Deadly Force by Law Enforcement Bill Passes House

Deadly Force by Law Enforcement Bill Passes House

washington  

Above: Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu (D-32) sits in the House Floor Chamber just before 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The House convened at 9:00 a.m., but immediately adjourned to caucus. Ryu prime sponsored HB 2908 that would create a task force to review current laws, practices and policies regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement. The bill passed out of the Washington State House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon on a 98-0 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2908, which will create a task force to review current laws, practices and policies regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement, passed out of the Washington State House of Representatives on Tuesday on a 98-0 vote.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Cindy Ryu (pronounced Ree-oo), (D-32), creates a joint legislative task force on the use of deadly force in community policing.

Parts of HB 2907, a bill written and promoted by the Black Alliance of Thurston County, were rolled into Ryu's bill on February 5 in the House Public Safety Committee. 

As the bill continued on its journey to the floor, amendments were added to refine the membership of the task force. As a result, representatives of the Northwest Immigration Rights Project, the Latino Civic Alliance, the Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs, and liberty organizations were added.

“We are one step closer to creating a statewide culture that garners public trust, honors the role of law enforcement to justifiably maintain public safety, and creates accountability when they unnecessarily cross this line. We can only pray that our Senators value these same principles and pass this bill," said Dr. Karen A. Johnson, chair and co-founder of the Black Alliance of Thurston County.

ESHB 2908 will create a task force with a broad coalition including legislators, law enforcement, representatives from the criminal justice system, and members of advocacy organizations.

The task force will meet at least four times in 2016 and review current laws, practices and training programs regarding the use of deadly force, look at alternatives, and submit recommendations on what changes should be made to provide better protection for community members and law enforcement.

Speaking in support of the bill, Representative Brad Klippert, (R-8), thanked Representative Ryu, and law enforcement officers for their service.

“….I sincerely want to thank each and every one of my brothers and sisters who serve us in our communities and keep us safe….It's an extremely tough job that unless you've walked a mile in those shoes, you'll never understand the split-second decisions that they have to make over and over and over again. Obviously we always want to treat our citizens with fairness, with transparency, and with reasonableness….This is a good, reasonable bill….We want to have the best law enforcement agencies in the world right here in Washington State. I think we already have that, but if we can make it better, we want to do that….” said Klippert.

Representative Sam Hunt (D-22) extended his appreciation to the Black Alliance of Thurston County for all their efforts.

Tuesday was the last day bills could be heard in their house of origin. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Upcoming:

The Olympia Police Department and Black Alliance of Thurston County invites the community to gather on Wednesday, March 2 from 6:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Commons at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Avenue NW, Olympia, to engage each other in conversation around institutional and structural racism.

“If you choose to attend, we will invite you to engage in conversations that create ownership, evoke commitment, value dissent, and treat each person as the gift they are. We will create awareness about what institutional and structural racism mean and, then, invite a few people to speak about their own experience, acting on the well-being of the whole community. You will be asked to engage in active listening as these brave souls tell their story. After the stories are told, we will invite you to contribute to conversations about the larger communal possibilities that have the potential to shift our collective experience,” said Karen Johnson in a press release.

Johnson recommends reading: http://madison365.com/index.php/2015/09/03/what-no-one-wants-to-talk-about-race-and-progressive-cities/

For more information about community conversations about racism, the Olympia Police Department, the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the City of Olympia’s Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, body cameras, HB 2907 and HB 2908, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Black Alliance Packs Hearing for Police Deadly Force Bill, HB 2907

Black Alliance Packs Hearing for Police Deadly Force Bill, HB 2907

washington  

Above: Dr. Karen Johnson, Black Alliance of Thurston County, testifies in support of HB 2907 before the House Public Safety committee chaired by Representative Roger Goodman (D-45) on Wednesday. 

