Inside the City of Tumwater Date: September 10, 2021 To:
Mayor Pete Kmet City Councilmembers City Employees
From: John Doan, City Administrator
PEOPLE Tyler Brown is Our Next Police Officer
A graduate of Timberline High School, Tyler Brown
joined the Navy and served as an Intelligence
New (sort of) Parks Maintenance Staff Joining Us
The City has two new Parks Maintenance Worker positions funded by the Metropolitan Parks District
(MPD). We held off filling these positions through
the early days of the pandemic. Chase Olsen will start
Analyst. He was honorably discharged from the military in 2019 and currently works for AMR. He will
be attending the Basic Law Enforcement Academy as soon as an opportunity opens up. He and his wife are
active outdoor enthusiasts. Welcome to Tumwater, Tyler!
on September 20. He worked with us as a seasonal employee for four years and then tried out the City of Olympia. We are thrilled to have him on board
with us permanently.
Amy Morris is filling the second position. Yes, the
same Amy Morris that previously worked at the Golf
Course and spent some time at her family business. We are delighted to have her knowledge and work
ethic back with us. She will be focusing on irrigation systems.
Mike Thomas Leaving Us for Chehalis
Fire Prevention Officer Appointed
Tumwater Firefighter Mark Armstrong has been
appointed the City’s first Fire Prevention Officer. Mark has been with the Department since 1999. This
position is a redesign of the former Fire Inspector position. It is the first step in an eventual broader
program in the Fire Department focused on building safety,
community
risk
reduction,
emergency
Maintenance Tech Mike Thomas of the Water
management, and community education. The Fire
Water. Mike started with us in 2016. Best wishes on
Development’s Permit Review team and Code
Distribution Team is leaving us to work for Chehalis
Prevention Officer works closely with Community
the new adventure Mike.
Compliance in the Police Department. Welcome, Mark, to this new role!
GIS Intern Comes from Denver
Well City Needs Us
photography and is making a career change to GIS.
AWC Well City Award for
Ryan Richardson has a bachelor’s degree in He is starting as a graduate student at the University
of Denver’s Geospatial Science program. He has done ArcGIS Pro and drone work on his own and is
The City has received the eight years running – let’s get to nine!
a certified drone pilot! Ryan will begin in October
In addition to helping us save two percent on our
utility and transportation systems management and
commit to healthy living. When we were younger,
communications, public engagement, and parks. The
get older—kids, work, aging parents, taking care of
and work part-time. The City GIS program supports
insurance premium, Well City helps us individually
provides
healthy life choices were more manageable. As we
information
to
aid
in
planning,
GIS Team is part of TED.
the house, etc. all start to take up time, and we don’t have as much movement and physical activity, let
alone time for healthy cooking and other positive lifestyle choices. The Well City programs gives us an
approach that is easy to manage and allows us to
maintain much of our lifestyle with only some small changes. Maybe we spend time with the kids by
taking them on a walk. Perhaps we still cook at home
but cook with low-carb pasta. Maybe we still watch
City Council Launching 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
videos on our phones, but they include some videos
the Tumwater School Board earlier in the year, the
out and help out yourself with engagement in the
As a follow-up to the City Council joint meeting with two governing boards will begin five joint meetings
to learn about and share experiences with racial equity. The meetings will be facilitated by staff from
the Puget Sound Educational Service District. The
staff leadership teams from both organizations will similarly be participating, too. City employees are
about our health. Whatever you do, please help us AWC Well City Program. Please see the August 20 email from Juliann on how to participate.
Did I mention that you also get a $35 gift card?
PLACES
invited to take the 21-Day Challenge.
EVENTS Start Rounding Up Your Shred-ables
DRC Looks at More Projects
The Development Review Committee is looking at the feasibility of a proposed 5,000 s.f. expansion of the Thurston County Food Bank warehouse at 2260
The City’s annual Clean-Up, Drop-Off event will be
Mottman Road. They are also doing a formal review
Union shredding truck will again be there, along with
than Olympia Sheet Metal at 8947 Select Ct. SE.
from 9 to noon, September 25. The O’Bee Credit
the opportunity to safely dispose of prescription
drugs and medication and donate non-perishable
items to the Food Bank. Todd Anderson in Parks &
Recreation is recruiting volunteers to direct traffic, manage the shredding area, unload donation items,
and clean up and take down the event.
of a 10,000 s.f. sheet metal building for none other
Inside the City Illustrating our Mission, Vision, or Beliefs in Action. Over the next few editions of Inside the City, I will
be highlighting the City’s Beliefs. These were adopted in 2010 and are companions to the Vision
and Mission. While Vision says where we are going as an organization, and the Mission describes our work, the Beliefs define how all of us do our work
– what do we keep in mind as we make budget
decisions, or as a police officer pulls someone over at 2 a.m., or we interact with a customer at a
permit counter or with a utility customer in the field. These Beliefs should guide every one of us.
Beliefs are not illustrated by a poster on the wall – or even words on a box. Those are there to remind
us, but our behaviors best demonstrate our beliefs.
Understand that all types of diversity make us strong–-a
workforce
that
reflects
our
community will be better supported and better meet the needs of our residents, businesses,
and
visitors.
We
welcome
differences, and we show that welcomeness.
Treat our customers (residents, businesses,
and visitors) with respect. Honor their needs and do our very best to help them be successful.
Think about our communications and how we send and interpret messages. Consider the intent – not just your interpretation.
If we take these beliefs to heart, and better yet,
New employees receive examples of behaviors that
demonstrate them every day in our work, the City
behaviors, the beliefs are meaningless. In my
more successful.
illustrate the beliefs. Without corresponding following columns, I will share some examples to illustrate our beliefs. I witness our outstanding employees practice these behaviors daily. If we believe in PEOPLE, then we: Ask our coworkers for input and opinions –
we particularly seek out other opinions when identifying and solving a problem.
See mistakes as opportunities to learn and correct problems.
Perceive your own impact on others – We all need to be as productive and successful as
possible to help the City be successful. Watching others flounder and fail does not help the City.
WILL be more successful, and each of us WILL be