There is a 3-mile-long dike on the west side of Stanwood which holds the Puget Sound back from farmland and the City of Stanwood. The dike is over 100 years old and has been showing its age in the past couple of years. During high tides, multiple areas of the dike have been breached, resulting in huge amounts of water flowing into private and public properties.  

The City of Stanwood is leading the charge to find funding to repair and replace portions of the dike and raise certain spots to protect the properties on the east side of the dike. I had the opportunity to tour the dike with Stanwood Mayor Sid Roberts and City Administrator Shawn Smith on Friday, January 6th. I learned about the specific concerns with the dike and the effort underway to secure funding for the project. I am supportive of the project and working with City officials to identify funding at the County level as well as supporting funding requests to state and federal agencies. This is a very important project and I am glad to see the City of Stanwood leading the charge on the repairs. 

Visit to Refugee Welcoming Center

Also on January 6th, I toured the refugee welcoming center in Everett. Van Kuno, Executive Director for Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest took me around the center and explained the services they are offering to new refugees in Snohomish County. I had met with Afghan refugees at the center previously and was able to meet with Ukrainian refugees during this visit. 

The staff at the welcoming center are doing a great job connecting refugees with services including school, housing, healthcare, job opportunities, legal services, and many other critical needs.  

Snohomish County Update Presentations

In January, I presented a Snohomish County Update to two community groups/organizations in Snohomish County. On Wednesday, January 11th, I spoke to the Marysville Rotary Club at the Marysville Historical Society Museum. On Wednesday, January 18th, I presented to the Arlington ROMEOs group at the Glen Eagle Golf Course.  

These presentations are great opportunities for me to share updates with the community and hear from community members about their priorities and concerns. If you have a group that would be interested in one of these updates either virtually or in-person, please contact my office at Nate.Nehring@snoco.org.  

Meeting with Cub Scouts in Arlington

Students heard from the County Council, Sheriff’s Office, Prosecutor, Office of Public Defense, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Human Service, Public Works, District and Superior Court judges. The students had great questions and were very engaging throughout the day. We are looking forward to making Civic Education Day an annual event and are already planning for next year. 

You can read more about the event in the Everett Herald’s coverage here. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is profound and just as relevant today as it was in the mid-twentieth century. Each year, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January, near Dr. King’s birthday of January 10th. 

This year, I attended the YMCA’s MLK Inspirational Breakfast on January 13th at the Everett Family YMCA. The event focused on the legacy of Dr. King and posed the question “What are you doing for others?” as the theme of the event.  

On a quarterly basis, I meet with elected officials and department directors to get updates on their work and projects. I have found these meetings to be extremely informative and helpful in understanding what is happening in Snohomish County Government. For my first quarterly meetings of this year, I have been meeting these officials and directors in their offices and touring their departments. While on the tours, I get the chance to talk to staff on the front lines and learn about their work and some of the challenges that come along with their jobs.  

In January, I toured the county jail with Sheriff Adam Fortney, Treasurer’s office with Treasurer Sullivan, Auditor’s Office with Auditor Fell, Clerk’s Office with Clerk Percy, and Facilities with Director Nelson. I appreciate all of these individuals for taking the time to show me around and introduce me to their staff. I will be continuing these tours in February to visit the other offices.