Senator Fraser Sponsors SB 6621 Calling for Policing Task Force, Hearing Also on Wednesday

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The room was packed for a public hearing on Wednesday for HB 2907, which seeks to clarify state law governing the use of deadly force by police officers. The bill, spearheaded by the Black Alliance of Thurston County, was sponsored by Representative Luis Moscoso (D-1).

Washington State House Public Safety Committee Committee chair Representative Roger Goodman (D-45) said that 65 people signed up to testify. Only a handful was able to give their testimony, although he allowed the meeting to go 20 minutes longer than expected.

Most testified in support of the bill, with some, including the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and Concerns of Police Survivors, opposing or expressing concerns.

Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, presented an overview of how the group began its efforts just a few short months ago, and described her organization’s efforts to build a relationship with Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts after the officer involved shooting of two African American young men in Olympia.

Johnson promoted the police department’s mission and strategic plan, and said the Black Alliance is eager to help the department garner the respect and trust of Olympia residents, and to make sure police get the training they need to begin changing the culture within the department.

Encouraged by her story, Representative Goodman praised Johnson’s efforts.

“...We have a lack of trust between communities and law enforcement, but it seems you’ve done a lot of work on a local level to bring people together….Who did you bring to the table and is there a template for what we could do on a state level?” he asked.

Johnson responded that it’s about communication and having courageous community conversations about racial bias and institutional racismwith the police department, and exploring the experiences and questions around those themes.

She said Olympia’s next community conversation with the Olympia Police Department is scheduled for March 2.

“I think we’ve been doing an awful lot of talking to them, and it’s time we start listening to what they need from us,” said Johnson.

“I agree, I think we need to listen to the police,” responded Goodman.

Jamira Burley, with Amnesty International’s campaign on criminal justice and gun violence, spoke in support of the bill, saying that HB 2907 takes significant steps to provide needed clarity and accountability in regards to the use of lethal force by officers.

Burley said that the use of lethal force by police in the February 2015 case involving Antonio Zambrano-Montes, a farm laborer with a history of mental health issues who was shot and killed by police in Pasco, was inconsistent with international law and standards on the use of lethal force.

Lisa Daugaard, director of the Public Defender Association in Seattle, also spoke in support of the bill and described the 2010 killing of Seattle Native American woodcarver John T. Williams by a Seattle police officer.

“The Seattle Police Department itself concluded that the killing violated policy on use of force, the first time that had happened in decades. This was not a reasonable mistake – it was an unreasonable mistake, at best. Officer Birk was not reasonable in thinking he was under attack, and he was not reasonable in thinking deadly force was necessary to forestall any attack. This was widely accepted. If ever a killing by a police officer might be prosecuted as a crime under the current law, it seemed to most observers that it would be this one. And yet Ian Birk was not prosecuted…..”

“…For those who are uncomfortable with the approach taken in this bill: it’s time to offer an alternative solution that would have allowed a prosecution in Mr. Williams’ death. A group of concerned community leaders has done its best to propose a solution that is fair to officers and community members alike. If you are uncomfortable with this solution, please, identify another that will change outcomes in the most egregious of these cases,” said Daugaard.

Noah Seidel of Lacey who represents Self-Advocates in Leadership, a group of over 200 people with developmental disabilities, also spoke in support of the bill.

“Mental health problems is not the only kind of disability that people have had when killed by police officers. John T. Williams…was also partially deaf. When he was killed, the officer was behind him telling him to stop. Disability was a factor....We need to do a better job holding law enforcement accountable to keep people safe,” said Seidel.

Seidel said that, according to a 2013 report by the Treatment Advocacy Center and National Sheriffs’ Association, at least half of the people shot and killed by police between 1980 and 2008 in the United States had mental health problems.

Rick Williams, the older brother of John T. Williams, also spoke.

“For five years all this talking and no action…He (Officer Birk) gets a free pass. Why is this guy still walking free? It’s not right…I can’t get my brother back but I can help people stand up for him. Somebody has got to it do because this is all wrong,” said Williams.

