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Good Morning,
As summer comes to a close, I have been trying to get out and enjoy time with my family. Whether it involves trips to local beaches, visits to neighborhood businesses or hikes in the woods, it has been a season of remembering why I love the Pacific Northwest and Tacoma. I am hoping that, through these challenging times we have been facing over the past few months in our community, you have found time to be with the people you care about and enjoyed some of the beauty our great city has to offer.
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Because of the restrictions that have become necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19, it has been a challenge to connect with as many of you in person as I would like. The Council has been hearing that, in this time, residents want to communicate more with us. As many of you know, I am always available by email and more than happy to talk over the phone or on a Zoom call. We are discussing important issues facing our community, COVID-19, transforming policing and public safety, and our biennial budget for 2021-2022, and I want to be sure to hear from you. These are important conversations for the future of the City of Destiny. I invite you to also tune in to the City Council’s Study Session or Council meetings on Tuesdays via TV Tacoma, Facebook LIVE, or Zoom.
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This past month, I have enjoyed reconnecting with some of the neighbors of District 1. Earlier in August, I joined the West End Neighborhood Council at their August meeting. It was great to be back with the group after being away for a few months. I am excited to continue to work with them and the North End Neighborhood Council in the years ahead and cannot wait to attend their meetings in person again.
I was also happy to join Holle and Carol Plaehn at their annual BBQ in the Skyline neighborhood. Holle, who was the long time pastor at Peace Community Center on Hilltop, and Colleen, a long time librarian, have been hosting their neighborhood BBQ for more than 20 years. The event was made even more special, as Holle and Carol received recognition from Governor Jay Inslee for their work in bringing their neighbors together and the depth and breadth of their service to Tacoma. It was a wonderful event, held with physical distancing in mind!
The event was also a reminder that we can be conscious of COVID-19, but still connect with our community. People need to know that their neighbors care about them, now more than ever. If you have someone you have lost contact with nearby, give them a call or put on a mask to check in while practicing safe physical distancing. These precautions keep you and those you care about safe. We are stronger together! We got this, Tacoma!
At our study session August 18, the Council discussed the development of the City’s 2021-2022 biennial budget. Since then, I have heard from many residents who want to make sure their views on the budget are heard. Issues around policing and public safety, housing and homelessness, mental health, jobs and economic development were critical issues for many of our residents. While the budget is far from being finalized, I encourage you to reach out to me directly if you would like to talk further. I want to make sure I can clearly convey your ideas and expectations, concerns and criticisms to my Council colleagues.
While I may not be able to respond to each person individually, know that what you share with me will be taken under thoughtful consideration and help inform the policy decisions I make. For those of you that have reached out to me already, thank you!
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As a first priority in the City’s transformation efforts, we are addressing local policing and recently met with 21st Century Policing Solutions. With the pending retirement of our current Chief of Police, Don Ramsdell, we will be working with the community as we begin our search and recruitment of his successor. These are important conversations and decisions for the City of Tacoma and I am eager to work with all of you as we move forward. We need to be sure that in order to ensure community safety, we clearly know what the community needs to feel safe. I look forward to the weeks and months ahead where we have open conversations about this in our community.
The challenges we are facing in Tacoma with COVID-19 are unprecedented, but I want to let you know that we are taking important steps to address it in our community. We are working hard to support residents, families and businesses as we continue to address this public health and economic crisis.
Make It Tacoma: makeittacoma.com
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: tpchd.org
TPU Bill Assistance: mytpu.org/payment-billing/payment-information/payment-assistance
Washington State/Governor Jay Inslee COVID-19 Response: coronavirus.wa.gov
Please be sure to check out cityoftacoma.org for updates and further resources and, as always, please email me at john.hines@cityoftacoma.org or call me at (253) 312-5620 if you have questions.
Thank you!
John Hines
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