BRUCE DAMMEIER —The Record for Pierce County
“When you elected me your Pierce County Executive in 2016, I promised to listen and get things done. I have kept that commitment to you. We have made great progress on our most pressing issues. But now we are faced with difficult public health challenges, social unrest, and economic collapse. We must confront these challenges head-on, with steady, reliable leadership.”
—Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive
On COVID-19 Response
The Coronavirus outbreak has impacted us all, whether it be losing a loved one or losing a job. Pierce County has dedicated nearly $80 million to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. We have great progress on dedicating funding to public health initiatives that include testing and contact tracing – including purchasing 2 trailers with CARES Act funds to support mobile COVID-testing in our community – all while ensuring our small businesses, schools, and veterans have the resources they need to weather the storm.
We still have work to do to ensure a safe restart of our economy. But together, we can get through this.
On Mental Health and Homelessness
Under Bruce’s leadership, Pierce County has pioneered public-private partnerships to expand mental health resources and resources for those experiencing homelessness.
Our new Crisis Recovery Center, serving the Parkland-Spanaway community, is on track to open in the late fall. This critical new facility will get those experiencing a behavioral health crisis the care they need, closer to their community, and get our Firefighters and Law Enforcement back on the streets more quickly.
Pierce County partnered with the Tacoma Rescue Mission to add 40 new bed’s in their Women’s Shelter. Bruce and his wife, Lauren, also have a passion for helping chemically addicted women have safe pregnancies and healthy babies.
Bruce has led efforts to send people with mental health issues to treatment instead of jail. He has invested in community policing and a mobile response team where teams of mental health professionals in mobile vans help those struggling with mental illness, drug addiction, and other challenges.
On Small Businesses, The Economy, and Family Wage Jobs
When Seattle passed a $275 job tax, Bruce led the charge to pass a countywide $275 job tax credit, encouraging family-wage jobs to move to Pierce County. When King County sued to block voter-approved car-tab relief, Bruce made sure Pierce County went to court to defend the will of the voters to reduce car tabs.
In 2019, 15,100 more Pierce County residents were working than in 2018.
On Issues for Our Veterans
During COVID-19, Bruce established the Veterans Emergency COVID-19 Assistance program that provided our veterans with direct financial relief to those negatively affected by the pandemic.
In 2019, Pierce County partnered with the Cohen’s Veterans Network to bring a mental health care facility to Lakewood for veterans, regardless of their ability to pay.
At the county level, Bruce has made it a point to hire veterans and integrate them back into the workforce. More veterans are being hired by the county than ever before.