The committee also heard testimony about HB 2908, which creates a 13 member joint legislative task force on community policing standards. The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Cindy Ryu, (D-32), spoke to her bill.

James McMahon, policy director with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, did not necessarily oppose the bill, but suggested that more data be gathered first before a task force begins to discuss the issue.

Senator Fraser Sponsors SB 6621 Calling for Policing Task Force, Hearing Also on Wednesday

Above: Rick Williams, seated, Jay Westwind Wolf, a Mohegan Tribal member who is also on the Seattle Community Police Commission, Karen Johnson of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, and Thelma Jackson, also of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, gather just before the Senate Law and Justice Committee heard SB 6621, sponsored by Senator Karen Fraser (D-22).

Later on Wednesday, SB 6621 was heard by the Senate Law and Justice Committee, chaired by Senator Mike Padden (R-4).

SB 6621, sponsored by Senator Karen Fraser (D-22), creates a 22 member task force on policing and the use of deadly force convened by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. It contains several directives and would provide recommendations to the Legislature related to statute changes related to the use of deadly force by an officer. The task force would report its findings and provide recommendations to the governor by December 1, 2016.

Fraser spoke to her bill and said it was written in cooperation with the Black Alliance of Thurston County.

Acknowledging the task force proposed in HB 2908, Fraser said, “I’m not wedded to how we structure the task force…but the core idea is to bring the relevant people together to talk about this and how we want to move ahead in the future….We need all the right people involved in this,” she said.

Similar to his testimony for HB 2908, James McMahon, policy director, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, expressed concerns about the bill and would like data to be collected on the use of force before a task force is formed.

Craig Bulkley, president of the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, also expressed concerns, saying that a problem has not been identified with the current statute, data needs to be collected, and the bill does not have a means to do that. He said that according to the FBI, 107 officers have been killed nationally in the line of duty, and 49,851 were assaulted in 2013.

In Washington State, 16 people were shot and killed by law enforcement in 2015. According to research by The Seattle Times, there were 213 Washington State police related fatalities between 2004 – 2014.

In 2015, the Guardian newspaper tracked the number of deaths in the United States due to interactions with law enforcement, documenting 1,015 people killed by police using firearms. Of that total, 25.6% of those killed were African American and 17.5% were Latino. More than 10% - 107 individuals - were unarmed when they were shot and killed by police.

For more information about the HB 2907, Amnesty International's Report on Deadly Force, the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the City of Olympia’s Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, body cameras, and other police related issues in Olympia, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button. 

Changes to Police Excessive Force Law Proposed by Black Alliance of Thurston County

Changes to Police Excessive Force Law Proposed by Black Alliance of Thurston County

washington state  

Above: As Governor Jay Inslee waits to speak, Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, speaks at Monday's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in Olympia. Nat Jackson, far left, a member of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, was the master of ceremonies. The Black Alliance of Thurston County has spearheaded the writing of state legislation that would change the law governing excessive use of deadly force by law enforcement in Washington State. 

Just before Dr. Karen Johnson was to speak in the Rotunda, the voice of Governor Inslee came over the public address system. Inslee was apparently giving a speech elsewhere in the building and the mechanical systems became crossed. After at least 15 minutes of interruption to the celebration and unsuccessful attempts to mute Inslee and restore the microphone in the Rotunda, the crowd started chanting, “Black Lives Matter! Black Lives Matter!” 

In an extraordinary turn of events, Reverend Vera Diggins, who had earlier lead the group in the Black National Anthem, lead the crowd in singing several verses of “We Shall Overcome!” The emotional tenor of the crowd changed and the public address system was somehow fixed, allowing Johnson to speak. Then, Governor Inslee, who arrived and was scheduled to speak, began his speech by saying, “The mission of equality cannot be drowned out!” to cheers from the crowd.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Proposed legislation written and spearheaded by members of the Black Alliance of Thurston County that would change excessive use of deadly force by law enforcement in Washington State has garnered a prime sponsor.

