Update from Mayor Nancy Backus

City of Auburn sent this bulletin at 07/15/2016 04:43 PM PDT

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An update from Mayor Nancy Backus

July 15, 2016

Reflecting On This Week

I’ve been asked in the past, “What keeps you awake at night?” Well, there are always things that I can focus or obsess about that can keep me awake. I keep my iPhone and my iPad next to my bed, and it’s the first thing I read when I awake, and the last thing I read before I go to sleep. I’ve received phone calls from Valley Regional Fire Authority and also Auburn Police Department in the middle of the night to brief me on an emergency. Recently, I have had trouble sleeping because of all of the tragedy taking place in this world. As I write this, I am also watching CNN broadcast about a military coup underway in Turkey, and updated reports on the deadly attack in Nice, France, from yesterday. This comes on the heels of officer involved shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and the tragic loss of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, just in the past week. I struggle to understand what is going on – as I’m sure many of you do. How do we overcome this violence and get back to a peaceful way of life?

I am so very thankful for the brave men and women who choose to be police officers in the City of Auburn (and everywhere for that matter). These officers are out on the streets keeping the peace in our city, and often not appreciated nearly enough. I am proud to say that I work with each of them, and know that their dedication is second to none. We all have our loved ones that we would protect at any cost, but think about our officers. They protect their loved ones as well as ours – even though they may have never met.

Have you seen the Auburn Police Department’s Facebook page? The most recent post welcomes our newest police officer, Nathan Jendrick. We are excited to welcome him to our city! APD does a great job of sharing information about what’s happening, and most of the time there are such outpourings of support that it warms my heart. On occasion, there are comments that are not so complimentary, and I get a bit upset and want to respond. What I’ve found is that if I wait awhile, another citizen will do it for me. Thank you to those who are so very supportive of our officers! Please, take a moment and share a "thank you" with an officer and let them know how much you appreciate all that they do to keep us safe!

Auburn Youth Council Video

We have a very active Auburn Youth Council, and on Monday, they joined your City Council at the study session to share this video of what they do. I think the youth in Auburn are sometimes under-appreciated, but I’m here to tell you that we have some great kids! We’re excited about the new opportunities at The Rec Teen Center for inclusion, and there will be more to come.

Final Thoughts

Let us all be filled with joy and goodwill as we come to grips with our world. One more quote for this week to leave you with … "If we could look into each other’s heart and understand the unique challenges each one of us face, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance and care." – Marvin J. Ashton

Weekly Quote

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

Desmond Tutu

Council Corner: Bill Peloza

The city currently has 12 Boards and Commissions (B&C’s) where community members can for volunteer service. Members of these B&Cs are appointed by the Mayor and are then confirmed by the Council. Volunteers serve in many areas, such as the Senior Center and Police Department.

B&C’s are a wonderful opportunity to get involved and learn about city business. For example, I was appointed to the White River Valley Museum Historical Society by former Mayor Booth and the Auburn Airport Advisory Board by former Mayor Lewis.

Other B&C’s that Auburn citizens can apply to(application process) include: Auburn Lodging & Tax Committee; Arts Commission; Cemetery Board; Civil Service Board; Human Services; Parks & Recreation; Planning Commission; Council Salary Commission; Transportation Advisory Board and Urban Tree Board.

Please check out the city website, if interested. Volunteers are the “heart beat” of the community!

Auburn Garden Club

Do you know about the Auburn Garden Club? I recently shared a photo of the beautiful arrangement that they had delivered to our office and they do some great work in our community, too. This e-mail came in earlier this week:

The club would like to thank you again for connecting us with Habitat for Humanity. We received an acknowledgment letter from Habitat for the club's donation of some plants remaining from our recent plant sale. Based upon the price tags removed before Habitat took the plants, we donated about $200.00 worth of plants (or quadruple that figure for true retail pricing). The club hopes this might become a tradition in the future - a win, win for everyone.

Since Mayor Backus and staff took such an interest in the flower arrangement brought to her office in May, we thought she would be interested to know that (the small, but mighty) Auburn Garden Club received many awards for its standard flower show that was held last September at the senior center. "Over the Years with Notes and Blooms" took first place (based upon membership numbers) at the National Garden Club level, as well as the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs and the Chinook District of Garden Clubs. Additionally, the club won many other awards, including one at the Pacific Region level, nine more from Washington and 14 from Chinook District. And of course, the club won the Chinook District Directors Award for its involvement with the city to coordinate the Arbor Day tree planting. In other words, we mopped up!

Congratulations, and thank you, Auburn Garden Club!