Councilman Nehring's June Newsletter

Dear North County Neighbors,

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. We saw many exciting developments and events in May and I am happy to share some of them with you including: Memorial Day tributes, the National Day of Prayer, Wenberg Park Ribbon Cutting, a Family of Volunteers community service event, and an update on our Law Enforcement-Embedded Social Worker Program.

This past weekend, we observed Memorial Day. Each year, on the last Monday of May, we take the time to honor and remember the men and women of our military who lost their lives while defending our freedoms. Over the weekend, many of you attended events across the county to pay tribute and remember. I attended the Memorial Day Ceremony in Marysville (pictured below). It was a fitting ceremony to honor those who died protecting our great country. We also commissioned the new Veteran’s Memorial on May 23rd on the Snohomish County Campus in Everett. As part of the courthouse renovation project, we temporarily removed the memorial. I was proud to attend this event and support the new memorial.

On May 2nd, we celebrated the National Day of Prayer at Snohomish County. The County Council passed Resolution No. 19-017 recognizing the National Day of Prayer and encouraged Snohomish County residents to “join us with grateful hearts in praying for unity, peace, courage and guidance.” I also attended the National Day of Prayer event at the County Courthouse Plaza that evening. It was a wonderful event and I am so thankful for the many people who came out to join us in praying for our country, state, county, and communities.

Earlier that day, we re-opened Wenberg Park with upgrades to the boat-launch and swim areas. I am a huge supporter of our county and regional parks. These open spaces create opportunities for families to enjoy the natural beauty of our county and surrounding areas. The new dock allows visitors to walk out over the lake and enjoy the spectacular view. One of the most significant assets is wheelchair accessible ramp allowing visitors with mobility challenges to enjoy the lake as well. This is a first of its kind in the region and we are fortunate to have innovative Parks staff willing to go the extra mile on projects like this one. You can read more about the project here.

Over the past few months, I have been part of a group called the Marysville-Tulalip Family of Volunteers. This group came together to organize community service projects in the Marysville area to encourage families to get out into the community and volunteer together. Families and civic involvement are the backbone of strong communities and that is exactly what this effort is working to promote. On May 11th, the group held its first community service event helping with the Kiwanis One Day project doing work at the Marysville Dog Park helping to clean up and spreading mulch over the trail. The Marysville Dog Owners group also joined in the effort. I am proud to support this great program and others like it in our communities. The Marysville Globe did a great recap of the event in this article. 

As you know, we have taken an innovative approach to tackling the opioid and homelessness epidemic in North Snohomish County. The Law Enforcement-Embedded Social Worker program in North County just celebrated one year of working to connect individuals who are homeless and drug-addicted with detox, treatment, housing, and job training. On May 28th, Snohomish County, the City of Arlington, and the City of Marysville organized a panel event to highlight the early successes of the program. The panels included Sheriff Ty Trenary, Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith, Arlington Police Chief Jonathan Ventura, County Executive Dave Somers, our Law Enforcement-Embedded Social Worker teams, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Arlington Mayor Barb Tolbert, and business leaders from the Smokey Point area. It was great to hear about the reduction in crime in Arlington/Marysville as well as the early successes from the program. A goal was set to get 25 individuals off the street and into detox and a treatment program over a 2 year period. After just 1 year, over 60 individuals have graduated from a treatment program in Arlington/Marysville. The incredible success of this program shows the power of collaboration and what we can accomplish when we break down the barriers between law enforcement, human services, and the private sector. You can read more about the event in the Everett Herald’s coverage here.

As always, my office is available to help you with any concerns or questions you may have about your county government. Please do not hesitate in reaching out to me at 425-388-3494 or Nate.Nehring@snoco.org. I will continue to send monthly newsletters to keep you informed about how I am representing you on the Snohomish County Council.

Sincerely,

Nate Nehring

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