Washington State Representative Cindy Ryu, D-32, has agreed to sponsor the legislation. The bill, which does not have a number yet and is in the process of some last minute refining, would amend RCW 9A.16.040.

The South Sound area was jammed packed with celebrations and service events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday. Dr. Karen Johnson, chair of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, announced the proposed legislation at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration held at the Washington State Capitol Building.

“We should all feel proud that we are one step closer to having a use of deadly force law that attacks our egregious state law, not the noble law enforcement officers who maintain the public safety of all Washingtonians,” said Johnson.

“There’s widespread recognition that our justifiable homicide statute is broken because it sets a higher bar than any other state in prosecuting officers who use deadly force without justification. Amnesty International calls Washington State’s law regarding use of deadly force as the “most egregious” in the nation. 

“The Black Alliance of Thurston County, in coalition and partnership with others…want to start the conversation around this issue….It is the right thing to do at the right time….We can pass a bill that is good for the people, the police, and the prosecutors of Washington State who seek public safety and accountability for all,” said Johnson.

Only Washington State law provides a defense against prosecution when a police officer acts “without malice and with a good faith belief that such act is justifiable.” Malice is defined in law as “evil intent.”

The proposed bill removes a subsection which contains the phrase “without malice and with a good faith belief,” an aspect which makes Washington's statute so unique.

To put Washington State law in line with the recommendations of a June 2015 Amnesty International report, “Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force in the United States,”  the bill also clarifies language regarding use of deadly force against fleeing felons so it is clear that the risk to the officer has to be imminent.

The legislation is expected to be introduced on Tuesday or early this week. 

The bill's sponsor, Senator Cindy Ryu, represents Northwest Seattle, Shoreline, South Edmonds, Woodway, west Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. While serving as a Shoreline City Councilmember, Ryu was elected mayor in 2008, becoming the first female Korean-American mayor in the United States. Serving her third House term in the Washington State Legislature, Ryu is a Deputy Whip and co-chairs the Members of Color Caucus.

The Black Alliance of Thurston County hopes to have the bill passed and signed by Governor Jay Inslee during this short legislative session.

Above: Andre Thompson, middle, wearing hat, and his brother Bryson Chaplin, who was not in attendance at Monday's celebration, and their family was acknowledged and prayed for by Bishop Charlotte Petty of Risen Faith Fellowship. Thompson and Chaplin were shot by an Olympia police officer in May 2015. The officer who shot the brothers was not charged by the Thurston County prosecutor, who used the “without malice and with a good faith belief.....” defense for the officer, indicating that the shooting was justifiable.

Amnesty's Deadly Force Report

The Amnesty International report is primarily based on a state-by-state legislative survey of use of lethal force statutes within the United States.

According to Amnesty International, the United States has failed to track how many people are killed by law enforcement officers. No one knows exactly how many people are killed each year but estimates range from 400 to over 1,000.

Among its other findings:  

African Americans are disproportionately impacted by police killings, according to the limited data available.

The United States has failed to respect and protect the right to life by failing to ensure that domestic legislation meets international human rights law and standards on the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

All 50 states and Washington, D.C. fail to comply with international law and standards on the use of lethal force by law enforcement officers.

None of the state statutes require that the use of lethal force may only be used as a last resort with non-violent and less harmful means to be tried first.

No state limits the use of lethal force to only those situations where there is an imminent threat to life or serious injury to the officer or to others.

Nine states, including Washington, allow for the use of lethal force to be used to suppress a riot.

Twenty two states, including Washington, allow for law enforcement officers to kill someone trying to escape from a prison or jail.

Only eight states, including Washington, require that a warning be given, when feasible, before lethal force is used.

Twenty states, including Washington, allow for private citizens to use lethal force if they carry out law enforcement activities.

