EVERETT — Snohomish County Executive John Lovick reminded people Wednesday of the resilience they demonstrated in a year that included the Oso mudslide and the mass shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
Lovick’s State of the County speech credited the community, local governments and law enforcement agencies with pulling together through two horrific events in 2014.
“We are still recovering and will be for years to come,” he said.
The speech also touched on the economy, public safety, the environment, supporting local farmers and protecting the vulnerable. It steered clear of a recent political controversies, such as the county’s stalled courthouse project, an upcoming vote related to commercial air service at Paine Field and clashes between his office and a majority of the County Council.
As part of the recovery from the March 22 mudslide, the county applied for a federal grant to buy out 135 destroyed, flooded or at-risk land parcels in the slide zone. Staff hopes to hear back this spring, Lovick said.
Creating a memorial for the 43 slide victims is an ongoing conversation.
“This is an very important effort that will take time and respect,” he said.
As for the Oct. 24 school shooting, Lovick said he stood in “awe and admiration” of the school district, tribal and police officials who have collaborated in its aftermath. In all, six students were struck by bullets and five died, including the shooter.
Lovick delivered two nearly identical speeches, first to business leaders at an Economic Alliance Snohomish County breakfast and later to a public meeting attended mainly by county employees.
Lovick highlighted the county’s 4.5 percent unemployment rate, one of the lowest in the state. He also drew attention to the nearly 30 percent unemployment rate for people with disabilities here — about 1.5 percent of the population. Change must come, Lovick said.
Everett and the county secured commitments from the Boeing Co. to build its 777X jetliner and its composite wings locally, Lovick noted. But the county also lost out on a $70 million federal grant to build an advanced composites manufacturing center, located at Paine Field. Despite losing the grant, the county remains determined to attract the same type of facility to the area, he said.
To reduce recidivism rates among the homeless, the county continues to seek a $1.6 million state grant to convert the old Carnegie Library next to the jail to provide housing and social services.
Separately, Lovick touted a program to build sidewalks and crosswalks near schools in unincorporated areas. He also lauded the use of a property-tax-funded program to buy more than a dozen land parcels last year for environmental conservation.
Not mentioned were some of the thornier political issues that have bedeviled county leaders during recent months.
That includes the troubled $162 million project to build a new downtown courthouse, which is in doubt because the county has not addressed the city of Everett’s parking concerns. An update meeting is scheduled Thursday in council chambers.
There’s also an upcoming council vote on negotiating a lease with a New York company that wants to build a commercial passenger air terminal at Paine Field. The vote could happen as early as Monday.
The past few months also have been characterized by spats with a majority of the County Council.
The sides clashed throughout the process of drafting last year’s budget. A compromise in December averted the first county-level budget shutdown in Washington state history.
A council majority also has challenged Lovick’s administration over trying to award pay raises to some of the county’s highest-paid administrators, without following the procedures outlined in county code.
The same bloc on the council also voted to hire a private attorney to investigate comments that Deputy Executive Mark Ericks made about them. While the investigation identified no violations of law or county code, it did recommend taking a closer look at whether Ericks has interfered with land-use permitting decisions. Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe has requested a law enforcement investigation of those claims.
Lovick, the former county sheriff, was appointed executive in mid-2013 after the resignation of Aaron Reardon. He won a special one-year term in office last year and is campaigning for a full four-year term.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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