Month: November 2023

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…