For more information about the Black Alliance of Thurston County, Karen Johnson, the City of Olympia’s Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations, Andre Thompson and Bryson Chaplin, and local groups working for racial justice, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

For more information about Amnesty International’s report “Deadly Force: Police Use of Lethal Force in the United States,” go to: www.amnestyusa.org/deadlyforce

Above: Names of Black loved ones lost to police violence are written in chalk outside the Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. 

Clark Gilman Appointed Olympia City Councilmember

Clark Gilman Appointed Olympia City Councilmember

washington  

Above: Clark Gilman, left, greets Doug DeForest after Gilman was chosen Monday night by the Olympia City Council to be appointed to the council. He replaces Cheryl Selby, who won the mayor's seat in November. Gilman will be sworn in at Tuesday night's council meeting and serve out the remainder of Selby's term. 

By Janine Gates 

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Westside Olympia resident Clark Gilman was chosen Monday night out of eight candidates who applied for appointment to the Olympia City Council, Position #4. 

The position became vacant when Councilmember Cheryl Selby won her election and was sworn in as mayor.  

Gilman will serve for approximately 23 months, until the November 2017 general election results are certified and will be sworn in at Tuesday night’s Olympia City Council meeting.

Gilman is a grantwriting and organizational development consultant for a local company, and a special education paraeducator for North Thurston High School in Lacey. 

Prior to that, he worked as a manager for the Harvesting Clean Energy program for Climate Solutions and co-founded a residential carpenters union local in 1996.

“I am a person who can work hard as part of a group and live with the decisions of the group. A career as an elected local leader and a regional staff person for the Carpenters Union offered me a great deal of practical experience in this area….As a regional leader of the Union, I would often represent the organizations’ position on contentious issues to diverse interest groups and use my position to work towards resolution of those difficult issues,” Gilman said in his application to the city.

Above: Eight candidates applied for the appointment to the Olympia city council. Left to right: Dr. Karen Johnson, Paul Masiello, Allen Miller, Marco Rosaire Rossi, Max Brown, Clark Gilman, Chase Gallagher, and Peter Tassoni. The interviews were open to the public, and taped for replay on Thurston Community Television (TCTV). 

Councilmembers took turns asking questions of the group of eight, in two groups of four. Candidates had two minutes to answer each question. After the interviews, councilmembers voted for three candidate choices. Although the council unanimously chose Gilman as a choice in its first round, they chose to do a second round, asking the top four vote getters an additional four questions. 

In the first round, Gilman received six votes, Johnson received four votes, and Brown and Gallagher each received three votes. In the end, allowed one vote, five councilmembers voted for Gilman. Councilmember Jeannine Roe chose Max Brown.

Jimmy Haun, political director of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters which covers six western states, came down from Seattle to attend the interviews and lend moral support to Gilman. He expressed full confidence in Gilman’s abilities to be a councilmember for the city.

“Clark has been an advocate for carpenters working in the residential construction market for many years. In most cases, carpenters who are not represented by a union are not aware of their rights and are victims of payroll fraud. Many of these workers are Latino and are not familiar with how overtime works or how much they should be getting paid on prevailing wage projects. Some are misclassified as "independent contractors" by their employers who avoid paying Labor and Industries premiums and payroll taxes. Clark worked to help educate these workers so they were able to collect the wages that they were duly owed. He also help found a residential carpenters local, and a vast majority of their members are Latino,” said Haun.

For the City of Olympia, Gilman is chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which he said allowed him to have a closer look at the work of the council.

“As chair of the BPAC my focus has been on taking care of the committee members and the process. I have worked hard to make sure that every voice is heard and that our decisions reach consensus as often as possible. With support from Council we have moved forward with modestly funded innovative initiatives that kept the bicycling and walking agenda in action through the leanest of city budgets,” Gilman said in his application.

