26Apr 2024 by lcatali
A steaming pile

A steaming pile

Uncategorized
Our colleagues in Planning & Public Works do a great job managing solid waste.  And they just made a change that is a real win-win! Now, anywhere in Pierce County, your food waste can be added to your yard waste bin (Or does your family call it a “cart”?) for composting. This change in how we handle food waste is beneficial for many reasons.  First, it reduces the amount of garbage going into our landfill.  Second, food waste rotting in a landfill creates methane gas which is bad for our environment.  Instead, food waste composts well with our yard waste.  And finally, this compost can be sold and end up in someone’s garden.  From my count that is 4x “wins” - we avoid two bad things and replace them with…
Read More
19Apr 2024 by kschmi4

Moving Day

Uncategorized
When I served in the Navy, our family moved frequently! Four interstate moves in eight years, which is about average for military families. My wife loved it for many reasons, especially the chance to purge our unused and unneeded stuff that always seems to accumulate. Moving not only kept us “lean and mean” from a household perspective but also allowed us to immerse ourselves in new communities. Well, moving day is on the horizon for some of us in the County-City Building (CCB)! As I blogged back in May of last year, we purchased the building at 1501 Market to make room for more courts and justice-related services - transforming the CCB into the Pierce County Justice Center. Additionally, we will also be consolidating non-justice-related departments into 1501 Market, enabling…
Read More
12Apr 2024 by lcatali
The next generation

The next generation

Uncategorized
This week I delivered my annual State of the County (SOTC) Address, both to people attending in person and virtually online, for the 7th and final time. I always enjoy talking about the work we do to serve our residents, but this one hit a little differently.  I focused on what we’re doing through the lens of our children and grandchildren - ensuring they have the best possible start to their lives AND the best possible future.  So much of our work deals with today, this week, this month or even this year. But, as I explained during my remarks, since I became a grandfather while in office as the Executive, my perspective changed. The here and now are very important, of course, but taking the long view so that…
Read More
05Apr 2024 by lcatali
Laissez les bons temps rouler

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Uncategorized
Next week I’ll be delivering my annual State of the County Address.  I’m excited to talk about the work all of you do to serve the people of Pierce County – especially our youngest residents.  As a reminder, you can join us virtually next Wednesday at noon at this link. At the State of the County in 2022, I introduced folks to Brenda Miller, an entrepreneur and food truck operator. She owns Velvet’s Big Easy, which specializes in Creole and Cajun cuisines. Those who attended in person were treated to her delicious handheld fruit pies.  They were fantastic! Brenda’s story is a testament to the power of a dream and the success one can reach with some support and encouragement. Brenda was a manager at The Boeing Company when she…
Read More