Month: August 2024

Taking care of Puget Sound and our rivers and streams is critically important for many reasons. Our waterways are spectacularly beautiful and a vital part of our natural environment and heritage.  But they also are important economically, recreationally, and provide crucial habitat for fish, orcas…..and bugs! I found out how important bugs are as harbingers of water health when I spent time learning about our work to help recover the salmon runs in Pierce County. Gopal Mulukutla, a Water Quality Specialist in Planning & Public Works, shared how bugs provide many clues about the health of the places where salmon live.  Thanks to his work, and that of his colleagues, we are helping our salmon, streams and natural environment recover. I was reminded of the field trips my boys took…

When we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion, we often consider aspects such as a person’s age, race, gender, or veteran status.  However, there are many more elements to our lives that make us distinct. Take neurodiversity, for example.  It’s a word that has become more common as we work to understand the different ways we process information and organize our work. It may not be a common term to you, so I turned to Google to learn more.  According to the Cleveland Clinic:   The term “neurodivergent” describes people whose brain differences affect how their brain works. That means they have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don’t have those differences. The possible differences include medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions. The possible strengths include better memory,…

“Solving” chronic homelessness is hard and defies easy answers - that is why we need to be smart and invest in proven solutions that get results. When I discuss chronic homelessness, I am referring to the people who are trapped living on our streets in squalor, many with untreated mental illness and addiction.  Most have been on the streets for years, some committing crime and most being victimized by crime.  It is inhumane and unacceptable for anyone. During my time as Executive, I have worked closely with our Human Services team to address homelessness, broadly and chronic homelessness, specifically.  We need compassionate and effective programs that help folks get off the street, get well, and get back in control of their lives. As you might imagine, we need a variety…

2024 has been a year of international turmoil and uncertainty.  We are witnessing wars being waged in many places, elections in major international countries, with some elections considered a sham. I am thankful to live in our country where we decide our leaders with ballots and not bullets - the recent assassination attempt on the former president notwithstanding. While there are still ballots to count from this week’s Primary Election, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the candidates who ran for public office. The vast majority run because they want to make our community better (Mike the Mover being one of the possible exceptions).  Thank you! Having been a candidate a few times myself, I know and appreciate what it takes to mount a campaign and…

For this summer’s vacation I am traveling internationally with family and friends – but not too far from home!  We will be visiting the Canadian Gulf Islands – just across the border from the San Juans! I love to plan these trips - often setting out the plan in early January and completing all the details that go into it before April.  Sometimes, I think planning and anticipation is half the fun! We spent part of the time with my granddaughters and a good friend with his granddaughters.  These six little girls are nearly the same ages and have so much fun together.  Our time with them included a “Disney Princess” dress up party with a cruise around the Marina - where many boaters showed their appreciation for the young…