Councilman Nehring's July Newsletter

Dear North County Neighbors,

June had some exciting developments for District 1. In my newsletter this month I will share some of them with you, including Snohomish County support for downtown revitalization in Granite Falls, improvements for the Marysville Historical Society, and a new ball field at Everett Memorial Stadium. In addition, I will cover some updates on our embedded social worker team in North County and the grizzly bear reintroduction proposal.

On June 22nd I was proud to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Civic Center in Granite Falls. The center will include a food bank, family support center, city hall, and other community resources for Granite Falls residents and others in the region.  At the ceremony, I presented a check on behalf of Snohomish County of $60,000 to go toward the city’s downtown revitalization project. These grant funds are a part of the county’s annual Small Capital Projects program. I was happy to support the efforts and for the opportunity to join city leaders and community members at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Snohomish County has a long-standing tradition of supporting the heritage of our region. As part of that effort, we provide Historic Preservation Grants to local organizations whose mission is to recognize and preserve our cherished history. On June 3rd, I presented the Marysville Historical Society with a check to purchase new window coverings for their museum. The Marysville Historical Society, along with many other historical organizations in North County, does great work to showcase our shared history in the area.

On June 15th, I took the field with my fellow council members at the Everett Aquasox opening game. Snohomish County partnered with the Everett School District and the Everett Aquasox on a new turf ball field at Everett Memorial Stadium. In addition to the Aquasox, Everett Community College and Everett High School’s baseball teams also use this field and will benefit from the project. 

As I have mentioned previously, in North Snohomish County we are utilizing a “carrot and stick” approach to combatting the heroin and opioid epidemic. We have taken several steps (chronic nuisance ordinance, ban on heroin injection sites, etc.) to make it clear that we will not tolerate drug-related criminal activity which negatively impacts our community. In that same light, we are working to make it as easy as possible for homeless and drug-addicted individuals to access existing services. We are working to help these individuals turn their lives around, get back into the workforce, and become a contributing member of the community. The law embedded social worker team is leading the effort in North Snohomish County to connect those who are seeking help with available services.

A couple of weeks ago I joined our North County law enforcement-embedded social worker team for a ride-along. During the ride-along, we contacted several individuals. One of them in particular stood out to me. He was an older gentleman who was in tears after our team offered to place him in a treatment program and he accepted. Our law enforcement and Human Services staff do a great job and it was exciting to see this effort in action. This experience strengthened my belief that there is nothing compassionate about allowing people to put up tents in front of businesses, inject themselves with heroin, and cause problems for the community. True compassion is ensuring that individuals who are struggling are able to utilize resources to overcome their addiction and get their lives back on track. This can only be done effectively when two option are made clear: if you want help, we will be there for you to make sure that you get it. But if you want to continue a lifestyle of drug abuse and criminal activity, it will not be tolerated in our community.

Another issue I would like to update you on is the grizzly bear reintroduction effort. As you may know, the federal Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Parks Service is currently reviewing an environmental impact study on the reintroduction of grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem. After hearing from many residents and community leaders, I remain steadfastly opposed to the reintroduction effort. I have submitted multiple letters testifying in opposition to the effort and participated in meetings to express our concerns around the negative impacts to recreation/tourism and the lack of consideration for the voice of rural communities. Recently, Congressman Dave Newhouse was successful in blocking federal funding for any reintroduction effort. I thank Congressman Newhouse for his efforts. You can read more about this issue in detail in my column in local newspapers later this month.

I send out newsletters on a monthly basis to keep you informed about what I am working on and how I am representing the residents of North Snohomish County on the County Council. Please feel free to reach out to me at 425-388-3494 or Nate.Nehring@snoco.org.

Sincerely,

Nate Nehring
Councilman, District 1

Snohomish County Council 3000 Rockefeller Ave., M/S 609 Everett, Washington 98201   8th floor, Robert J. Drewel Building  Phone: 425-388-3494 E-Mail: Nate.Nehring@snoco.org   Russell Wiita, Legislative Aide