Addressing homelessness and associated substance abuse and behavioral health issues is one of my top priorities on the County Council. Regardless of where you live, these issues affect community safety, crime, and quality of life. It is also important to recognize the humanity of those livin…

When we drive down the street or turn on the water tap, it’s easy to take it for granted — but people rely on cities for core services like public safety, streets, utilities and parks. Developing Marysville’s city budget reflects those top priorities and city services. 

The Evergreen State Fair has been a community staple in Snohomish County since 1949. The annual county fair highlights many of the great aspects of Snohomish County including our rich agricultural history, community organizations, entertainment, and more. This year’s fair will be held August…

Summertime means peak season for roadwork. You may have seen some work underway and more is coming. Here’s an update on current city road projects. 

Stakeholder engagement is critical in decision making at any level of government. This was made clear last month after a new State Department of Health code change would have forced hundreds of coffee stands across the state to install costly plumbing at their locations. Thanks to the voices…

After our dreary spring weather, isn’t it wonderful to see a little more sun and summer-like temperatures now? July is National Parks and Recreation Month, which is fitting because it’s the real kickoff of high season for our city parks. 

For the past two years, I have been working with County Executive Somers and his staff to develop a memorial honoring the men and women from Snohomish County who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. We held a ceremony this past Memorial Day to remember and honor these brave men and …

Before I began serving Marysville as an elected official 20 years ago, I worked for several years in business management in the private sector. I understand the challenges that local businesses face, and the City Council and I appreciate their investments in the Marysville community. 

There are some exciting upgrades coming to Strawberry Fields in North County. Through a partnership between Snohomish County, the City of Marysville, and Amazon, we are making investments in both athletic and passive recreation at this popular site.

Spring is well underway in Marysville, representing new beginnings and transformations in our lives and our community. The month of May also serves as a reminder to recognize and appreciate our law enforcement officers and emergency first responders who selflessly serve our community with a …

The Marysville School District is asking local voters to approve two levies on the April 26 Special Election ballot and we encourage voters to say “Yes” to both of these funding measures that are an important part of providing local students with the educational experience they deserve. 

Over the past several months, I have been working closely with county staff and community stakeholders to develop legislation making it easier to build detached accessory dwelling units (DADU’s or more commonly referred to as “mother-in-law apartments”) in rural areas.  

Over the past several months, I have heard from many residents who are concerned by the amount of litter they see throughout our city. I certainly agree that litter is a blight on our community and litter clean-up is something that we are seeking to prioritize here in 2022. This increase in …

On March 10th, the 2022 legislative session came to a close. In this month’s column, I will be highlighting a few items relevant to Snohomish County, including “fixes” to police reforms, transportation investments, and the addition of 2 judges that came from the legislature this year.  

Each year, the County Council invests in capital projects across the county. Most of these projects are road and park improvements. In this month’s column, I will highlight some of the investments we are making in North Snohomish County in 2022. 

This week I was honored to present my annual State of the City address that highlighted your city’s accomplishments in 2021 and what’s ahead in 2022. While we certainly are experiencing many challenges including impacts of the ongoing pandemic along with worker shortage, cost inflation and s…

On Wednesday, Dec. 15, the Snohomish County Council approved an increase to the countywide sales tax to fund affordable housing and behavioral health treatment programs. I had significant concerns with the proposal and the process that was used to bring it forward for consideration. In this …

In this month’s column, I will be covering the upcoming legislative session in Olympia, priorities for Snohomish County, and how it may affect North County residents.  

I always enjoy turning over the calendar page to December, “the most wonderful time of the year.” Another thing I love is how Marysville truly embraces the Christmas season and makes it so special! 

Snohomish County, like other local governments, adopts an annual budget which sets the revenues and expenditures for county government. In this month’s column, I will cover the budget process and some highlights of the adopted 2022 county budget. 

You’ve probably seen news stories about global supply chain and workforce issues. Just this week national headlines included, “Supply chain headaches persist” and “No relief in sight.” The associated product shortages, price increases and delivery delays are impacting households and business…

Housing affordability is one of the most pressing issues in Snohomish County and the Greater Puget Sound Region. As home prices in King County skyrocket, demand for affordable housing in Snohomish County is growing, which pushes prices up. 

If you’re a golfer or follow the sport, you likely know that in general, golf’s popularity is declining. Fortunately, here in Marysville, we’re seeing a different story. The city’s long-term management strategy for Cedarcrest Golf Course is paying off handsomely. 

As I have written before, public safety is the paramount responsibility of local government. While Snohomish County government has broad jurisdiction over many topic areas and issues, keeping our communities safe is, as it should be, our number one priority. I have had the opportunity in the…

If you drive in and around Marysville, you’ve likely seen road construction over the past several weeks. Summer and early fall, when our Pacific Northwest weather tends to be the driest, is prime season for this type of work. This is a good opportunity for me to outline the city’s road impro…

Public safety is the number one priority of local government. While we have many responsibilities to our constituents, providing for the safety of our streets and neighborhoods is the most important. That has become more difficult in the past year due to several factors, most of which are ou…

Homelessness is a widespread issue throughout our country, our state and our region. People often ask me what the City of Marysville is doing in response. 

