Councilmember Nehring's May Newsletter

Snohomish County, Washington sent this bulletin at 05/01/2023 06:00 AM PDT

Dear North County Neighbors,

May Building Bridges Event in Arlington

Councilmember Mead and I are continuing our Building Bridges Tour with a community conversation in Arlington on May 16th from 6:00-8:00 PM. The event will be held at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club (18513 59th Ave NE Arlington, WA 98223). If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by emailing Angela.Ewert@snoco.org. This will be a great opportunity for community members to come together to discuss issues driving division and polarization in our discourse and ways to come together around common ideals. Councilmember Mead and I shared our thoughts on polarization, working together, and other issues on the Mill Creek View Podcast. You can listen to the podcast by clicking this link. Check out the flyer below for more information about the Building Bridges event in Arlington.

In The News

Ordinance to ban drug possession to be proposed in Snohomish County after legislative session | King 5 News – April 24, 2023

Comment: After state failure, county must act on drug law | Everett Herald Op-Ed – April 29, 2023

Snohomish County Councilmember Nehring announces county drug possession bill | The Center Square – April 24, 2023

Possession of controlled substances will be legal in Washington state starting July 1 | Lynnwood Times – April 24, 2023

Inside the stunning fall of WA’s drug-possession legislation — and what comes next | Seattle Times - April 25, 2023

Local governments act after state drug law fails in Legislature | Snohomish Tribune – April 26, 2023

Snohomish County Good Friday Prayer Breakfast

On Good Friday (April 7th), I joined community members, faith leaders, and other elected officials at the Snohomish County Prayer Breakfast at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. The event was an inspiring gathering of people coming together to pray for our communities and talk about the significance of Good Friday and why we celebrate Easter. Jonathan Rainey, chaplain for the University of Washington football team, spoke on the importance of love and unity in Christian faith and in our communities.

I appreciate everyone who organized and attended this sold-out event and the message of unity, especially during the challenging times of separation and division we have experienced in the past couple of years.

Gravitics Tour

We have many exciting new businesses opening in the Cascade Industrial Center (CIC) in Marysville and Arlington. One of these businesses is Gravitics, a company building the next generation of space travel technology. Their products will allow more people to travel to space with modules which can be scaled for further expansion. As space travel becomes more accessible in the not-too-distant future, it will be exciting to know that the latest technology is being designed and manufactured right here in North Snohomish County.

On Wednesday, April 12th, I had the opportunity to tour their facility in Marysville and meet some of the team members working on this venture. I am excited to have Gravitics and other innovative businesses moving to the CIC and creating family-wage jobs for North County residents.

Jackson High School Visit

Last month, Councilmember Mead and I visited Jackson High School to meet with students and talk about our efforts to work together and address polarization in our communities. We shared our experience working at the local level and finding ways to set aside our differences to work on things we share common ground on.

These classroom visits are always an enjoyable experience as we share with students and also get to learn from them. Our youth have great perspectives on what is happening in our communities. It is critical that we break the cycle of division and polarization for the next generation and these visits give me hope that we will be stronger together moving forward.

Grand Opening of Everett Clinic at Soper Hill

On April 17th, I joined community members, fellow elected officials, and Mariner Moose for the grand opening of the new Everett Clinic facility at Soper Hill in Marysville. The Everett Clinic is a great community partner providing healthcare services to our community in North County. I was honored to attend and speak at the grand opening.

Workers’ Memorial and Snohomish County Labor Council Presentation

Workers’ Memorial Day is observed each year on April 28th to remember workers killed, injured, or made ill on the job. On Wednesday last week, I joined labor leaders at the Snohomish County Workers’ Memorial to observe Workers’ Memorial Day. We heard proclamations from the County Executive and Everett Mayor and the names of workers killed on jobsites were read. It was a solemn occasion but a great reminder of the importance of workplace safety and the work before us to ensure that all of our employees go home safe at the end of the workday.

After the ceremony, I attended the meeting of the Snohomish County Labor Council to provide an update on the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) Program. Our labor partners have been critical to the success of the RAP Program. They join students to provide hands-on training and share their experiences working in the building and construction trades. I was able to share with the group that we secured $2 million in the next state biennial budget (big thanks to Senator June Robinson for her key role in making this happen) to continue the RAP Program and expand capacity for additional students in the coming years. I appreciate all the support the Labor Council has provided to the RAP Program since its inception.

Snohomish County Update Presentations

April was a busy month for Snohomish County Update presentations to a number of community groups. This past month I joined the Darrington Strong group, the Stilly Valley Center, and the Marysville-Tulalip Chamber of Commerce to provide an update on the work going on at Snohomish County and some of the initiatives I am involved with at the County Council.

We covered Snohomish County’s budget, economic development efforts throughout our area, the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) Program, local parks and infrastructure projects, broadband expansion efforts, affordable housing issues, and public safety. 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.

Ordinance Outlawing Drug Possession and Consumption

On April 23rd, the Washington State Legislature adjourned their 2023 legislative session without passing a “Blake fix.” For background, in 2021, the Washington State Supreme Court nullified the State’s drug possession law, ruling it unconstitutional and effectively legalizing possession of hard drugs such as meth, heroin, and fentanyl in Washington State. The legislature shortly thereafter passed a “fix” meant as a stopgap measure until they could find a more permanent solution. The bill they passed in 2021 had a sunset clause and expires on July 1st, 2023. One of the top priorities of this legislative session was to adopt a new law which would continue to ensure that drug possession carries criminal penalties in Washington State.

Unfortunately, the State Legislature was not able to agree on a bill over the course of the 105-day session. As a result, the current state statute regarding possession of drugs will soon expire and in absence of a local ordinance, possession and consumption of hard drugs such as meth, heroin, and fentanyl will become legal in Washington State this July.

This is completely unacceptable, both for the safety of our communities as well as the health of individuals battling addiction. With this in mind, I have worked closely with other elected officials and staff to introduce a local ordinance in Snohomish County outlawing the possession and consumption of these deadly drugs in our communities. We must continue to lead with compassion and work to get those struggling with addiction off the street and into treatment. But legalizing hard drugs is not the answer. There is nothing compassionate about removing accountability while our communities face record overdose deaths from these dangerous drugs.

I hope my colleagues on the Snohomish County Council will join me in supporting this ordinance and keeping hard drugs illegal in Snohomish County. I am encouraged by the number of other counties and cities taking similar measures and encourage all local governments to take action on this critical issue.

I send out monthly newsletters to keep you informed about what I am working on and how I am representing North Snohomish County on the County Council. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate in reaching out to me at Nate.Nehring@snoco.org or 425-512-4810.  

Sincerely,   

Nate Nehring 
Councilmember, 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