Friday, February 22, 2008
Hail to the Chief
Lakewood's city manager named a new police chief today, Assistant Chief Bret Farrar. I don't claim to know the man well, but in all the conversations I've had he has struck me as someone with a lot of common sense. When you look at all the things that can go wrong in police operations, you consider that having a chief with common sense is important So his appointment was happy news. I'm sure other candidates for the job also had plenty of common sense, but a lot of people know Bret in town. Check out this link to The News Tribune story.
Forward this post
What do you think of the Greater Tacoma Convention Center?
Hey, I wanted to ask a question I have been meaning to ask for awhile. I've occasionally noticed problems at the Tacoma Convention Center, such as the famous luncheon awhile back when no one could understand Tacoma's own mayor during a speech because of the sound system (and boy, was that embarrassing for everyone). I've also been at events where everything seemed to go just fine.
I serve on a board that makes sure the convention center spends tax dollars appropriately, and to be honest, there does not seem to be a lot of interest in our group. We only meet a couple times a year. There's never any general member of the public there. But let me throw this open to the readership: if you have been there, what do you think of the Tacoma Convention Center? Any stories to tell me, good or bad?
Forward this post
I serve on a board that makes sure the convention center spends tax dollars appropriately, and to be honest, there does not seem to be a lot of interest in our group. We only meet a couple times a year. There's never any general member of the public there. But let me throw this open to the readership: if you have been there, what do you think of the Tacoma Convention Center? Any stories to tell me, good or bad?
Street Ends and Lake Access: No Meeting Tuesday
Quick note for those of you with Lakewood-oriented calendars: The Parks board will NOT be discussing lake access (described in various posts below) at its next meeting this Tuesday. An enormous number of questions have come up about lot lines and property shapes, and the folks involved have wisely decided to do more study before more public hearings. So that's good ... but it also means the next hearing will be at a time yet unannounced.
Forward this post
Groundbreaking for the police station
Lakewood will finally have its own, centralized police station to replace offices scattered throughout the city and a main building that county government is reclaiming. The new building will be between the Y and the bus barns on Lakewood Drive, across from Seeley Lake. We had the groundbreaking Thursday morning. That's me there between Chief Larry Saunders and Councilwoman Claudia Thomas.
I have never been in a groundbreaking photo before - we ain't no big building government in Lakewood - but it was sure nice to be in this one. The 43,000-square-foot building should be finished in about eight months. It will be a fine home for the Lakewood Police Department.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Good News about Police Staffing
My regular readers, both of you, will recall that Walter brought out his heaviest hammers of words last fall when we learned the city was failing to properly staff our community policing units. These units are responsible for trying to prevent problems before they start or get worse.
So it's fair, good and in fact downright joyous to report that staffing is getting back up to where it should be. These folks will not only provide proactive policing, but also help with a citywide experimenting in bringing other government services to the community at the local level. Here's the latest report on the staffing for the six community policing district:
Neighborhood Patrol Officer:
District 1- John Fraser
District 2- Angel Figeuroa
District 3- Brian Wurts
District 4- Jeremy Vahle
District 5- John Fraser
District 6/WSH- Charles Porche
Get that? All six districts have an officer for neighborhood policing. This is outstanding!!! It was only a few months ago that we had two.
Community Service Officer:
District 1- Mike Miller
District 2- Courtney Nelson
District 3- Dawn McGinnis
District 4- Someone on the way
District 5- Sandy Stauffer
District 6/WSH- Melissa Wagner
So this means that five of the six teams are complete. The city's management deserves high fives for this.
Sometimes good news just stands on its own. So enough said. This is good news.
Forward this post
So it's fair, good and in fact downright joyous to report that staffing is getting back up to where it should be. These folks will not only provide proactive policing, but also help with a citywide experimenting in bringing other government services to the community at the local level. Here's the latest report on the staffing for the six community policing district:
Neighborhood Patrol Officer:
District 1- John Fraser
District 2- Angel Figeuroa
District 3- Brian Wurts
District 4- Jeremy Vahle
District 5- John Fraser
District 6/WSH- Charles Porche
Get that? All six districts have an officer for neighborhood policing. This is outstanding!!! It was only a few months ago that we had two.
Community Service Officer:
District 1- Mike Miller
District 2- Courtney Nelson
District 3- Dawn McGinnis
District 4- Someone on the way
District 5- Sandy Stauffer
District 6/WSH- Melissa Wagner
So this means that five of the six teams are complete. The city's management deserves high fives for this.
Sometimes good news just stands on its own. So enough said. This is good news.
Engaging Citizens in Government
Good morning, and greetings from the fourth floor of the Landmark Convention Center. I'm at a workshop hosted by the Association of Washington Cities. The workshop is about engaging citizens in government, and about particular tool, the performance audit.
Lakewood sent quite a delegation here: we also have council members Pad Finnigan and Claudia Thomas, and assistant city managers Jeff Brewster and Dave Bugher.
