By now you know that I really like and appreciate history – and the people who have confronted significant challenges and overcame them.  So, have you heard about the amazing life of Dr. Nettie Asberry? I must admit I had not until we shared her story on Twitter as part of Black History Month. She was born at the end of the Civil War to a father who was a plantation owner and a mother who was a slave.  Think for a second about the social upheaval at that time in our country’s history and the challenges she faced personally.  What if I told you she was not only one of the few women of color to enroll in college, but went on to earn a doctorate in music? In…

In the movie, Frozen, ice queen Elsa sings “the snow never bothered me, anyway!”  Well, it may not bother Elsa, but it sure made life miserable for our residents. Thankfully for them, we had an amazing group of County employees – and some equally amazing volunteers - who came together to help us thaw out and (mostly) return to normal. (While I am always concerned that once I start calling out some people that I will forget others that should be recognized but, in this case, I will take that chance and ask for your forbearance for anyone I overlooked.) Of course, the main heroes of our #Snowpocalypse2019 are our Roads crew, under the skillful leadership and coordination of Bruce Wagner and the Road Operations Center (ROC). Our snowplow drivers…

Thanks to Mother Nature, this week's blog will be shorter than normal. I would to thank everyone who will be working this weekend and in the days ahead to keep our residents safe. From our Sheriff's Department to Emergency Management, thank you for all the sacrifices you are making to serve our community. A special thanks to Bruce Wagner and the roads crew, and the rest of Planning & Public Works who will working around the clock to keep Pierce County moving. [caption id="attachment_1574" align="alignnone" width="640"] An inside view from a Pierce County snowplow.[/caption] As for the rest of us, please stay tuned to the employee hotline, PC WARN, and our social media channels for the latest information. Please be safe and stay warm, Bruce    

We all know that some people in our nation, state, and communities are struggling with homelessness.  The federally required annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count gives us a snapshot of those people throughout the nation.  In Pierce County, we conduct personal interviews and collect the data on smartphone apps.  While the results may be as much anecdotal as scientific, it is some of the best information we have to assess the effectiveness of our programs – and re-adjust our strategies. In 2017 I went along with a daytime PIT teams – focusing on veterans.  But this year I wanted to see firsthand the challenges faced by our “chronically homeless” – generally those who have been without a home for years and are reluctant to accept services. So, I signed up for the…

Hola!  My name is Maia Espinoza and I’m the new Director of Constituent Services in the Executive’s Office. My primary job is to make sure that constituent matters that come directly to our office are routed to the correct department so that issues may be resolved - but keep reading to learn more! As an ambitious, 20-something, aspiring entrepreneur, I was admittedly a little hesitant to come to work for county government. After a few weeks on the job, however, my impression of the County has been rather surprising. We often think of government as bogged down with process and bureaucracy—people not very concerned with the minute matters of the individual constituents. My experience thus far has proved that preconceived notion to be dead wrong. It is evident to me…

What if I told you students in Puyallup can graduate with an RN degree by age 20?!  It’s true! The Puyallup School District has teamed up with Clover Park Technical College to offer a nursing program that begins in high school and finishes in college with a nursing degree. High school students can choose to take the Nursing Assistant Certification, or NAC, class at Emerald Ridge, Puyallup or Rogers high schools.  The classes are offered at their school and their hands-on practical work is done at the Puyallup Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. From high school, students can transfer to Clover Park and complete the curriculum and training needed to swiftly enter the RN degree program and finish the final two years before they can legally drink alcohol or rent a…

I love it when people outside of Pierce County invest in our community and our residents!  I love it even more when people who are already here decide to re-invest! 40 years ago, far-sighted community leaders set aside 500 acres in Frederickson for a planned industrial center. Fast forward to today and thousands of our residents are benefitting from family-wage jobs as existing industrial and manufacturing companies are expanding and new companies are relocating.  And, more are on the way! The link below will take you to a great overview by the Economic Development Board (EDB) about the amazing transformation at Frederickson that has occurred over four decades.  You will note that Pierce County is acknowledged for the investments we’ve made in the area’s road and transportation infrastructure – signals,…

The Sheriff tweeted out his congratulations for the 22 members of the Department who retired in 2018.  Shockingly, the combined service to the people of Pierce County came to a total of 523 years!   If you added that to the retirees from the rest of the County family, I know it would top 1,500 years of service.  Mind-blowing! Sometimes it is hard to think we can survive such a loss of experience.  Fortunately, we have others who are stepping up to start their service with the County as well! On Wednesday, the Council officially welcomed new members Dave Morrell and Marty Campbell.  Thursday afternoon, our new Prosecutor, Mary Robnett, took the oath of office in a packed Court Room 100. [caption id="attachment_1529" align="alignnone" width="640"] District 1 Councilmember Dave Morell…

        Soon we will be singing Auld Lang Syne and celebrating the start of a new year.  But, before we do, I want to invite you to take a quick look back at some of the highlights of 2018.   [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovl2yo8EYz8[/embedyt]   Together, we accomplished a great deal for the people of Pierce County.  With your help we will do even more in 2019 to make Pierce County a great place to live, work and raise a family. Cheers,     Bruce

I love the holiday season because it brings out the best in people – including our County family.  I was proud to learn that more than 45 teams of County employees from 18 different departments are participating in Adopt-A-Family this year.  This amazing program has been a Country tradition since 1994! Nearly 25 years ago, the Community Actions Programs Division of the Human Services Department wanted to do something to get into the holiday spirit. They realized that many of the children they served in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) might not receive gifts from Santa and decided to adopt families in need. As the years went by, employees nominated more families and the tradition changed from supporting only ECEAP children to adopting seniors receiving support through…