As I have shared in previous columns, Snohomish County is proud of our history supporting the United States Armed Forces and our veterans who have served. Through veteran assistance programs, memorials, and veteran employment initiatives, our County government places high value on those who …

Happy Independence Day! Over the weekend our nation celebrated its 245th birthday. Our city celebrated by presenting our third professional 4th of July fireworks show for the Marysville community. I am grateful to live in this country and to serve as mayor of this wonderful city.  

With law enforcement reforms set to take effect in late July and more reform work on the horizon, many opinions exist on how law enforcement should conduct its work. On June 8, I read an article in the Suburban Times written by Chief Mike Zaro of the Lakewood Police Department. Chief Zaro's …

As state restrictions have begun to ease, allowing our community to move toward being fully reopened, I’m pleased that all city buildings are once again open to the public. It has been great as well to see our families once again be able to enjoy our spray park that has been back open since …

At a time when civil discourse seems to have taken a backseat to divisive rhetoric and hyper-partisanship, it is critical for elected officials of good faith to speak out. That is why I have joined Snohomish County Councilmember Jared Mead at a series of town halls and classroom visits with …

Snohomish County has a proud history of honoring the brave men and women who serve or have served in the United States military. From our annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day Ceremonies to the eternal flame at the Veteran’s Memorial on the County Courthouse, we stand with our service members…

With the state legislative session now in the books, I want to take this opportunity to report on impacts here in Marysville. We are fortunate to have a strong working relationship developed and nurtured over several years with our lawmakers in Olympia. As I have said before, it often takes …

The safety of our neighborhoods and communities is the most important responsibility of local government. This is certainly an issue that is at the top of my priority list and has been a focus of my work on the Snohomish County Council. Chronic nuisance properties make neighborhoods unsafe a…

With the start of spring comes hope and optimism for a better season ahead. Something we’re really looking forward to here at the city is beginning to offer more public programs and events as allowed. Of course, we will continue to encourage safety precautions and abide by all regulations. E…

Expanding broadband access for residents and businesses in Snohomish County has been and continues to be a high priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how dependent we are on reliable, high speed internet and how large the service gaps are among our residents and businesses. Th…

Small and medium-sized businesses have faced enormous challenges over the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic shutdown. As we celebrate the recent announcement that Snohomish County was moved forward to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Rec…

At this time last year, the first diagnosed U.S. COVID patient was recovering at home after being released from treatment at Providence Hospital in Everett. 2020 was marked by a worldwide pandemic that harmed not only public health, but also our economy, personal lives, social networks and m…

As we begin a New Year, many are reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what is ahead. In this month’s column, I will share thoughts and experiences from 2020 as well as some goals for the next year. 

It’s time to get rid of the Electron Hydroelectric Dam on the Puyallup River that has been killing salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other fish for more than a century. It is so old that it escapes most regulatory oversight and would never be allowed to be built today. 

The holidays are a great opportunity to support local businesses as we shop for friends and loved ones. It is especially important this year to support our local small businesses considering the significant impacts COVID-19 restrictions have had on their operations. 

As we look toward the New Year, here at the City of Marysville we have been preparing for the next state legislative session that starts on Jan. 11. Over the past several years, the City Council and I have been very successful in obtaining state funding for projects that are important to our…

One of the most important roles of the County Council is the adoption of the annual budget for Snohomish County. Our budget currently exceeds $1 billion, which pays for services ranging from public safety and elections to roads and parks. The budget determines the level of revenues we will c…

As we approach the holiday season, we naturally look forward to celebrating the people and traditions that are dear to us. In some cases, this year we may need to tweak the way we do things to protect the health of loved ones. Yet as the Marysville community has shown time and time again, I …

Civic engagement is one of the cornerstones of our society and is essential to our representative form of government. Decisions best reflect the values of the community when there is a high degree of public participation. In this month’s column, I will discuss some of the ways you can get in…

We all know that great things are often accomplished as a result of teamwork, rather than ‘going it alone’ as they say. That is certainly true when it comes to local government and our ability to work together with our neighbors. That is why I am excited about a new effort to collaborate mor…

Building on the city’s strong track record of project delivery, I am proud to report that we are completing important city infrastructure projects on time this summer. This is important to resident taxpayers, commuters, businesses and visitors. 

As we look toward economic recovery following the COVID-19 shutdown, one of the focuses of our efforts is around workforce development. Ensuring that we have appropriate workforce training programs is essential to the strength and resilience of our economy. The Regional Apprenticeship Pathwa…

The social and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated action by every level of government to help individuals and businesses. Funding passed at the federal level has made its way to the local level for appropriations. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic S…