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The Chronicle - Centralia
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Thurston County names two new directors as year of transition, departures continues
Thurston County promoted two women into permanent directorships for its public health and planning departments on Monday amid of year of transition and departures. Jennifer Freiheit has been tapped to lead Public Health and Social Services, according to a news release. Freiheit joined the county as assistant PHSS director in March 2023 and has more than 20 years of public health experience, her LinkedIn profile shows. County Manager Leonard Hernandez described her as a "dedicated, collaborative leader" in the news release. "Her expertise, communication, and leadership skills will be instrumental as we work to improve the health and well-being of our community," Hernandez said. Her appointment comes about five months after she became interim PHSS director, replacing David Bayne, who resigned just 17 months after taking on the role. Meanwhile, Ashley Arai has been promoted to Director of Community Planning and Economic Development. She became interim CPED director last summer when Joshua Cummings left that role to become assistant county manager.. Arai joined the county in August 2021 and has previously worked as an agriculture community program manager and community planning manager, according to her LinkedIn profile. Hernandez said Arai's experience makes her "uniquely qualified" to lead CPED. "Ashley's extensive land use planning experience will be instrumental in balancing the needs of our community," Hernandez said. "We are fortunate to have her on the Thurston County team." The news release says the promotions occurred after a competitive recruitment process was conducted. The county has seen several leadership changes and challenges in 2024, which is the first full year the Board of County Commissioners have had five members rather than three. Many changes occurred following the April 1 start date for Hernandez, who left a previous job in California amid controversy.
What happened with the former PHSS director? Bayne submitted his resignation letter to Hernandez on May 29, according to a copy obtained by The Olympian. At the time, the county said he resigned to "pursue a new opportunity" outside the county. "While we are disappointed to see David leave the county, we appreciate his leadership and contributions to our county, especially as we continue to work through the recovery phase of the COVID pandemic," Hernandez previously said. Since then, Bayne has worked about four months as a Government Relations Manager for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, according to his LinkedIn profile. Bayne currently works as a Policy Director for Hopelab, a San Francisco-based startup focused on adolescent and young adult health. The Olympian also obtained a few emails about Bayne's departure. In a May 31 email to PHSS staff, Bayne described his decision to leave as "incredibly difficult" and said serving as PHSS director was a highlight of his career. "I've tried my best to lead with a people-first mentality, compassion and transparency, and I feel so confident that those values will continue to take root and spread here at PHSS," Bayne said in the email. Freiheit sent an email to staff on June 3, the day she officially started as interim PHSS director. She acknowledged staff may have feelings of "uncertainty, anxiety and fear" around yet another leadership change. "Especially for those of you that have weathered so many changes in the last decade, I understand that there will be many feelings and emotions," Freiheit said. "I want you to know that I am here to hear. Change is difficult and sometimes takes a long time until we are stable again, but I will work hard to get us there."
What happened with the former CPED director? Cummings moved into an assistant county manager role earlier this year. He's expected to replace Robin Campbell, who is retiring by the end of the year, The Olympian previously reported. "I want to give my utmost thanks to Robin as she begins to transition out of her role here at the county and into her next chapter of retirement," Hernandez said in an August news release. "Robin's leadership and organizational knowledge will be missed greatly." Campbell previously told The Olympian she looks forward to her retirement after a 41-year career in public service. She said Cummings is a great choice for her role. "I've worked with Josh since he joined the county," Campbell said. "He's passionate about providing excellent service to our community, and I'm sure he will continue to do an outstanding job in this new role." The county overlapped Cummings appointment with Campbell's final year to allow for a smooth transition, Hernandez previously said. Cummings joined Rob Gelder, another assistant county manager who was hired in April 2023. The county plans to hold a retirement party for Campbell at the Atrium, located at 3000 Pacific Ave. from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, according to the Board of County Commissioners master calendar. The commission is expected to go on a winter recess from Dec. 18 to Jan. 5. Another appointment and some notable departures The county also has formally appointed Summer Miller as its Budget and Fiscal Manager in the Commissioners' Office. "Summer has stabilized the budget, created efficiencies, and built financial systems that have put the department into a position of continued accuracy and forecasting," Hernandez said. "Her expertise and dedication will be invaluable to our organization." Additionally, there were a couple notable departures this year. Devi Ogden left her role as the county's Racial Equity Program Manager in Sept. 30, according to the county. She now works at Washington State Department of Ecology. Ogden worked about 15 months at the county from June 2023 to September of this year. She replaced Nicole Miller, who served as the program manager from August 2021 to January 2023. Miller said she was unfairly fired by then county manager Ramiro Chavez. Her departure stalled progress on the county Racial Equity Plan and left the Racial Equity Council in limbo for months. The county finally adopted a 12-page plan in late 2023, more than two years after the county declared racism a crisis. The council's last meeting was scheduled for Sept. 16, according to the county website, but no minutes had been posted as of Tuesday. The last meeting with posted minutes was on Aug. 22. "The Racial Equity and Inclusion Council is not meeting this month due to the Thanksgiving holiday," Clerk of the Board Amy Davis said. "They are expected to conduct their monthly meeting in December." On Monday, Commissioner Carolina Mejia told her seatmates she and Hernandez met with the co-chairs of the Racial Equity Council last Friday. Mejia said the county is planning to hold a strategic planning session for the council in January. Sometime in December, she said the council will meet with the commissioners to discuss next steps. Lastly, Meghan Porter, the county's Communications Manager, left her role on Oct. 25 after more than eight years with the county, according to the county and her LinkedIn profile. Davis said Ogden and Porter both left to "pursue opportunities external to Thurston County." The county's career website did not show job postings for a Racial Equity Manager or Communications Manager as of Tuesday. Davis said an impending budget shortfall has prompted the county to evaluate all general fund positions before starting recruitment efforts. However, Davis said the county intends to begin recruiting a Racial Equity Program Manager in the next several weeks. ___ (c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) at www.theolympian.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Washington gun-buying background check process underway again after computer outage
