My week started out powerfully with the celebration of MLK Day. I had the honor of speaking to those attending the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday in Tacoma on Monday. The County was well-represented at the celebration as our own Carol Mitchell served as the emcee. I had prepared some remarks for the celebration that were tied to the event’s theme, Beloved Community, but after watching a powerful movie the day before I decided to change my comments. Last weekend I watched “Hidden Figures.”  The movie is a true story and based on a little-known group of brilliant African American women who supported the NASA space flights in the 1960s. Their math and science skills directly led to the successful rocket launches and landings during the heyday…

Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier has built his executive team with a focus on ensuring a wide variety of perspectives are heard and constituencies are represented. To that end, earlier today he announced the following appointments to his executive team: Dan Grimm, Chief Operating Officer.  Grimm has extensive management experience in both the private and public sectors. He represented the Puyallup, Wash. area in the state House of Representatives for twelve years from 1977 – 1989.  As chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, Grimm was the driving force behind state funding of the Union Station restoration, construction of the Washington State History Museum, the University of Washington Tacoma campus, the Puyallup campus of Pierce College and the state's role in the Puyallup tribal land claims settlement.  Grimm was elected…