MELANIE BACON: A Message from Commissioner Bacon (May 20, 2022)

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., May 20, 2022.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 20th week of 2022.

• As I’ve mentioned here before, there are times when I feel especially honored to be a colleague of Commissioner Jill Johnson and Commissioner Janet St. Clair. This was one of those weeks.
  • At our regular session this week, during our Commissioners Comments time, Jill Johnson gave a particularly moving off-the-cuff commentary about her deep concern over language used to stigmatize marginalized populations and the devastating things that sometimes happen because of that stigmatization. You can find her comments at the 00:06:36 mark here:  https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/b56b1d10-187d-49d7-8968-307e1f69a18a. Janet and I were so moved by her words that we gave her an ovation. Worth listening to.
  • At the end of this week’s Board of Health (BOH) meeting, BOH Chair Janet St. Clair, speaking for herself and not the BOH or staff, commented about the history of women’s health before and since Roe v. Wade, and her concern that the threat to abortion rights protections we see through the recent Supreme Court leak will have grave consequences for families and women’s health. I expressed my gratitude for her words. You can hear Janet’s remarks at the 01:28:40 mark here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/boh/2022/05172022%20BOH%20Audio%20MP3.mp3 Please contact T.Till@islandcountywa.gov if you would like more information on the background and history of the law and health data Janet was referencing to in her remarks.

Also at this week’s Board of Health:

• Agenda here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/boh/2022/05172022%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf Audio here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/boh/2022/05172022%20BOH%20Audio%20MP3.mp3
  • Jaime Bodden, the Managing Director of the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO), gave a presentation on Foundational Public Health Services. Audio begins at the 00:03:27 mark. You can contact  T.Till@islandcountywa.gov to receive a copy of Jaime’s presentation.
  • Leah Wainman, our Assessment & Health Community Manager, presented a roster of new applicants for the Community Health Advisory Board (CHAB). We continually need citizens to join the CHAB to represent particular sectors or groups, including someone from each of the following: Marine Resource Advisory Committee (MRC), a restaurant business, the Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC), and WSU Waste Wise or food systems. If you belong to any of these groups and would be interested in also becoming a member of the CHAB, please contact Leah at L.Wainman@islandcountywa.gov . The audio of this conversation begins at the 01:07:01 mark.
  • Grethe Cammermeyer, who represents WhidbeyHealth on the Board of Health, gave an update on the hospital that brought me great comfort. Short story: the hospital is in much better shape financially than it was a couple of months ago. She expressed WhidbeyHealth’s gratitude to the community for the levy passed last year. If, like me, you’ve been worrying about the financial future of the hospital, you may also find Dr. Cammermeyer’s comments worth hearing: audio begins at the 01:33:33 mark.

This Week’s Work Session.

• Agenda here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/worksessions/2023/05182022.pdf  Audio: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/worksessions/2022/05182022WS%20Audio.mp3 .
  • Commissioner Johnson asked for an add-on at our Wednesday work session: an update on how well Island County is prepared for the expansion of COVID vaccines to children 6 months to 5 years. The answer was: we are well prepared for that roll-out, which may still be as much as a month out. To hear that conversation, go to the 01:14:13 mark in the audio recording above. Due to a Starleaf issue, the recording cuts out for a few seconds at the 01:22:20 mark, but comes right back.
  • Human Services brought to us one of the first public conversations we’ve had on a request by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) to receive $1.5M in matching funds for the purchase of an existing motel building for supportive housing and bridge housing. The Board will vote on the LIHI request at our regular session on June 7^th . If the requested matching funds are approved, there will be opportunities for public comment on this project later, including at a public hearing by the Hearing Examiner. To hear the audio on this conversation, go to the 01:40:38 mark.
  • Sharon Sappington, the Executive Director of the Island County Economic Development Council (EDC), and EDC President George Henny, gave a presentation to the Board on the EDC 2021 activities, their current 2022 activities, their future, and their 5-year strategic priorities. It was a very informative and helpful conversation. Audio begins at the 01:58:57 mark. The EDC presentation can be accessed here: https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Commissioners/worksessions/2022/Island%20County%20EDC%20Presentation.pdf

Resolutions & Proclamations passed this week.

• Resolution No. C-34-22 (Consent Agenda): Proclaiming the month of May 2022 Older Americans Month in Island County.
• Resolution No. C-35-22 (Regular Agenda): Proclaiming the month of May 2022 Mental Health Month in Island County.

• It was not a good week for us. We went from “green” (all is well) to “yellow” (some concerns) regarding our 7-day case rate, which like cases in the rest of the country continues to rise; and sadly, we saw one new COVID death in our community this week. https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Health/COVID%20Manager%20Report%20Library/BOCC%20Brief%205-20-2022.pdf

• Last week I wrote about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and Congressman Rick Larsen’s determination that the 2^nd Congressional District will have the information and support necessary to access our share of the $3.7B allocated to Washington State. Today I met with leaders from the Holmes Harbor Estate HOA, which has spent years developing a plan and doing all the appropriate studies necessary to resolve their surface water management issues, only to be stymied by lack of dollars. I’m thinking their project might be a good candidate for IIJA funds. I know there are other similar community projects out there, with everything ready to go if only the funding was available. If you have such a project, I offer you the same suggestion I gave the HOA leaders this morning: listen in to the Island County Elected Officials and Department Heads Monthly Roundtable Meeting this next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. to hear a robust presentation about what these funds can be used for and how jurisdictions and community groups can apply for them. To attend this meeting, go to: https://meet.starleaf.com/4248049529/app or call in to +1 669 272 2894, meeting ID 424 804 9529.
• Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day, a day to recognize members of the Armed Forces who are currently serving. This annual recognition day was created in 1949 after a call by President Harry S. Truman to create a day for the nation to unite in support and recognition of our military members and their families. Such a day of recognition is particularly relevant in a community such as ours, where 1/8^th of our population is active duty military. To all of our active duty military members, and to your families, thank you for your service.

~Melanie

“Close understanding between members of our Armed Forces and members of civilian communities is most important to preserve the high level of national readiness necessary for safeguarding the free world.”

–General Nathan F. Twining