapped in addiction and untreated mental illness.  Last fall, the Council adopted a wide range of updates for our residential development regulations and created several new types of uses and housing types including shared housing. (I recently visited a…

With our typical glorious August weather, I like many of you are looking forward to a few days away from work - to rest and relax!  But I am reminded that many in our community are ramping up to a new school year.  Educating our children and young adults is one of the most important jobs in our community, and I’m grateful for the instructors, teachers, professors, administrators, custodians, and staff who are making final preparations for classes to begin! Getting our youngest learners off to the strongest possible start is essential.  And that responsibility falls to the many preschool programs throughout the County.  (Just last night, my family was singing the praises of “Teacher Vera” - the preschool teacher for my 33-year-old son who is getting married tomorrow!)  Children…