Several folks advocate for creating a performance audit system within Lakewood. Performance audits are supposed to measure, as scientifically as possible, whether a government activity is being done at the most reasonable balance of cost and service. Performance audits are an outside opinion by experts about whether government is working at its best, or what other options are possible.
One of my frustrations with public policy in Lakewood is that because we are a relatively new city, we do not have a lot of role models for how to do things. People, including me, often pontificate about how the city should do this or that, without having the personal expertise to evaluate whether something is effective or not.
This morning, we heard in a key not speech about how polls show something we already know: Americans are extremly interested in accountability. Accountability is the most popular word people want to apply to their government. So hopefully today those of us from Lakewood will get some good ideas about how to get citizens involved in the pursuit of better government and specifically accountability. I will keep you posted.
Right now, a bunch of loudmouths at the front table have diverted the presenter with a bunch of questions related to their own personal opinions about performance audits. I hate that; I always think you should let a speaker finish their presentation before diving into questions. So I will have my fingers crossed that she can do so. I want to hear how perfermance audits can not only improve government, but also get citizens engaged.
Forward this post
Lakewood sent quite a delegation here: we also have council members Pad Finnigan and Claudia Thomas, and assistant city managers Jeff Brewster and Dave Bugher.
Several folks advocate for creating a performance audit system within Lakewood. Performance audits are supposed to measure, as scientifically as possible, whether a government activity is being done at the most reasonable balance of cost and service. Performance audits are an outside opinion by experts about whether government is working at its best, or what other options are possible.
One of my frustrations with public policy in Lakewood is that because we are a relatively new city, we do not have a lot of role models for how to do things. People, including me, often pontificate about how the city should do this or that, without having the personal expertise to evaluate whether something is effective or not.
This morning, we heard in a key not speech about how polls show something we already know: Americans are extremly interested in accountability. Accountability is the most popular word people want to apply to their government. So hopefully today those of us from Lakewood will get some good ideas about how to get citizens involved in the pursuit of better government and specifically accountability. I will keep you posted.
Right now, a bunch of loudmouths at the front table have diverted the presenter with a bunch of questions related to their own personal opinions about performance audits. I hate that; I always think you should let a speaker finish their presentation before diving into questions. So I will have my fingers crossed that she can do so. I want to hear how perfermance audits can not only improve government, but also get citizens engaged.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Diversity in Lakewood
Lakewood today is of course a very diverse place. But when it came time to do the Lakewood History Book, we had a heck of a time coming up with photos of much diversity before the latter half of the 20th century. So imagine our joy when we found out there had been a Buffalo Soldiers camp at the north end of Lake Steilacoom. What follows is a news release about an upcoming program - as far as I know, it's the most exhaustive presentation to date in Lakewood about the Buffalo Soldiers.
The release is from, and reads as by, the Lakewood Historical Society:
142 Years and Counting:
The Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers
In commemoration of Black History Month, the Lakewood Historical Society is presenting “142 Years and Counting: The Continuing Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the Council Chambers of Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main Street SW. We are privileged to have COL (Ret) James Manning and other members of the Greater Puget Sound Chapter of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Association present the program.
He will discuss the rich proud heritage of the Buffalo Soldiers who have served their country since 1866. Contingents of the cavalry units participated in maneuvers in 1904 through 1912 in what is now Fort Lewis and Lakewood. The legacy continued to be represented by the 25th Infantry Regiment at Fort Lawton, Washington, as well as the 92nd Infantry Division, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montford Point Marine Division in World War II. Artifacts and memorabilia from a private collection will be on display during the evening of the program.
A special exhibit, “Buffalo Soldiers: A Legacy of Honor” from the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, will be displayed in the Lakewood History Museum at 6211 Mt Tacoma Drive SW, across from Columbia Bank, Feb 12-23, 2008, Tues-Sat, 10 AM-4 PM.
Forward this post
The release is from, and reads as by, the Lakewood Historical Society:
142 Years and Counting:
The Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers
In commemoration of Black History Month, the Lakewood Historical Society is presenting “142 Years and Counting: The Continuing Legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the Council Chambers of Lakewood City Hall, 6000 Main Street SW. We are privileged to have COL (Ret) James Manning and other members of the Greater Puget Sound Chapter of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Association present the program.
He will discuss the rich proud heritage of the Buffalo Soldiers who have served their country since 1866. Contingents of the cavalry units participated in maneuvers in 1904 through 1912 in what is now Fort Lewis and Lakewood. The legacy continued to be represented by the 25th Infantry Regiment at Fort Lawton, Washington, as well as the 92nd Infantry Division, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Montford Point Marine Division in World War II. Artifacts and memorabilia from a private collection will be on display during the evening of the program.
A special exhibit, “Buffalo Soldiers: A Legacy of Honor” from the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, will be displayed in the Lakewood History Museum at 6211 Mt Tacoma Drive SW, across from Columbia Bank, Feb 12-23, 2008, Tues-Sat, 10 AM-4 PM.