During the interview, Gilman said he feels blessed to have developed broad constituencies and relationships with shop owners downtown, neighbors on the westside, colleagues he works with, and people he has represented as a union representative.

 

“…I take very seriously the trustee role of overseeing a municipal corporation.  I see that as a responsibility and as a call to look at the best interests of the community, putting aside some of those particular issues and constituencies dear and closest to my heart….

“I generally feel really good and excited about where Olympia is at right now today…I am very proud of the work that the city staff’s been doing…so I don’t have any hesitation in putting my energy toward the agenda the council has right now and trying to push implementation of the good work of the staff,” said Gilman.

Gilman did gently suggest that the council has gradually shifted its attention over the years from overseeing the big policy picture to spending too much time on details about programs that the city implements such as the comprehensive plan and downtown strategies.

When asked by Councilmember Jim Cooper, in a hypothetical scenario, how he would pick one parks related project, have five million dollars to spend, and build community consensus around it, Gilman said that if the purchase of the LBA Woods was already accomplished, he would be responsive to and satisfy the community need for a dog park.

Gilman said he lives near Sunrise Park and was part of a group that had concerns about the dog park in that area. The park inadvertently became a regional magnet for pent-up city-wide off-leash dog park needs and was disruptive to nearby neighbors.

As a result of those concerns, he said he spent about a year working with a parks and recreation subcommittee to try and find another location, and spent days riding around with city staff to look for appropriate land with buffers that would not adversely impact neighbors.

“I think it would be such a different ride if I had that check in my hand,” Gilman said, eliciting laughter from councilmembers and the audience.

Without the benefit of running a recent campaign and hearing first hand from voters what is on their minds, Gilman was asked by Councilmember Bateman what he thought were the top three issues most important to the community members. He responded: the use of the Parks and Pathways fund and lack of land acquisition; safety, particularly since the officer involved shooting of two African American men in May; and the condition of downtown sidewalks.

When asked by Councilmember Jeannine Roe who he would choose to be the next councilmember if the councilmembers didn’t choose him, Gilman said Dr. Karen Johnson, saying that she was eloquent, gracious, and would be an asset in the process of group dynamics.  In answer to the same question, three other candidates also mentioned Johnson, who received the most votes of confidence by interviewees.

Mayor Cheryl Selby and councilmembers thanked all the candidates for their knowledge, ideas, and passion, and welcomed them all to stay involved in city issues. The meeting was Cheryl Selby’s first as mayor, and Jessica Bateman’s first as a councilmember. 

Above: Jimmy Haun, political director for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, greets Dr. Karen Johnson, during a break Monday night of the interviews for Olympia city council. Johnson received four votes of confidence from other applicants when asked who they would chose for the seat, other than themselves.

Olympia City Council Vacancy Attracts Eight Candidates

Olympia City Council Vacancy Attracts Eight Candidates

washington state  

Councilmember Nathaniel Jones to Stay on Council

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Eight candidates have applied for the appointment to Olympia City Council, Position #4, which will be vacant January 1 due to the election of Cheryl Selby as Mayor. The deadline to apply for the position was December 14.

 

The applications are now posted on the city website at http://olympiawa.gov/city-government/city-council-and-mayor/council-vacancy.aspx

The candidates are Max Brown, Chase Gallagher, Clark Gilman, Karen Johnson, Paul Masiello, Allen Miller, Marco Rossi, and Peter Tassoni.

The person who is appointed will serve for approximately 23 months, until the November 2017 General Election results are certified.

Interviews will be held at 5:30 p.m. on January 4, 2016, and January 6, 2016, if needed, in the Olympia City Council Chambers, 601 4th Avenue East. The sessions will be open for public viewing and taped for replay on Thurston Community Television (TCTV).

After completing the initial interviews, the city council will decide the next steps in the process, such as whether to select an individual that evening, develop a short list of applicants for a second round of interviews or solicit additional applicants.

