When is summer over?

Technically the summer ends with the autumnal equinox on September 22. 

But when I talk to people, I get very different answers.  For some, it ends on Labor Day weekend. For others, it hinges on when their kids go back to school.  Some are excited for the beginning of the new football season. In Puyallup, it often centers around the Washington State Fair – including recalling how to drive through town and avoiding the Fair traffic.  A good friend stands by his premise, that with our awesome late September weather, that summer ends on October 1st.

Regardless of your answer, it definitely marks a transition from one season to the next.  The hot dry days are behind us and the heavy dew and changing leaves foreshadow a new season.

We also have some other significant transitions coming.

The end of the year routinely brings well-deserved retirements by some of our colleagues.  I am always torn – how can we continue without their expertise and experience?  But as I am reminded with each New Employee Orientation, we have great people coming on board as well!

But this year will see even more leadership transitions than previous years, as I was reminded on Monday.  Jody Ferguson, the Director of our Department of Emergency Management announced her retirement for October 25th.  During my time as Executive, Jody has been a key leader.  She and her team were at the forefront of our pandemic response, fires, flooding, plane crashes, and protests.  I can’t imagine where we would have been without Jody’s leadership and her “can do” team!

But Jody has earned both our appreciation and congratulations on her next phase of her life.

And Jody will not be the only County leadership transition this year.  2025 will also bring a new Executive, Council, Assessor-Treasurer, and Sheriff. 

I am reminded that we are all stewards of our roles with the County.  We all are doing our best to serve our amazing community. 

And while transitions in leadership can bring about some feeling of uncertainty, our County has seen many changes since we were established in 1852 and will see many more in the years ahead.

Just like summer changing to fall.

Fall not only brings football, pumpkin spice lattes and falling leaves.  It also provides us with a reminder to be ready for anything.

September is National Preparedness Month and Emergency Management encourages all of us to be ready before the next emergency. I am a big advocate of preparedness and like to have my emergency kit and additional supplies ready.

Signing up for PCALERT and having an out-of-area contact are other great steps to take toward being prepared. This doesn’t take much time and can become incredibly important during a crisis event.

Another way to get prepared is to know your neighbors – especially those who might need extra help during an emergency. Please take the time to make a plan, build a kit and help each other!

Thanks for reading,

Bruce