|
November 16, 2018
On Saturday, we honored our Veterans and active military with the 53rd annual Veterans Parade & Observance, and when we honor our Veterans in Auburn, we do it in a BIG way! We couldn’t have asked for better weather, as we payed special tribute to our Vietnam Veterans of America.
An estimated 15,000+ people lined Main Street as 200 entries with nearly 6,000 parade participants joined in the largest Veterans Parade west of the Mississippi.
The parade was kicked off with a Huey helicopter flyover, roaring over the parade route at 11 am. Some of the great highlights of the parade were the military and veteran entries, the antique military vehicles, the precision of the various ROTC units and the many marching bands who filled our downtown with patriotic music.
What a great day to be in Auburn! The City of Auburn considers it a great honor to host this event. Thank you again to our country’s amazing veterans!
 On Thursday, I attended the Greater Seattle Partners Planning Retreat where partners from the private sector, cities, counties, ports and economic development organizations came together to talk about “big picture” economic development goals for our region.
If you're not familiar with GSP, it is a regional trade promotion organization that was formed this past August, focused on driving investment in the region by promoting global trade and engagement, growing industry clusters, and aggressively marketing our region both nationally and internationally.
The Executive Council and Leadership Board includes representatives from Amazon, Boeing, Expedia, Microsoft, Starbucks, Wells Fargo, Weyerhaeuser, King and Snohomish County, the Port of Everett and Seattle, and the cities of Tacoma, Bellevue, Seattle, Everett and Auburn, just to name a few.
At Thursday's gathering, we focused on articulating what we want to achieve, how we will achieve it and defining our core values. I'm excited to see where this great new partnership goes!
|
“ Step into the circle - we get caught up in the movement and we lose the moment.”
– Robert Malhotra
 This afternoon, I joined Chief Bill Pierson and Assistant Chief Mark Caillier for the graduation of two of our APD officers, Jamie Douglas and Tyler Christian, from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC).
SPSC is well-known as one of the best training programs in the country for preparing mid-level supervisors to meet the challenges of public safety leadership.
Here's a bit about the two officers who graduated today:
Commander Jamie Douglas has been a Law Enforcement Officer since 1998. He joined the Auburn Police Department in October 2000. Jamie has been a member of the Clandestine Drug Lab Unit, a Narcotics K9 Handler with his partner Gunner, a Motor Officer, and is a Drug Recognition Expert. He has been heavily involved in DUI enforcement and has received numerous commendations and awards for his work in that field.
In May of 2014, Jamie was promoted to the rank of Sergeant with Auburn PD where he was on the grave shift. In August, Jamie was promoted to Patrol Commander.
Sergeant Tyler Christian was hired by Auburn Police Department in June 2002. He is an active member of his department's SWAT team with eight years of experience. He is also one of the department's lead firearms instructors as well as the Range Master. Tyler's other assignments have included Patrol, Civil Disturbance Team, SWAT, Firearms Instructor, M16-AR-15 Armorer, Colt 1911 Armorer, Sig Sauer Armorer and Narcotics Detective.
He holds instructor certifications from various organizations including the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center and the National Rifle Association. Tyler has certifications in handgun, rifle, sub-gun, knife and martial arts and has graduated from numerous basic and advanced rifle and handgun courses.
Congratulations Commander Douglas and Sergeant Christian!
Last night we celebrated the graduation of students from our third annual Civics Academy!
Civics Academy is a free course that we offer here at the city that gives residents a behind-the-scenes look at how the city is run. Each week takes a dive into a different department with presentations, tours and group exercises that show how things are run, where funding is coming from and going to, and how decisions are made and projects prioritized.
One of my favorite parts of the program is when students play a game of "Auburn Monopoly" and are given money for the city budget. They then have to use that money and figure out how they would spend it on different city resources. It's always incredibly interesting to see how different groups use their funds, and how they are challenged, as we always are during budget season, to use the money in a way that best serves the city while meeting the wide variety of needs that come our way.
In the words of one of the graduates, "I have a new appreciation for the time, money and energy that is put into keeping this City running."
If you want to learn more about how our city functions and what goes into keeping a city of 80,000+ residents running, Civics Academy is a great place to start! You can find out more on our website.
If you are thinking of holding an event here in the city, our Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is currently accepting applications for enrichment grants to help with promotion of events and activities that encourage, welcome and entertain tourists and visitors.
The goal of the grant is to support activities that increase economic activity in Auburn such as increased guest lodging in the area, meals purchased in the city, shopping at local retail businesses, and the availability and accessibility of tourism related facilities.
The grants are funded through local and state Hotel Motel Excise Taxes collected on accommodations within the City of Auburn and are awarded annually by the City Council based on the recommendations of the Auburn Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.
If you want more information, or are interested in applying, you can contact Lorraine Chachere, Tourism Coordinator at (253) 876–1978 or lchachere@auburnwa.gov.
|
