Tillie Naputi-Pullar, Thurston County Elections Manager, was awarded the 2021 "Elections Employee of the Year" by the Washington State Office of Secretary of State. Naputi-Pullar previously received the award in 2014. Naputi-Pullar is co-chair of the VoteWA Advisory Board. The board is a liaison between end users and the VoteWA Executive Steering Committee. They recommend functionality and usability enhancements of VoteWA, the statewide voter registration database. Most importantly, the Advisory Board helps guides the technical evolution of VoteWA.  

The Thurston County Auditor's Election division also recently received two awards for their expanded election observer program. The effort to increase election transparency received a National Association of Counties (NACO) Achievement Awards and an honorable mention in Outstanding Innovations in Elections from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The expanded election observer program was established after a dramatic increase in inquiries regarding ballot processing during the 2020 presidential election. The election division saw the largest and most consistent number of observers, despite capacity limitations due to the pandemic. 

On Tuesday, June 14, the Board of Health declared June Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  Awareness Month. Two participants in Thurston County Veterans Court shared their personal stories of dealing with post traumatic stress during the presentation. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, "PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault." 

Despite its treatability, many cases of PTSD remain undiagnosed and untreated due to a lack of awareness of this condition and the persistent stigma associated with mental health conditions. The Board of Health made this proclamation to increase public understanding of the importance of supporting individuals who have experienced trauma and to promote identification and treatment of PTSD. You can watch the presentation here.

There's still time to apply for one of three community member positions on the county's expanded Board of Health! Community positions are:

• A member representing public health, health care facilities, and providers
• A member representing consumers of public health
• A member representing other community stakeholders

If you're interested, please submit a one page letter of interest and this application to Jamie Caldwell at jamie.caldwell@co.thurston.wa.us by Friday, June 24, for consideration. The Board of Commissioners expects to announce the board members in July. You can watch this episode of Coffee With A Commissioner, where Commission-Chair Carolina Mejia, speaks with the county manager and division director of the Nurse Family Partnership about why this expansion is happening and the Board of Health's importance to Thurston County communities.

Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) is embarking on the fourth update of the regional Hazards Mitigation Plan. Help make Thurston County communities more disaster resilient by taking the Hazards Resiliency survey! Since 1965, Thurston County has received more federal disaster declarations than 96% of U.S. counties. Tell your local leaders what actions you want prioritized to reduce losses due to natural hazards. Your feedback will inform the region’s Hazards Mitigation Plan.

For this update, several workgroup meetings will be held, and other opportunities for public engagement will be advertised on the TRPC website. Communities are required to update their plan every five years to maintain eligibility for federal mitigation grant programs. To join workgroup meetings, provide public comment, or learn more about the update process, please contact Paul Brewster at brewstp@trpc.org or (360) 741-2526.