The city council has up to 90 days to make a selection. If a selection is not made within 90 days, the decision rests with the county board of commissioners per RCW 42.12.070.

The council intends, however, to appoint someone in time to participate as a member at the council’s annual goal setting retreat on January 8-9, 2016.

Jones Decides to Stay on Council

In an open letter provided to Little Hollywood on Monday, Olympia city councilmember Nathaniel Jones announced his intention to stay on the council, and not seek the state House of Representatives for the 22nd District.

“The enthusiastic support I have received from all corners of the district has been extraordinary.  I have been moved by the trust placed in me to represent the needs and the values of our community and our state,” says Jones in his letter.

“…I am not disappointed in my decision to stay with the City Council; this is not a concession, rather, the Council provides the best fit for me at this time.  I am excited about serving the City and I am convinced that this is the place where I can be the most effective.

“It was only a month ago that Olympia voters reelected me to the City Council.  These next four years present unique challenges for our community. The South Sound region is making a meaningful comeback from the Great Recession.  Olympia and its partners are at the heart of it all.  Rebuilding our economy and our community requires local leaders and an understanding of how this region works.

“…As we enter 2016 and the presidential campaign year, there are many local races and issues which need your attention.  Public policy issues affecting our community are at a cross-road; our education system depends on upon unreliable local districts across the state to meet basic needs, our energy systems are not evolving fast enough to overcome the negatives of fossil fuel dependence, our regressive tax structure does not reflect our intent, and both economic development and social equity lag.  Yet there is good news.  We know how to fix these issues; they can be addressed within our existing systems.  All we need is people who are willing to get involved and get creative.  We can affect the outcome of critical policy issues,” said Jones.

Karen Johnson Seeks Olympia City Council Appointment

Karen Johnson Seeks Olympia City Council Appointment

thurston thrives  

 Above: Dr. Karen Johnson of Olympia has announced her application for appointment to the Olympia City Council. File photo. 

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

In a video released at https://vimeo.com/147920545 Dr. Karen Johnson introduces herself to the community and shares why she is seeking appointment to the Olympia City Council. The video is three minutes and twenty-five seconds.

The Olympia City Council is accepting applications for Councilmember Position #4, which will be vacant January 1 due to the election of Cheryl Selby as Mayor. The person who is appointed will serve for approximately 23 months, until the November 2017 General Election results are certified.

Johnson has lived in Washington State since 1997 and in Olympia since 2005. She works for the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services as the agency's Strategic Initiatives Executive.

Johnson is president of the Olympia-Centennial Rotary Club, a co-founder and president of the Black Alliance of Thurston County, a member of the Thurston Thrives Governance Committee.

In the video, she explains that she is an ordained minister, a hospital administrator by training, and has a doctorate in urban management. 

Her focus will be on homelessness, downtown economic development, and fair and impartial policing.

“I see Olympia as a diamond in the rough and the reason why I want to be a city councilmember is so I can help polish this beautiful diamond in the rough. I envision Olympia as a city that is beautiful, productive, and thriving – a place where all its residents want to live and work and play and stay….” says Johnson.

Johnson says her strengths are inspiring trust, working collaboratively, and having good common sense.

In what seems to be an unprecedented approach, Johnson also has a website, www.AppointKarenJohnson.com, urging supporters for her appointment to contact current city council members.  

The annual stipend for the council position is $16,640. Signed applications and required documents must be received by the city council’s assistant at Olympia City Hall, 601 4th Avenue East, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2015.

Interviews will be held at 5:30 p.m. on January 4, 2016, (and January 6, 2016, if needed) in the Olympia City Council Chambers, 601 4th Avenue East. The sessions will be open for public viewing and taped for replay on TCTV.

For more information about the vacancy or to apply, go to www.olympiawa.gov

To read an October 4, 2015 article about Dr. Karen Johnson and the Black Alliance of Thurston County, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.comand type key words into the search button.