The gun-buying background check process is underway again after a two-week delay tied to a statewide computer system outage, the Washington State Patrol announced Monday. The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has been able to restore online services, the agency announced in a news release. "WSP's secure automated firearms E-Check or SAFE system regained connectivity with AOC's data repository on Sunday afternoon after the suspension of data availability was caused by computer system security concerns," the release reads. According to State Patrol, the agency receives an average of 700 background check requests each business day. During the delay, they continued to do non-computer-related work "so that once data services were regained, delayed background checks could be completed quickly." In the first eight hours after service was restored, WSP completed more than 6,500 of the backlogged checks, they said. The Administrative Office of the Courts explained the outage in a series of updates on social media: — Nov. 18: "The Administrative Office of the Courts is in the process of bringing up systems on the Washington Courts network, following successful work and testing throughout the weekend. We can confirm that there was no detected breach of data and the event did not result in ransomware, due to quick action taken to isolate and secure the network." — Nov. 13: "Work is continuing to progress to restore the Washington Courts Network. At this time, we are cautiously optimistic that systems will be operational next week. Due to the interconnectivity of the network, all systems will be restored simultaneously once work has concluded." — Nov. 12: "The Administrative Office of the Courts anticipates service interruptions to continue throughout this week, while work is ongoing to secure and reestablish the Washington Courts network. While analysis is ongoing, there is no evidence that any court or personal data has been accessed, altered or removed during the unauthorized activity that was detected." This story was originally published November 19, 2024, 12:23 PM. ___ (c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) at www.theolympian.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Pierce County workers get $1 million after alleging culture of racism inside their department
Pierce County has agreed to pay more than $1 million to six current or former employees who alleged the county condoned a culture of racism inside the Facilities Management Department, court records show. The workers sued the county in January, accusing department managers of failing to address open and commonplace hostility toward minorities. The lawsuit claimed that the plaintiffs had been subjected to racial slurs, compared to animals and faced other race-related harassment. Earlier this month, the county settled the litigation in Pierce County Superior Court prior to trial by agreeing to pay $1.05 million combined to the plaintiffs, according to an amended judgment on Nov. 14. "Hopefully, this is the first step toward the county making changes," attorney Hollie Connelly, who represented the plaintiffs, said in an interview Monday. Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Adam Faber declined to comment. The county denied all allegations in a February filing in court. In settling the case, the county didn't admit liability but made the offer to the plaintiffs so each party could avoid spending more money on litigation, court records show. A tort claim preceding the suit described the hostilities purportedly experienced by the plaintiffs, who collectively had more than 80 years of experience working in the county's Facilities Management Department. The department, budgeted for roughly 80 positions, maintains broad responsibilities, including maintaining county-owned facilities, overseeing real estate purchases and managing new construction. An Asian-American employee, in front of supervisors, allegedly had his stomach rubbed without consent and was asked if he was eating dogs for lunch, the tort claim said. A Black worker was purportedly denied requests for proper footwear and gloves to shovel snow, even though white employees were given a boot allowance. Complaints about such discrimination were ignored or met with retaliation from the county, according to the lawsuit. Employees had their roles and responsibilities changed, concerns made up about them and were publicly disparaged and subjected to attempts to oust them from their jobs, the suit said. One worker was fired following an allegedly biased investigation into sexual-harassment claims against him, according to the tort claim. Another was "constructively discharged," meaning he felt forced to quit due to poor working conditions. White employees were allegedly treated differently: Their complaints were investigated, they were routinely chosen for promotions over the plaintiffs and they were paid more, the suit said. The lawsuit aimed to ensure minority employees in the department would be treated the same as their white colleagues, according to Connelly. She said that racist and discriminatory behavior must stop, and the county must respond to all complaints in a timely manner. "I think it's still a little too soon to tell," she said when asked whether the changes sought had been made. "I think that with this recognition that there was harm done and this type of environment should not be condoned, (it) was positive for my clients to hear. But, unfortunately, until we still see actual changes, we won't know." ___ (c)2024 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) Visit The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) at www.TheNewsTribune.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Green Hill School inmate accused of assaulting, threatening to kill five staff members 
A Green Hill School inmate accused of striking and threatening to kill at least five staff members during an altercation on Aug. 8 is now facing felony charges in Lewis County Superior Court. Baye Omari Rife, 18, was charged Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Lewis County Superior Court with five counts each of custodial assault and felony harassment. Rife was allegedly “involved in a disturbance and was ignoring the directives of staff to return to his room” and “repeatedly threatened to knock out the teeth of staff and break their jaw” on Aug. 8, according to charging documents. Staff reported they were “forced to go hands on with the defendant,” which led to Rife allegedly “throwing closed punches and kicking, striking at least five staff members” and spitting on multiple staff members, according to charging documents. Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 27. |
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