Wednesday was a national day of mourning for our former President George H. W. Bush, who passed away Nov. 30, 2018 at the age of 94. The 41st president was the last World War II veteran to serve as Commander in Chief.  In 1942, then 18-year-old George enlisted, becoming one of the youngest pilots in the Navy, flying a total of 58 combat missions.   His decades of service were only just beginning after the war. After graduating from Yale, he went on to become a U.S. representative, a diplomat, our chief spy, vice president, before occupying the Oval Office.  A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and generous humanitarian, his favorite position was always that of a family man.   President and eldest son, George W. Bush said…

New Year’s Day will be upon us before we know it, and after a lot of important work by our departments and the Council, we are ready to both close out our 2018 financial year and start on 2019.  I am very thankful for all the folks who work very hard to make sure we have a financial plan that guides our work.  Gary Robinson, Jim Dickman, Julie Demuth and the whole Finance team have been working this process since early summer. The Council balanced many competing priorities and the result – a strong plan for 2019 and beyond Also, thanks to the voters of Pierce County who approved the charter amendment for a biennial budget, 2019 will be our last one-year budget! Believe it or not, we are already…

Have you ever seen that TV show, “Dirty Jobs?” The host, Mike Rowe, takes on different difficult jobs (Season 6 Episode 24 “Fish Squeezer” & Episode 30 “Medical Waste”) sharing the gross details with the audience. It’s easy to blanche at the unvarnished reality of some dirty jobs – including a few that our colleagues do for our residents. Think about the Roads crew who will be out salting and plowing our 3,227 miles of roads this coming winter.  They are on the road - at all hours of the day and night - in terrible weather - to make sure you and your neighbors can safely travel. And, they do this while most of us are snug and warm at home.  They never get a “snow day” and we…

Election season is an exciting and intriguing time. With a more than 65% voter turnout, new equipment and improved processes, our Auditor and her team have had a challenging few weeks.  While there are still a couple of undecided races and the results are yet to be certified, the end is in sight. There were significant and important returns that unfolded on the national and state levels, to be sure. But, as the saying goes, all politics is local, so I’d like to call attention to some of our County results. I’m sure Gary Robinson, our Finance director, shares my excitement that the biennial budget charter amendment passed.  In fact, his team is already prepping for the new budget process. The other two charter amendments the County brought forward also…

They’ve served our country with courage and skill. The work to transition to the “real world” begins when the uniform is hung up for good. Veterans face a challenging journey when they finish their military service and come home to those who love them. That’s why I’m especially pleased about the work we’re doing in Pierce County to help make that path a bit smoother for our family, friends and neighbors in our region. In time for Veterans Day, KBTC, the local public television station, is airing a series of profiles of local veterans who have successfully transitioned into successful post-military careers.   I’m proud that Pierce County has ties to some of those individuals featured in the short films. Sheriff Paul Pastor estimates that 1/3 of his team has served…

I have always felt a powerful personal connection to the people of the Philippines, stemming from my time in the Navy. Tens of thousands of Filipinos have become US citizens through service in our Navy, and Filipino-Americans have a strong history of naval service as well.  One such leader was my Naval Academy roommate, Rear Admiral Victorino Mercado.  Vic retired yesterday, after three years as a key leader in the Pacific. During my service, I was stationed in Philippines -seeing this amazing country, people and culture first-hand. So, it will come as no surprise that I jumped at the chance to honor World War II Filipino veterans with Congressional Gold Medals at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center last weekend. [caption id="attachment_1405" align="aligncenter" width="546"] Medals for so many heroes![/caption]   [caption…

A few weeks ago I wrote in the blog about our terrific colleagues who were recognized with Standing Ovation Awards.  We had a great time this week cheering for their terrific accomplishments. Folks were on the edge of their seats as raffle tickets were drawn for some amazing baskets.  Melanie Halsan, I hope you bought a PowerBall ticket – how did you win three baskets?? A highlight of the evening was recognizing the 45 years Marc Simpson has devoted to Pierce County.  I’m grateful for his commitment to the county and our residents. Enjoy this fun video: ([embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlSEyKBzJeA[/embedyt] Can you believe that our entire organization – and the health department – once fit in the County-City Building?  Amazing! Thanks, also, to Janine Redmond for her 40 years of service!…

Archimedes is quoted as saying “Give me a lever long enough, and I shall move the world.”  While I am not looking to move the world, I am interested in leveraging our resources to better serve our residents.   Whenever I read reports of natural disasters like Hurricane Michael, my thoughts immediately turn to Pierce County and the potential disasters we may face, with winter storms and flooding being foremost in my mind. I am a strong advocate for using technology as a lever to make our work better, faster, less expensive, and safer. A perfect example of this is the County’s use of drone technology. One look at the devices in action and you can quickly realize the potential benefits of using the “eyes in the sky." I recently joined…

October is my favorite month of the year – and today is a great reason why.  It is a spectacularly beautiful day in Pierce County!  High School football teams will be under the lights tonight and the Huskies will defeat the Ducks tomorrow!  Many of our employees will be heading to the mountains, fields and marshes to recreate – and some will be mowing their lawns, hoping it is the last one of the year.  Sunday afternoon I plan to visit Spooner Farms with my granddaughters.  October is the best! Even as I revel in October, I am also keenly aware what lies ahead.  “Winter is coming” and with it comes challenges for some of our residents and our community.  We have work to do. Sadly, many in our community…