Learning About the Unified Regional Approach
The small group I met with during our breakout sessions.
Thankful for our work in 2023!
It seems like time is flying by and I wanted to pause and share just a few highlights from 2023. You might have gotten a postcard from me, seen my newsletter, or maybe even heard my podcast but I am a firm believer that communicating with the public is a huge part of my job. …
We All Want a Place to Call Home
Housing & Homelessness: We all want a place to call home Welcome to my first Hitchen Post entry for 2023! I thought I would start off with a blog about something that has an easy answer. HOUSING That’s it. That is the answer. Wait, if it is that easy, why haven’t we fixed it? Now that …
2022 in Review
Looking Back: 2022 in Review It is truly hard to believe that 2022 is ending. I want to extend my thanks to many in the community that have been part of the work accomplished this year. The number of meetings attended, and emails sent pale in comparison to the face-to-face conversations with community members around …
Preparing for a Week Without Driving
Recently, the Disability Mobility Initiative group challenged local leaders to take 7 days off from driving. This initiative helps me as a policy maker to spend a week in the shoes of those in our community that cannot drive themselves. It is truly a change in perspective to learn what it’s like to live in …
Lights, Sirens & Cells
Last week I had the opportunity to get some firsthand experiences as to how the men and women that work for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department does the work on behalf of our county. It is not just the deputies in the cars with lights and sirens, but also corrections officers that oversee those who …
2022 Priorities and Beyond
While 2022 is almost halfway over, I started kicking around priorities late in 2021 and looking to the future. There was a great deal of work that was started in my first year in office, but there was still so much to do. To be effective, I had to prioritize. On the day I was …
Veteran Community Listening Session wrap-up
Thank you to those who joined me March 10 for the virtual community listening session that I held to connect active-duty military, veterans and their families with information about available resources in Pierce County. At the event I was joined by Pierce County staff, Joint Base Lewis-McChord representatives and community members, which resulted in good …
Public Safety and Community Frustration
As I sit in my office, I am listening the sounds of emergency sirens (for the second time this morning) and wondering what they are responding to. I have seen the posts on Facebook, read articles in the newspaper and seen the highlights on TV: Increased public dumping and vandalism, increased arsons, increased car thefts, increased …
January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month
On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, the Pierce County Council proclaimed January as “Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention” month through Resolution R2021-224. Pierce County is supporting National Human Trafficking Awareness Month this January by putting up posters across our community so that victims of trafficking can learn how to access help. The National Human Trafficking Hotline …