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Here's a round up of the top 22 accomplishments of the year, plus a few bonus mentions:
- Served as Chair of the Snohomish County Council and chaired or facilitated approximately:
- 41 General Legislative Session Meetings
- 39 Administrative Session Meetings
- 38 Public Hearing Meetings
- 6 Budget Hearings
- 11 Conservation, Sustainability, and Recreation Committee Meetings
- Hosted the District 2 In-Person Council Administrative Session Meeting at The Village On Casino Road
- Voted on just under 600 Ordinances, Motions, Resolutions, and Proclamations
- Voted unanimously as the new Chair of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in March, the first female to have this role
- Represented Washington State at the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee meeting in Washington DC to make recommendations for local implementation of new national funding like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
- Appointed as Chair of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), where we distribute local funds from the hotel/motel tax
- Served on the National League of Cities’ Energy, Environment, and Land Use Steering Committee and represented our county in Anchorage, Alaska at the Western Interstate Regional conference
- Facilitated 11 County and Human Services Providers calls to help continue to inform the county’s response to COVID
- Hosted a Housing Panel Discussion with local area experts to talk about housing affordability
- Presented six “Health Champion Awards” to various groups and restaurants in Snohomish County
- Championed a council-initiated amendment to enhance tree canopy coverage and forest stewardship in our County’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan considerations
- Spoke about the need to increase our county’s tree canopy at a League of Women Voters podcast linked here: https://lwvsnoho.org/docs.ashx?id=944686
- Worked with local families, early learning advocates and childcare workers to save the Everett Community College Early Learning Center from closing!
- Presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Snohomish County Arts Commission and fought to add back the 1% for the Arts funding!
- Raised the Progress Flag at the County Campus and hosted an LGBTQIA+ Informational Fair to kick off Pride Month in Snohomish County, along with some amazing Drag Queens and cherished community members
- Toured PAWS, Evergreen Arboretum, the Port’s Norton Terminal and new Coffee/whiskey space in Everett’s historic Weyerhaeuser Building, toured Tulalip Bay and the Possession Sound area with Tulalip Tribes, toured TheLab incubation center, attended the Seattle Chamber Leadership Conference, toured the Granite Falls Bridge 102 replacement with Representative Suzan DelBene,
- Provided presentations to the Everett Rotary, Kiwanis, and Carl Gipson Senior Center and took part in the UW Oral Histories for the COVID response
- Volunteered for 30+ hours including stuffing backpacks with Everett Public Schools Foundation, boiling 400 ears of corn at the Mukilteo MukFest booth, and taking part in litter clean up and tree plantings with local conservation groups
- Continued work to better improve our county’s specialty courts with stakeholder meetings and monitoring through the budget note and continued to encourage the creation of a Veterans Treatment Court
- Included funding in the Budget to address septic issues in the Tulalip area, an extension of the Centennial Trail to connect Everett and Snohomish, added a DEI position to the council and fought for funding to create gender parity through accurate deeds with our Assessor’s Office
- Participated in Disability Rights Washington’s Week Without Driving and shared my experiences on this panel interview
- Finalized the CPACER program and passed a new program manual to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Served the people of Snohomish County!
Bonus: Attended Step Up conference on race, judge for the Zero Waste Awards thru Zero Waste Washington, attended Ribbon cuttings for Burkett’s, Nimbus Apartments, VOAWW Food Distribution Center, Carpenters Training center, attended the Korean Community event in Mukilteo, enjoyed Evergreen State Fair events like the ice cream contest and spoke at the official Evergreen State Fair ribbon cutting, witnessed the Pt. Elliot Treaty Plaque replacement, attended Health District integration meetings, Boeing Leadership meetings, UW reception with Finnish Ambassador, Veterans Day Event at Carl Gibson, and served as a Panelist for UW MAPS program.
It truly has been an honor to serve Snohomish County this past year. In early January I will step down from the role of Council Chair but my steadfast dedication and service to the community will continue.
I recently participated with a panel discussion for Leadership Snohomish County’s Education Day. I was joined by Washington State Senator Marko Liias, Jessica Corbman from Representative Rick Larsen’s Office, and Mountlake Terrace City Councilmember Dr. Steve Woodard. During the discussion we shared more about how to run for office, how to be engaged in current events and how we work together as different branches of government. I appreciated the opportunity to speak to an exemplary class of emerging leaders in Snohomish County.
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Coming up in January is the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service. The YMCA of Snohomish County will honor and celebrate his life and legacy by hosting two events over the weekend. First is an Inspirational Breakfast at the Everett Family YMCA on January 13, and the other will be a Day of Service on January 16 at YMCA’s throughout the county. The community projects are in memory of Dr. King’s servant leadership spirit and I plan to join a local service event.
If you know someone in the community that has made a difference through the arts, please consider nominating them for an Everett Mayor's Art Award or the prestigious Richard and Nancy Wendt Award of Excellence.
Whether they're a local artist, arts venue operator, art educator, generous patron, or philanthropist - anyone that has improved the quality of life in Everett by contributing to the arts is worthy of a nomination. Click here to fill out the nomination form. Nominations are due by Dec. 16, 2022.
Q: For how long has the Sno-Isle Library system existed? (see below!)
Sno-Isle Libraries are a network of libraries all across Snohomish and Island County and have events that span all interest areas and age groups. There are in-person and virtual events coming up including an Online Family Trivia night on December 21 with the theme of “2022 – A Year in Review.” Check out the event page here.
A: 60 years!
As part of the Everett Public Library “One Everett One Book” reading campaign, they are taking submissions through February 2023 for their Youth Writing Festival. Young writers can draw on the inspiration of this year’s theme, “Food” and write about memories, cooking, their favorite chef, or whatever comes to mind. Check out their website for more information and ways to submit a writing piece. All writing styles are welcome.
Another writing event coming up is the Evergreen Arboretum “Poetry In The Trees” event. Submissions are due December 19, and the poems selected will be stamped on clay tablets and hung in trees at the Evergreen Arboretum in April which is National Poetry Month. Any age can enter and entries will be judged by a committee appointed by the Arboretum board. Check out this link or click on the pic below for more information.
A reminder that if you plan to give a fluffy pal for a present this season, please consider adopting from your local animal shelter. The Everett Animal Shelter has a cute crew of new friends ready to adopt including some parakeets and a few rabbits. The listing of animals ready for adoption can be found here. Additionally, if your pet recently went missing, please check their lost and found page. My family adopted our mixed breed dog from the EAS and she’s a wonderful addition to our family!
Sweet Rufus is one of the many dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and other animals ready for a home this holiday season! |
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The annual Snohomish County Homeless Memorial will be held on December 21 at the Snohomish County Outdoor Amphitheater starting at 5:15p. This marks the 12th year for this endeavor, and the first live event in two years due to Covid. Conducted on the longest night of the year, this event honors those our community has lost to homelessness in 2022, with an additional tribute to the homeless Veterans we have lost this year.
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